Today I am making my comeback with quite a debatable topic..... bras!
Also known as over the shoulder bolder holders, boobie harness, titslinger, puppy blankets, flopper stopper, and the usual, brassiere.
For most women, you can walk into any store that carries women's intimates and simply find a cute, comfortable, flattering bra in your size, right? I mean for goodness sake, even Walmart carries bras from a 30A up to a 46DDD! You'd think, "goodness, what a great deal! Grocery shop then run over to the panties section and pick me up a new titslinger while I'm at it!"
Well, the unfortunate news is, There are a lot more women that CAN'T just buy a bra wherever!
And this is where I get baffled. You would think, the larger the breasts, the more need you would have for a bra.... (demand) which would in turn make you think that the stores that sell such products, would cater to these women, like myself, with tata's so large, you kinda HAVE to wear a bra...(supply). So why is it that if I were to wear a 38C, I can walk into any store and find numerous bras in my size in all shapes, colors, and designs. But when I go bra shopping, its like an excursion! I have to go to the "specialty" stores and spend damn near an arm and a leg for a bra that isn't going to last but a year because my F size boobs are going to wear the sucker out! Oh that price tag! It's enough to make you wanna just go all prehistoric and let the girls flop! I'll get to that later in the blog though.
I, being a happy 42 F, sometimes larger depending on the bra make, end up shopping for hours trying to find 1, just one bra! One bra that not only did I spend WAY too much on, its unreliable, not really comfortable, looks like I should be either old, or breastfeeding in, and really has no pzazz! I mean, I am 24 years old.... I want a cute, flirty, low cut, supportive, small straps, decent priced bra! Is that too much to ask for!?
With all these women going out and getting breast augmentation and fake boobies, come on, there is a HUGE market for bigger bras in ALL stores! We have a society of women with already large boobs and department stores full of bras for people that aren't so well endowed. No offense ladies. But if I have B or C boobs, shit, I doubt I would ever wear a bra. I would let my perky wonders float around like some kinda star! hahahaha
Then we have the women that really just can't go without a bra, like myself, having to make a damn trip across the world it sometimes seems, just to find one that is going to be good enough to wear a while. I've known girls that have owned the same bras and wore them constantly for 5 to 10 years! I can't even get one to last me a full 365 days! Sheesh!
To top it off, the bras for girls like me at a 42 F are aesthetically unappealing for the most part! I don't want no wire because then my fat under my arms becomes part of my boobs on the side.... I don't want 3 inch wide straps because I like wearing tank tops and other articles of clothing that I can't stand my bra strap showing through. I don't want the "pointy boob" effect. It looks just weird to me. I don't want the bra to cover everything damn near up to my neck, that's just uncomfortable. I don't want cheap material that the first wash, it starts to tear. I don't want my underwire to poke into my armpit after owning the damn thing for only 6 months.
Seriously! Is that too much to ask?!
I recently purchased 2 bras from Kohls, not because I really liked the way they looked, I didn't try them on, I ordered them online simply because they were a good price. I spent $62 on two bras, and some of you will understand when I say, that is the cheapest 2 bras I have ever owned! They are comfortable, don't get me wrong, but one of them is a wirefree, which is fine for around the house or to bed, but I wouldn't wear it in public. The other is what I like to call a " I'm married" bra. Which again, is fine, because I am getting married in January and all. But it would be really nice to find the cute bras that I used to be able to wear in middle school, now, when I have large boobs that need the extra attention.
I know a lot of you plus size women shop at Lane Bryant, Avenue, Fashion Bug, Cato, and Ashley Stewart. I am going to do some price comparison here and let you all in on my frustration of bra shopping. Okay? Great! Here we go....
We will start with
Lane Bryant!
The bras that fit right and comfortable on me from Lane Bryant are in the price range of $42-$58 a piece..... A PIECE! That's over $20 a cup! I just find it ridiculous. Unless you catch one of their major sales, you are going to be spending way upwards of $100 on a minimum of 2 bras, because we all know nobody buys just one bra.
The quality of the bras doesn't match the price of them though. I have been wearing LB bras since I was about 14 years old, so the better part of a decade. I usually don't own them any longer than a year and a half because of a few major malfunctions. A.The underwire ALWAYS comes out, B. The material between the boobs always seems to rip, C. The straps fray and loose elasticity. No I do not put my bras in the dryer either. So that isn't acceptable to me. If I am spending that much on a bra, I want to know I am going to get my moneys worth. Now, LB usually does have super cute bras, but what they fail to tell you is, SURPRISE!, all the ones you want and like for $38 only go up to a 42DDD and your boobs won't even stay in them most of the time because they are heavily padded.... Just what someone with huge tits needs, a heavily padded bra.... Seriously?
Avenue
I started shopping with Avenue because they had cute clothes for a reasonable price for plus size. They have a pretty small selection on bras compared to some places, but their pricing is not too bad. There standard wire bras start at just $30. BUT, they have no patterns, bad quality, just unappealing, and they only go to a cup size DDD....
Starting to see a trend???
Fashion Bug
This one is a bit irrelevant because I only shop here for clothes. They do have bras but you'd be better off buying one used at Goodwill than at this store. So FYI, don't go in here looking for a bra because you just aren't going to find one unless you are a D or below....
On to the next...
Cato
You know, for a store that is supposed to cater to the plus size woman, they sure did a shanty job with their bra selection.... There stores usually only have bras that go up to a size 40DDD. When I was able to wear that size, I bought one for the low low price of $19.99. Boy was that a mistake! It was shredded, underwire falling out, and for some reason, turning a different color within 2 months. Bad idea!
Ashley Stewart
Now AS has this really cool consept bra called the Butterfly Bra! The concept of this bra is to keep the girls UP and the back fat down! The only issue is it is bulky and the underwire is like wearing a corset, which I like, but most women don't.
Now you will notice, this is a very different bra. The straps are wide at the top to keep from digging in, but small on the back. It also has 2 closures. I like to wear this bra under a very covered dress or something of the sorts, but for me , It's not an every day wearer type of bra. The plus side is they do usually have a lot of great sales so they aren't extremely unreasonable.
But this brings me to my conclusion. What is it going to take to get regular department stores to start carrying bras that women actually need? Or maybe I need to invent and create my own line of bras and open my own nation wide store because I am tired of having to play the "bra roadtrip" and needing a savings account strictly for the purchase of a new bra! I want cute, fitting, lasting, quality, feel good bra that women with large tatas WANT to wear and WANT to buy!
We need to start a I LOVE MY BRA movement!
What do you think gals?
Oh and here are the links for all the stores listed above!
Thank a ton for reading! Be sure to comment, like, and share!
