Uh-Oh.
Ladies, please check your backfield in motion before stepping out for the day. I have seen this with slim gals and heavy gals — even when we cannot radically change our sometimes-fascinating shapes through the magic of undergarments, we should not be sallying forth with wobbly bits no matter what our shape may be. Just because the front may look good does not mean that the back is not a holy mess that needs management.
Now here’s a gal after my own body. We look to have just about the same shape: “meatball on sticks,” as I affectionately call it. You may think, “Yikes, stripes!” or something about proportion but I can tell you that this is a very difficult body type to dress and I think she’s given it a good effort with special points for packing up all the round figure elements and getting them neatly into sporty garments. She gets featured here not for special chicness but for Managing Her Wobbly Bits very well. Carry on, my lovely meatball sister!
Even slimmy gals often mess up Wobbly Bit Management. This is a frontside mess, and I see this all the time. I am beginning to think that there’s an International Bra Fitting Crisis. Perhaps the United Nations should put forth a resolution.
If you call in the UN, for the love of Pete, get a wider range of readily available sizes added to the resolution! Every time someone quotes Oprah about women wearing the wrong bra sizes, I want to point to department stores and scream, “that’s because they’re not selling them.”
Says the woman who’s now wearing the right size. Which she has to buy online.
Yes, yes, yes, Di! I can buy the wrong size bra at Target for $25 or I can buy the right size bra at Nordstrom for $65. This is why I currently own only two bras.
Investing in the right size bras last year has made a world of different though.
two words: victoria’s secret
I love the description of a meatball on sticks! Spanx does not always do miracles but they are a help.
A year ago I was like that photo on the bottom! I found the perfect bras for my shape from Victorias Secret!
(I also do not wear single layer tees like than anymore! but I probably could now!)
I’m also bothered by the sight of the hem dragging on the ground. (I actually viewed the photo at full size, and the hem sort of pools around her feet.) A two-inch hem would make a big difference, as would Spanx. It’s the difference between “Did she just roll out of bed?” and “Hey, there’s an example of a non-supermodel in a slinky dress looking like she belongs in it.”
No, no, not Victoria’s Secret!!!! They will stuff you into whatever bras they have, and then convince you that they fit properly. Much better to get a professional fitting at Nordstrom, or another lingerie store that knows what they’re doing, and have only two bras, like Strange Attractor (and me). [Victoria’s Secret is a disgusting company. Hear, hear. – PB]
While in Houston, TX, I found a store than sells tons of sizes in beautiful and practical bras and they will alter them if necessary. I bought 5. They were around $85 each. Some things are worth putting on the credit card. And never, ever put them in the washing machine. Ever!
I found out that instead of wearing a 34 DD, I am really a 32 DDD-DDDD/G. Huge difference.
But those dang spanx are just HOT in the south in the summer. Whist is worse, wobbly bits or sweat in places the good Lord never meant a woman to sweat? 😉
I couldn’t find a bra that fit at TJ Maxx and finally got professionally fitted in the lingerie department at Bloomingdales. Some things you need an expert to help you figure out.
I meant “while it is worse.” iPad correction?
Bras! Hah. This was a conversation among some (variously sized) women in my family recently. Stores that don’t carry my size (and I’ve been professionally fitted more than once–just to make sure): Target, Victoria’s Secret, Macy’s. Nordstrom carries one or two bras in my size. Sometimes.
So it’s Intimacy’s sale or online for me, too. I hear you! Alterations at Intimacy are free for the life of the bra, so once my band stretches out, I can get even more life out of my bra ($60+ original cost, usually) by having the band taken in at no additional charge.
I’m still not sure what to do about the jiggly parts on my bottom half. The feminist in me keeps complaining about control of women’s bodies, remember corsets and when girdles were considered necessary? But the photos help me–I see what you mean…hmmmmm.
http://myintimacy.com/
@Michelle, is this the bra company you meant? I posted earlier but they sound like they would be more helpful than Bloomingdales as they are more specialized.
Thank you
It’s practically impossible to find a bra in the US that’s larger than a D or DD cup; one is simply encouraged to go for a larger band size. Living in the UK was a revelation for me: I found so many pretty bras that fit at M&S!! These days, I get fitted at Nordstrom in The Big City every so often, and buy one bra there, then buy all the others in the same size at figleaves.com. They’re a UK company, but ship pretty quickly nonetheless. They’ve got a great selection of all kinds of sizes and styles, and if you look out for sales, you can get pretty good deals. Heaven knows good bras aren’t cheap, but I’ve found, as a true-size 36 H (Victoria’s secret 42 DD, which they don’t actually stock! Bleh!!) you really get what you pay for. Plus, I figure that I wear them every day, and if I take good care of them (NEVER wash in the washing machine!), they last for a while.
Also ready to lay trash at the feet of Victoria’s Secret. Their sales help is no help at all, and I can’t stand their cutesy-wootsy sexy little girl theme. Denigrates grown women and sexualizes children. What’s there to like?
I don’t know. I thought she had lovely nice shoulders and a pretty back, and a lovely hair color. Somehow this picture from behind (without perhaps showing us that she did look nice from the front) seems a bit unkind and unfair. Yes, I know the point–wobbly bits, but somehow I feel compelled to stick up for the good bits.
If anyone is in or near North Carolina, I found a WONDERFUL Bra shop in Raleigh that does great professional fittings. I HATE bra shopping, yet have come away from each of my visits with a pleasant expierence and well fitting bras. The first time I did this, I was amazed at the difference a properly fitted bra made in my confidence.
Part of the problem these days is how popular super thin & floaty jersey knits are these days. They were originally meant for layering, but now I see them all over the place in just one layer. Even if your bits aren’t too wobbly, those fabrics will make them seem that way.
Also hear hear to shelling out on good, properly fitted bras. I have a thick torso but the girls aren’t very big, so a lot of the time I’d end up with extra fabric in the cup so I don’t get circulation cut off.
Jenfin, what’s the name of the wonderful shop in Raleigh?
@Lindylou. It is the Bra Patch and is located on North Market Dr.in Raleigh. Incidently, it is located near a Cokesbury Christian bookstore; Bra and book shopping in the same trip, what more could you want? 🙂
For bigger UK gals, try Bravissimo.
I’ve always thought that bras were invented by a man who either didn’t know anything about women, or just didn’t like us all that much.
For someone who asked about Spanx alternatives for summer, I find that what Bridget Jones called “enormous knickers” (Read: spandexy underwear that go up the rib cage offer a great deal of support without making me too hot because my legs are free and strangely, they prevent my midsection from getting all sweaty (and you’d think the opposite is true). Bonus: No creepy gusset! (just my personal preference) Now I am quite fat so they don’t prevent all the rolls but smooth them out quite a bit. And I always check the rear view but most are inoffensive (although I don’t wear the thinnest of garments on the bottom, never have liked those thin knits really). I have bought them at Lane Bryant, Avenue, and then found a couple at Big Lots?! All spandex though, no bones, no strictures, just smoothingly thickish spandex. Try these links:
http://www.lanebryant.com/sexy-plus-size-intimate-apparel/shapewear/shape-by-cacique/hold-everything-trade-high-waist-brief/4043c4049c16752p68505/index.pro?sid=FEEDLB:Goog&mcid=FEED&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=68505-21589477468#productTabs_1
http://www.barenecessities.com/product.aspx?pf_id=TheBodyWrap45811&source=gbase&term=TheBodyWrap45811&cm_mmc=GLBS-_-Shapewear-_-TheBodyWrap45811-_-N/A