Thoughts about ladies' support wear and other items

GoodEnuff said:
I post this in a semi-joking way...

By the end of the day, my bra feels so tight around my chest that I cannot wait to get it off. Why wear one at all? Would men wear something that wraps around their private parts and squeezes them into a particular configuration? Underwire athletic supporters? I seriously doubt it.

Mammograms are just a torture. I would bet a lot that if the diagnostic test for testicular cancer were to smash those two guys flat between two plates, a better test would quickly be developed. In fact, I bet the smashing device would never make it to the market.

Shapewear should be banned, along with high spike heels. Pants so tight you can't use the pockets and forget the buffet.

Ladies, we (and I especially include myself in that "we") are idiots. Now, it is time to get dressed. And yes, I will wear the bra cuz that's what I'm supposed to do. Argh!
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Umm, some years ago I had a lumpectomy. Doc walks in afterwards and does the whole Mammogram speech. I invited him to put his privates in that torture device then tell me again about the Mammogram.

Docs should be careful what they speechify when someone is still recovering from anesthesia.
 
jujube said:
Speaking of mammograms and how men don't think they're so bad...many years ago I had to have breast surgery because I had a tumor way back on the chest wall. Since it wasn't going to be easy to get to, they did what was called a "needle localization".

A needle localization consisted of putting my poor left girl into a mammogram smasher (with no anesthesia or numbing) and leaving it there for 47-FRICKING-MINUTES while the radiologist pushed a long hollow needle into where he thought the tumor might be, taking an xray and going off to look at it. Nope, not there. Let's try again, pull it out and push it in somewhere else. Rinse and repeat, for the afore-mentioned 47-FRICKING-MINUTES. It was very, very painful. I was being very, very brave, I thought.

When he finally did get the needle in the right place, a hooked wire was threaded through the needle to hook into the tumor. Then the needle was withdrawn and the wire stuck out from the breast. The surgeon then was able to follow the wire down to the tumor, which thankfully was benign.

So, I'm sitting there on a stool, being very quiet, not moaning or screaming like I wanted to, but with tears running down my cheeks. The radiologist says to me, "You should be numb by now and not feeling anything, it can't hurt that bad." If I hadn't been clamped into that torture device, I think I would have leapt up and torn his throat out....after, of course, putting my knee to his cojones.

Several months later, I actually went to work for that hospital. A bunch of us were sitting around one day discussing mammograms and I told my story about how insensitive that radiologist was . One of the younger women asked me who it was and I said his name. She said, "Yep, I thought so. He's my father. He's not the warm and fuzzy type. Nobody likes him." I felt kind of embarrassed but I wasn't going to apologize.

I can assure you, if men had to have their pride-and-joys smashed in a machine every year, there would have been a better method invented many years earlier.
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I had that procedure too. Luckily I had kind people doing that whole wire insertion business. Of course he went into the cyst making things more difficult for the surgeon.
 
willnbugs said:
I rarely wear one in the house. I wear black, large and baggy tops, so it's hard to tell what I am wearing or not wearing under the top. If it is a cold day and I wear a heavy, puffy jacket to go out also hard to see what I am missing...lol
If I am dressed up, or I am having company, or wearing summer clothes, I suffer and wear one.
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Exactly what I do. This is one point I'm happy I'm not a 36 DD. It's easy to hide the fact I'm braless.
 
gruntlabor said:
I think I'm living proof that long-time bralessness can bring chronic pain. I don a bra and the pain is gone. The spandex sports bras are more comfortable, I'm doubtful as to how healthy they are, my opinion.
I tried wrapping my chest with a big soft length of cotton, didn't work.
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I absolutely understand this. I was a well-endowed E-EE; shoulders and neck hurt constantly, difficult to find any clothes that fit, and was tired of the stares from others. Did the personal fittings, spent a lot of money on custom bras, nothing helped. So I had a reduction/lift down to a D cup. It was a miracle! No more shoulder/neck pain, clothes fit, no more stares or smart a$$ remarks. One of the best things I have ever done. The bands, however, are still a torture. Meh.
 
WheatenLover said:
You could do a humorous rant about the skimpy pockets on women's pants.
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Get me started on that, lol. I gave up on women's pants years ago. Men's are much better in re pockets, quality, price and sizing. Love the sizing! Women's sizes are such that if it fits in the waist, you get this length, no choice. Men's pants have different lengths with the same waist size. Fantastic!

I quit using a purse about 15 years ago. Took a solo five month road trip camping across North America and wanted to have my keys, wallet and a swiss army knife on my person at all times, easily and quickly accessible. Stumbled onto a pair of men's military camo pants at a thrift store and they were fantastic! Perfect fit, lots of big pockets, and turns out the fabric was a 50/50 nylon/cotton blend which shed water, dried fast, wore like iron, cool and warm at the same time. Went to an army surplus store and bought several more, although apparently the military stopped using that fabric after Nam.

Anyway, that's when I switched over to men's. Never went back to a purse, except when flying when I need to carry meds, toothbrush, etc.; you know how that goes.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
And remember girdles?!
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OMG! I had forgotten them! Yes, I remember *shiver*. Attaching stockings was fun, was it not? So then they came out with panty hose; better yet, control top panty hose. So now you had your panties, panty hose, skirt/pants waist band and perhaps a belt, all ganged up on your waist. To fix that, they came out with bikini panties. Spread the discomfort around to other body areas. Problem with that is the panty lines, so we graduated to G-strings. Voila! No panty lines! They should come with a tube of Preparation H.
 
Since menopause, I’ve gone from a 34A to a 36C. I now have the cleavage I always struggled to achieve when I was smaller chested, by using underwire, push-up bras that were uncomfortable torture devices, but hey, I got the cleavage I wanted.

Now I have cleavage to spare! And I hate it. I want my 34As back! 😩 I ditched underwires many years ago, now I’m about comfort. I wear all nylon no back clasp no seams bras. Not as much support as an underwire, but so comfortable I barely know I’m wearing one!
IMG_6379.jpeg

Even so, I change as soon as I get home from work, ditch the bra, wear what I call my touch-me-nowhere clothes…soft tees or hoodies, and sweats.

These days I’m all about comfort!!🤩
 
I've tried the sports bra types and can't stand the struggle getting the thing over my head and under where its supposed to be. I've tried the front loaders and they bow out making me look like I have a turtle under my T-shirt. I end up with the same old Playtex cross your heart things I've always worn. They have no underwire, just the soft support I appreciate.
 
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GoodEnuff said:
So I had a reduction/lift down to a D cup. It was a miracle! No more shoulder/neck pain, clothes fit, no more stares or smart a$$ remarks. One of the best things I have ever done.
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Was that surgery painful? I keep thinking about having it but heard that you can't lift your arms up much--can't comb your own hair,, etc.--for about 6 weeks after since they have to cut into those muscles across your chest?
 
I’ve had my days over the years with the fancy sexy like bras. Those days are gone.

In my older years now, it’s all about comfort.

These for me are the best. Seamless and simple
and comfortable..

Pic won’t upload..

…
 
I wear underwire bras with no discomfort. Truth be told, I'd be fine wearing a bra 24/7. Letting the "girls" flop around would be much more uncomfortable than wearing a bra. I learned that when bras start hurting, it's time to go up a band size.

Agree about mammograms being painful, but most technicians are very empathetic, being women themselves. For me, pap smears and internal exams were more physically and mentally discomfiting.

My spike heel days are in the past, but were fun at the time. Plus, being a bit under 5'4", I loved the extra height.

The aging bias is so much stronger for women. We're forever being compared to (and compare ourselves to) healthy, beautiful, slender 22 year olds who've yet to become mothers. Staving off the ravages of age is a losing battle that we're nevertheless encouraged to wage with weapons of wrinkle cream, hair dye and time-consuming daily hair styling, make-up, plastic surgery, teeth-brightening, Spanx, manicures, pedicures, etc. Ugh...
 
Am I the only one who has never had a painful Mammogram ?... seriously , never.. and I;m a big girl IYSWIM.... yet never had any pain at all during a Mamogram...I would never have one again if I experienced pain !

I agree wth you @StarSong ..I miss wearing high heels on a regular basis...
 
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Della said:
I've tried the sports bra types and can't stand the struggle getting the thing over my head and under where its supposed to be. I've tried the front loaders and they bow out making me look like I have a turtle under my T-shirt. I end up with the same old Playtex cross your heart things I've always worn. They have no underwire, just the soft support I appreciate.
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you don't put a sports bra over your head Della... you step into it... honestly.....try it , you'll find it much easier....(y)
 
When doing the reconstruction after a double mastectomy I chose to be a smaller size. I love it. I am usually braless around the house, sports bra when running to post office or such and only pull out the underwire if it is a really special occasion. ;)
 

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