Breast Reduction or Just A Better Bra?

Last week I got fitted for two new bras. Brassiere's. Those things we women wear, those instruments of torture that we impose on our bodies to give us shape and control and to reign those puppies in.

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When I was twenty I really, really wanted a flat chest. I wanted to be able to splurge out on AA bras at the amazing sales the lingerie shops always seemed to be having. Bins full of pretty bras, cute bras, luxurious bras, and I never could, because by the time I was 18 years old, I was growing out of my DD's. Being well-endowed runs in the family, I think. I hated it when I was young, but as I have grown older and have learned, sort of, with reluctance, to accept what I've been given, I've tried to not covet those cute little bras and their cute little prices.

But for many years, it was really, really hard to find pretty bras designed for women that didn't look like you had a pair of headlights leading the way everywhere you walked.

And then finally, the good bra shops began to trickle in. The world of the people who design bras began to recognise those of us who were well-endowed! Pretty bras for bigger busts! Hooray! And ok, maybe the prices weren't worth cheering about, but at last I could buy a good bra, a cute bra, get fitted for a good bra, and kiss goodbye to bra envy when out shopping with friends who weren't so 'out there' in the front. Well, maybe just a little envy.

In the last few weeks, I seem to have been having quite a few discussions around this subject and the advantages of a breast reduction, especially for women like me who have finished giving birth and breast-feeding, but are left with the sad and tragic results the wear and tear of that can leave on a body. And a friend happened to bring up the subject of breast reductions and that got me thinking about this issue.

I have never considered a breast reduction for myself, but plenty of my friends have, and you know what, sometimes I just wonder whether we are all wearing the wrong bras? Maybe all those headaches and backpain and trouble joining in the cross-country run is because we haven't sought out expert advice and bought a bra that fits us well and gives us the support we need.

I am always amazed when I go for a proper fitting to find that my back strap size is tiny compared to my cup size. That if your straps keep falling down, it's because your cup size is wrong. And that it's the side and firmness of the back support that counts, not padding of the straps. And that you can be skinny and still have a big bust problem - it's not really about the size of your body, just the size of your boobs.

But when I hand myself over to the experts, it's like an a-ha moment. Everytime. There are two stores in New Zealand that I have used - and everytime I walk into those rooms, those ladies take one look at me and almost instintively know what size I am. And it's the one time I'm comfortable about someone looking at my chest, instead of my face. I know you know what I'm talking about!
These ladies are trained to know and they know what they're doing.

This is not a sponsored post for these shops at all - I'm only writing about it because it's topical to me at the moment, and because I truly believe that a good bra can make the world of difference.

When I lived in Christchurch I put myself in the capable, expert hands of Savoir.
Now that I am in the North Island, I take myself off to Auckland to visit  Avokado.

I know that good bras can be expensive, but if you think of it in terms of a breast reduction, it is nowhere near as expensive or as traumatic. Every penny invested in a good bra is worth its weight in gold. Trust me! And there's nothing nicer or more relieving than being able to forget that you have a bra on at all. If we have to wear them, we might as well look good and be comfortable. I think that's a reasonable enough expectation, don't you?

photo credit: (nz)dave via photopin cc