Breasts: A final word

I've always been a big girl. I never wore a training bra, and could have done an ad for a Playtex living bra when I was 10. A lifetime of yo-yo dieting, and a few eating disorders later, coupled with pregnancy and breast-feeding, and there are days when I don't recognize my own breasts. I've spent a small fortune on all kinds of bras that were billed as shapers, reducers, and supporters. I was wearing underwire bras when all my peers were wearing cotton, no padding, a-little-more-than-undershirt bras.

You may have gone to a bra fitting specialist for your very first training bra and believe it or not you should go for a new fitting now if you’re entering, or are in, menopause. A bra fitting specialist will help you decide the best bra for your clothing, emotional, and physical needs. Maybe you need to go up a cup size or two to be more comfortable. Or if you're lucky, down. Maybe you need a bra with a little extra padding, underwire, or one that doesn't dig into your ever-expanding back fat. A well fitted bra can lift sagging breasts, give the illusion of fuller breasts, and make your breasts appear better shaped. The right bra can make you feel better about how your clothes look on the outside, and that just may make you feel better on the inside.

Changes in your breasts during menopause are caused by – you got it – hormone changes. What else? A little weight gain, a little emerging bulge around the back of your bra straps, known euphemistically as back fat, a cup size up or down, all of these conditions may effect your breasts and how you feel about how you look in clothes. Or out of them.

Women have had a tortured relationship with bras through the decades. First we had to endure bone crushing corsets to keep the breasts contained and held up high, practically grazing our chins in the name of fashion and beauty. During the early part of the twentieth century, the modern day woman was referred to as a “flapper” and the ideal breast shape for this gal was flat as a board, crushed to the skin and the bras of this age hugged our girls in close and tight. Breasts in the nineteen forties and fifties were curtained in bullet like structures pulled tight and fast to jut the breasts out into a pointed shape under tight sweaters and blouses. In the nineteen sixties women rebelled and women’s liberation was born. A generation learned the freedom of burning their bras in a show of solidarity and emerging freedom from constraints. The 70’s gave us the sports bra that really took off when in the 80’s Jane Fonda taught us all how to exercise, and women realized their breasts would hurt after all that jumping and hopping around. The 90’s gave us the Wonderbra and previously flat girls now had a chance at cleavage. Madonna “coned” her breasts by Voguing. In the twenty-first century women have embraced their natural curves and want comfort, control and the perfect fit for a reasonable price. Is it any wonder Victoria’s Secret is such a poplar store – for women and men? And believe me, it’s no secret.

I’ve personally spent a large fortune on bras over the years. My 401K has suffered because of the money I had to invest in support rather than in my future. Now that I’m in FBM (full blown menopause) my retirement funds are dwindling again because my breasts have once again succumbed to hormone changes. I swear they grew overnight. I woke up one morning recently and none of my bras fit comfortably. None of them – and believe me, that’s a large number. Off to the bra fit lady at JC Penney’s and I was stunned to be told of my newest cup and back numbers. I won’t share them – I have some pride – but suffice it to say I’m glad I went to her and didn’t just buy a standard bra in my usual size. I would have wasted my money and been uncomfortable to boot.

Do yourself a favor: get a bra fitting. A real one, not from that 16 year old girl working in Walmart’s lingerie department who doesn’t know the difference between an underwire and a b-cup. Go to Victoria’s Secret, or the Maidenform store. Believe me, it will be well worth it. A comfortable, well fitting bra makes your whole life seem better.