Full Support

Yesterday I wore a real bra for the first time since September 2008. Since the mastectomy, I have worn a mess of medical bras, light weight Gap sporty bras, prosthetics inside and outside bras, and nothing. The wearing of the bra was as uneventful as it should be.

Last week I went to Nordstrom's for a fitting. I chose Nordstrom for two reasons: customer service and their prosthetic program. Prior to my catching the cancer, my shopping experiences in department store lingerie departments had been less than comforting. Once when seeking a minimizing bra to fit into a special order bridesmaid dress, the sales lady loudly informed me that I could "just duct tape 'em, honey." At other stores, the sales clerks were nonexistent or uninformed. The only store that was ever helpful was Nordstrom's.

I was a bit hesitant about foisting my chopped-up torso onto an unsuspecting sales person, especially since the only people to have seen my winking smiley face (my nickname for my scars) have been my medical teams, my husband, and my mother. So while I got the go-ahead to wear bras from my surgeon a few months ago, I put it off. In my hunt for a nice lingerie store in the area, I discovered that Nordstrom's has a Prosthesis Program. I called ahead to explain my situation and was told I wouldn't need an appointment. So last Friday, I first went to a spa for a facial, and then to Nordstrom's for a bra fitting. The sales ladies were wonderful. They barely batted an eye; just went about grabbing different bras, whipping them on and off me until we found 3 that I liked. Their only concern was if I had healed from my surgeries.

If I could afford it, I don't know if I would shop anywhere else for bras ever again. I rarely leave a store feeling good about myself (a long boring story/rant about how clothing retailers don't make and/or sell  clothing for tall women and/or sell them in their stores), but I did on Friday. Thank you, Nordstrom's.

Blue, Yellow, White, Nude, Whatever

Someone please explain to me how announcing the color of one's bra on Facebook is raising awareness of breast cancer. As someone who has had breast cancer, I actually find the activity offensive. And since last night, every time I log on to Facebook, I find another color posted as someone's status update, and get enraged all over again. Who comes up with these ideas?

On a personal note, I can't even where a normal bra yet. I wear white medical bras, which resemble sports bras, but clasp in the front. Very sexy. Very. Hopefully, my breasts will be able to handle wearing normal bras sometime soon, but I have no idea when. So even if I didn't have all of my pent-up anger towards cancer, I'd still feel left out right now because I can't wear a real bra. Thanks for reminding me, whoever you are who thought this bra color update was a good idea.

Maybe I am alone in my rage. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I am. I find most breast cancer awareness activities superficial. Why don't we discuss the causes of breast cancer and the effects of breast cancer on our persons and our society rather than wearing pink and feeling smug? Or posting the color of our bras? What the fuck does that do?