I have put off buying a new bra for coming up two years now. The thought of having to remove the prosthetic breast and place it into a potentially new bra, being fitted, forking out a lot of money all put me off.
Well, finally, I gathered up the courage to do it. Oh, and I need a new bra for an event I am attending soon and plan on wearing a dress. Yes, a dress!
Anyhoo, seeing as though I have rescheduled my reconstruction until middle of the year and the only bra I have is a thick strapped black one, I figured it was time to buy a new one.
Off I went to a shop that states they specialise in these bras and I felt almost confident that they would be able to assist me and even have a range that looked half decent.
I was sorely disappointed, embarrassed and slightly humiliated.
The store was well set out with bras everywhere and lots of signs stating what they were. There were sports bras and maternity bras, larger bras and underwire ones. I couldn’t find the prosthetic ones anywhere and had to ask.
I was then escorted to the back of the store, behind the counter and around a wall to find about 7 styles on hooks on the wall. Well, didn’t I feel like an embarrassment to the store being hidden behind a wall.
It didn’t actually occur to me at the time that this might be for the privacy of the prosthetic wearer but I was absolutely disgusted to be standing in a half lit hallway looking at bras that were styled to suit my grandmother! Of the seven designs, there were two colours, black and beige and all were hideous. At $80.00 for the cheapest one, I had no interest in trying one on.
The only slightly interesting thing the lady said to me was perhaps I should buy a ‘normal’ bra and sew a pocket into it. I mentioned that sewing was not my forte and she shrugged and asked if I wanted to just try someone on from this wall.
No. No Thank You.
I looked at some of the ‘normal’ bras which were priced at $120.00 that she recommended and even shuffled myself into a change room to try one on. She said to just ‘shove’ the prosthetic into the bra and I would get an idea of how it would look.
There is a reason there are prosthetic bras on the market. The prosthetic doesn’t bulge out of the sides or top in the bras specially made for people like me. This bra she had chosen for me to wear was definitely not going to hold my plastic boob with or without a pocket. That thing just did not sit in the cup at all correctly.
She did offer to get some other styles to try on but it was pretty obvious to me that it just wasn’t going to work.
This is a really horrible experience at the best of times (buying a bra) that was made worse by a store, and shop assistant, who claim to carry the stock and assistance required for people in my situation.
I think I’ll just stick to my thick strapped, slightly out of shape, old bra until after reconstruction.
Not at all a nice experience what so ever.
An Unscheduled Journey 