By Lydia Tesfaye
Bras have been around for centuries, yet women are still struggling with finding the right bra. Many women have the common experience of walking into a store like Victoria Secret, getting measured by an employee that just wraps a measuring tape around them and suggests a size that would not work. But this is the beginning of a shift as women are demanding for better bras and better measurements.
HISTORY
When taking a deep dive on the history of the bra, it can be dated back to Ancient Greece where women took linen fabric and wrapped it around their chest and tied the rest in back.
Around the 1500s, the infamous corset made its way to the scene. Women would squeeze themselves into the tight and constricting undergarment to reveal an exaggerated figure of a tiny waist with a big bust on top. During that time, it would become a sort of uniform for women in the upper to middle class to signify wealth. The corsets would be made of “strips of a firm material—such as wood, bone, or horn—between two layers of fabric” according to Britannica. Following this fashion trend would lead women to having fainting spells and muscle atrophy.
Bras would soon be made but would still have many problems along with it. The first bra was made by Caresse Crosby. Crosby made the bra out of frustration as she wore a corset to her debutante ball, but the corset kept poking out of her dress. She got two handkerchiefs and a pink ribbon creating the bra. As years went on the bra has changed shape and form and numbers and letters were added on still causing women discomfort and confusion.
WHY CAN’T WOMEN FIND A BRA
Looking at how bras are sized, and women are measured, there are many flaws that led to a dreadful experience for many women.
Many stores that specialize in bras and under garments, such as Victoria Secret and PINK, lack sizing and variety that forces women to wear bras that do not fit their body and breast shape along with how their breasts may sit.
Here in Long Beach, CA one boudoir is here to lead a change to provide women the right bras for their bodies while also providing the best experience when shopping.
Lucy’s Boudoir has a mission of providing women from all stages of life the best experience of finding the right bra. Here you will find the Bra Fairy and owner, Crystal Rogers, that will use her magic to get you the best fit.
“They only have 30 bra sizes to offer us and we’re going to essentially choose from the 30 sizes that are available, right? But if you expand the number of sizes that are available, now women have choices,” says Rogers.
Along with the discomfort that comes with ill-fitting bras, women’s confidence is negatively impacted.
“We think of all things that women cease from doing because they’re self-conscious about their breasts,” says Roger.
Women and girls are often too embarrassed to participate in daily life activities because of their breasts and not having the right bra for the occasions.
“Teenage girls who are not joining sports, women who are not exercising because they don’t have a proper sports bra. People who generally don’t take pictures or who opt to be in the back row of a picture because all they’re thinking about is the way their breasts look,” says Rogers.
Bad bras also have negatively impacted women’s health creating back and neck problems. This impacted on their quality of life as they are in pain from the horrible bras and their heavy breasts.
THE FAIRY FINDS YOU THE RIGHT BRA
Just because women have been uncomfortable most of their lives due to bras and under garments does not mean this will last forever.
Women can identify what is wrong with their bras and see what adjustments they can make from there. They can measure themselves and use a bra calculator to help give them the most accurate sizing and go from there.
Megan Riley, an employee at Lucy’s Boudoir, expresses how helping women overcome the unpleasant experience of shopping for a bra has impacted her life.
“It is very rewarding because most women have a hard time finding their size. But there is like a lot of women who are like ‘I literally could not find anything anywhere and then I came in here’ and like people will just sort of break down,” says Riley.
As women are becoming more open to express their experience this leads to places like Lucy’s Boudoir to help women see that they do not have to be uncomfortable forever.
