Online Reporter
Fadzayi Maposah-Correspondent
ALMOST every young girl looks at their bare chest, wondering when it will bud. They look forward to a time when they will be able to wear a bra.
There is some fascination in looking forward to wearing a bra when one is growing up. It is always fascinating to imagine wearing a bra when one does not have one or when there is no need to wear the bra.
The thing about it is that it is not the same time for every girl even if they are born the same year. It is never the same time for each girl. What then becomes confusing around waiting for breasts to fully develop is that there are people who have their ideas regarding the size of breasts and when they should start developing.
When the time that they have set comes and one does not have breasts these milestone examiners may start asking questions.
At times the questions are asked in the presence of the adolescent girl who becomes more confused as she realises that even the adults around her cannot even explain why she is at that point of her life.
It becomes even more difficult if within the family there are others who had bust development prior. Then there are the comments “you have developed late, at your age so and so already had a bust”.
It can also be the opposite “why did your bust develop early? Do you know that at your age so and so had not yet developed a bust? She was very flat”.
The emphasis will be on the why part, which only adds to the anxiety that the young one has. Is it not strange that what the adults cannot explain they seek information from the young person?
While young, the girls are fascinated by owning a bra. The first clothing that relates closely to the bra, that the young girls first have is a buster. The girls are excited by having additional underwear and look forward to washing it and hanging it out to dry.
There is particular interest in having to fold and pack the busters. Since it will be the initial days, there is a lot of excitement and commitment in taking care of the busters as very important underwear. With time, it becomes just normal and the excitement simply fades away.
Those who have many years’ experience wearing the bra may start looking at the bra as something that is overrated. The women seem to forget that at some point in their lives, they just wanted to ensure that their breasts were held firmly by the bras.
I know of women who just go braless when they are within the home environment.
The bra has been upgraded to something that is worn on very special occasions. Women are very creative, there are some who can even take off their bras through the sleeves without having to take off the dresses, blouses and shirts. So while one sits to rest just after work before they go to take their bath, they calmly pull off their bra and allow their body parts to relax without any interference.
Let us talk about bra etiquette. One has to wear a bra that is comfortable. It should not be too tight.
One must wear the correct size. It is important to get to understand what type of bras are appropriate for different people.
There are those who love padded bras. The extra padding gives them comfort. There are some who love laces and will go out of their way to ensure that their breasts are covered in laces. There are some people who will look for bras that have extra wiring so that their breasts are pushed up.
There was a joke among some women that there are people who want to push their breasts way up and have their self-esteem boosted when their breasts are elevated. When the bra is the wrong size one is never comfortable.
How does one know that the bra that they are wearing is the correct size? When the bra is still new, it should feel comfortable while pinned on the loosest hook. The bra band should be level across the back.
At times it is embarrassing to see the bra band way up when being high up is not part of the design.
The breasts should be within the bra cups and no part of the breast should spill over the top or be out at the edges.
The centre of the bra should be flat against one’s chest bone. If one wears the right size bra it can improve the fit and how the clothes appear. Wrong size bra affects the appearance of your clothing and earlier I gave the example of the bra strap going up one’s back.
Wearing the right size of a bra is actually good for one’s health. Wrong sized bras are responsible for shoulder pressure which leads to poor posture. Shoulder pressure can also cause neck pain. One can even have painful marks on their shoulders because of very tight bra straps.
One can also constantly pull at the bra so as to adjust it. Bra size may change and one has to adjust.
Weight gain or loss contribute immensely to body changes. It is important to note that bra size does not remain the same as a woman goes through her life cycle. Factors such as exercise, medication, menopause, breastfeeding, weaning the baby and pregnancy contribute to bra size change.
It is important to take note of the changes that your body is going through and adjust to the life cycle needs. One can be very comfortable in a bra or be traumatised by something that they bought. It is important to understand that bras are underwear that should not be exposed.
Have you not come across women or girls whose bras are so visible that all the tailoring details that should be private have become public? Happy New Month! This article is laying the ground for #Pinktober, October, which is Breast cancer awareness month. This year’s theme is “Every story is unique, every journey matters”.
