Optifit bra's

I just had the most amazing conversation with Sue McDonald from http://www.optifitbra.com/. 

I have been looking for a good bra for years. In between bouts of raging at the sellers of the instruments of torture that we are currently mostly forced into. I listened to the outer and inner voices that told me that my body/breasts were wrong, too big, that my nipples were in 'the wrong' place.

I listened to numerous women particularly when I was in the US tell me that "You don't have to walk around looking like that" just before they slipped me a card from a plastic surgeon. Or ask me "What are your nipples doing down there?" The looks of disgust, revulsion, pity, sympathy, fascination and horror, that have accompanied me throughout my lifetime in saunas parks, swimming places and especially everywhere in the four months that I decided 'not to ever wear a bra again'.

I have been three times to 'see about' getting a breast reduction but the attitudes of the Dr's and nurses, the blatant sexism and racism, as well as refusal to accept the 'necessity' of removing my nipples to ultimately just be able to wear a bra comfortably, the horror stories and scars of women I knew who had their breast reduced, and my general recalcitrance and unwillingness to buy into the 'beauty imperative' have always stopped me taking the next step.

To be honest the fact that it was always accompanied by the absolute necessity to loose lots of weight didn't help. Especially because all the women I know who did lose weight for their operations only put it back on afterwards which combined with my decision in my teens that I would rather be fat than a yo-yo'er.

Over the years I have watched with disappointment and a growing sense of desperation - I am a dinosaur - as pretty much all the women I knew with big (especially African shape) boobs succumbed to the pressure and submitted to the knife. Most of them to become proselytisers for the scalpel as saviour to their' self esteem, marriages, love lives, health - you name it.

I do not believe that cutting bits of your body for purely aesthetic reasons based on an industry that is detrimental to women on every level has any validity. Certainly not if one considers themselves woman aligned/supportive or liberationist.

Every few years I would look up made to measure bra's but the idea of spending hundreds of (whatever your currency) per piece to buy something that you are supposed to wash every 3/4 days just didn't fit.

I spent 10 years going to sewing classes with the hope of learning how to make a bra. My teacher attempted to make me a bra, she also made me a couple of swimming costumes. It was clear at that point that the way bras are designed is anti female, Euro centric (racist) and invalid.

I bought bras from Bravissimo until the scars caused by the under wires was too much even for my minimal vanity levels. The lack of comfort was a non issue - everyone knows bras are uncomfortable. Eventually I found a firm which sold large size bras without under wires. I bought the largest size they had which still doesn't fit but was more comfortable and doesn't scar and decided I would have to live with the four boob syndrome for the rest of my life!

Pretty bras for big boobs are massive business. I asked myself why I kept giving in. I can take a lot of abuse from men - I am used to it. But the way that women get at me and undermine me eats at me, it feels like from the inside out. So it would only take a few trips out of doors and a few weeks feeling unable to go out of doors to get me ordering again.

The last bit of time I go 'out' rarely, get wasted as quickly as possible and forget about my uncomfortable bra until it is time to get home and 'FREE THE TWO!"

Imagine my deep interest at finding  http://www.optifitbra.com/our-story/ this morning.

I read the website info and just the fact that it showed clearly all the issues that I had also found to be true of bras re body positioning was great but in and of itself not enough to get my order. I checked the films on the website and them some on youtube. Made a post to my fb page - I'm gonna phone - so that I would!

Imagine again my surprise when Sue herself answered the phone, with her lovely, medium tone voice and for me reassuring and safe Northern English accent (all Brits know that people from the North of England are intrinsically nicer (more trustworthy!) people that those from the South!

We talked about fashion, history, the (ab)use of women's body to sell products that damage and pain caused, the ignored body/breast shape differences and the abnormalizing of non European body shapes/sizes. 

Fashion; This industry makes it's money exploiting women's insecurities and keeps them out of a security zone by reversing the 'rules' every 5-10 years to keep women buying. Adding a dart to a men's shirt form is will not make an upper body clothing item that will fit boobs. Whatever the fashion industry says!

History: Women's shapes and measurements are based on men's bodies and sizing adapted to a European form ideal! If you look at the 'ideal' women's body shapes from the beginning of the 20th century to now - there is a marked see saw from full figure attractive to slim figure attractive for the whole of the 20th century that seems now to be focused on getting smaller and becoming increasingly male shaped.

Bra's are the cause of most backache issues, it has been show that under wires impede the flow of the lymph and bra's are increasingly associated with breast cancer causation. 

If you've ever been lucky enough as I have to work in a naked sauna, you would have seen that no two breasts are the same and that there is a wide variety of 'standard' breast shapes, that vary from ethnicity and body shape/size. This variety is unreflected in the standardised making of bra's.

Sue talked about the differences between the measurements she uses for making bras and those that are usually used and how they differ from woman to woman, depending on height and breast size.

It was an amazing conversation! Incredible to hear a manufacturer reflecting back, supporting and agreeing with everyone of my negative thoughts about bra's as well as giving me even more negative information!

Sue said the best thing for your boobs whatever their shape and size is not to wear a bra! But as we are suckers for our own(and each others) oppression she decided to make something that at least wouldn't make the search for 'lift' a hazard to your health

She is sending me the info and instrument to measure my boobs! These bras are not cheap, unless you consider that they are made to measure and she promises for one price to make you a bra that fits. She says that 50% of the time she has to make a second bra but to date has never had to make a third to get it right.

Check out the website - you can also give her a call and talk to her.

I will keep you posted!