SELF-LOVE
applaud them for trying, but
by the time 16-year-old me
was done shopping, I was
$150 down the hole with
nothing to show for it.
That’s why I was reluctant
when I walked into Lane
Bryant. The lady with the
wide smile picked up a
measuring tape, hand-
“
Women of all
shapes and sizes
are beautiful,
and that’s why
they should all
be represented
in the media.
”
picked bras for me based on
my preferences, and then I
made my way to the dreaded
dressing room.
“How’s it going in there?”
she knocked again.
I was at such a loss for
words, I forgot to answer
her. Then there was a second
knock at the door, and I
came back to reality.
“It fits.”
embrace my differences, not
hide them.
Even after I came to
accept them, I couldn’t
tell if I was ever being
taken seriously. I’ve had
ex-boyfriends tell me their
favorite part about me were
my boobs. I repeat—exboyfriends.
This made me hate them.
In fact, I stopped buying
good quality bras becaues
despised the size of my
of it. Anything that drew
breasts until college,
attention to my chest was a
so my outfit of choice
no-no. My favorite bra before
was usually an oversized
going into this fitting was
sweatshirt. Eventually
nude colored, and I had worn
I realized that unless I
it so much, it literally started
underwent surgery, the
breaking (which is the only
girls were here to stay. I
reason I went to buy another
switched from baggy clothing one).
to normal-fitted shirts.
So when a bra that was
Although I would still receive less than $50 actually fit
the occasional underhanded me comfortably and made
comment about their size,
me feel confident, I was
I realized it was time to
almost in tears.
I