Lingerie loser; no more push-up bras for me
“You’re probably a…32A,” the Pink retail worker said, and she handed me two push-up bras. I stood uncomfortably in a dressing room, a measuring tape awkwardly around my chest. When I tried the bras on, they lifted my boobs to another dimension, as if this is what I was supposed to look like. We bought them, but I never wore these push-up bras–I gave them away.
I’d rather wear comfortable sports bras or bralettes, because bras should be that- comfortable. They shouldn’t dig into your chest and make deep red marks when you take them off. They shouldn’t make your boobs scream, “Please objectify me!” Push-up bras give us an impossible standard of what our boobs look like, which only invites shame and perpetual discomfort. People don’t have perky, perfectly round boobs. It’s not how life works.
I’m all for people being as sexy as they want to be, but there’s a difference between expressing your sexuality and being sexualized. It’s one thing to wear a push-up bra because it makes you feel good, but it’s another when you feel like you can’t take it off. If wearing a push-up bra is an expression of your sexuality, go for it, but do it for yourself, not because it’s expected of you.
We should be creating products that make us feel comfortable, not ashamed. Victoria’s Secret makes millions by showing us photoshopped models, telling us that the fake image is the definition of sex appeal, and tricking us into thinking that a bra with extra padding will solve our insecurity issues. The catch is, since those models are photoshopped, we’ll never look like them in real life, but we’ll keep buying their products, thinking that someday we can. It’s an endless cycle of wrecked self esteem and wallets. Don’t fall for it.
