I’m the youngest of three large-breasted sisters, so although my mom was ready for my first bra shopping experience, that wasn’t the case for my oldest sister. It’s part of our family lore that Deanna only got her first bra after a friend told her, “My mom says that you need a bra.” Deanna was mortified.
Even in the best of situations, young girls are easily mortified. If my mom, dad, brother and I were on the way to the mall together, I’d spell out the most embarrassing item on my list: “Mom, I need to buy a B-R-A.” This gave my dad and brother fair warning to act clueless.
I thought of this when I came across the heading “For the dads out there helping their girls to shop for a bra” at the end of the bra fitting section of http://www.007b.com. Their advice:
1. Just like boxers and briefs and jockstraps are all very different in fit and comfort for you, for her every bra is different and there are hundreds of bra styles to choose from.
2. Don’t rush her. Let her try on as many bras as she needs to to find what is right for her.
It warms my heart that someone is looking out for the girl without a mother to shepherd her through this process. However, I can think of a ton of things to add to this list. My first two additions apply whether there’s a mother in the picture or not.
3. For starters, put your daughter in the hands of a professional. If you can find a professional who is both personable and discreet, you’ve done your daughter a giant favor. A fitter with these qualities will fill in the blanks for the girl who is too embarrassed to ask questions and can observe what your daughter needs without making her blush. Find someone who plans to be at the store forever so that if your daughter likes the fitter, she can develop a relationship with her and grow comfortable discussing fit. If you can find someone like this, you’ve done your daughter a huge favor.
4. Be ready to spend, especially if your daughter is a D cup or higher. This is not the time to scrimp. Her everyday bras need to give her enough support to feel confident when she stands straight. Be sure she has everyday bras in the right colors for her wardrobe. If she wears a lot of black, make sure she has black bras. Finally, make sure she has the right amount of sports bras for her activity level. If she’s in PE everyday, she might need at least two. If she’s home schooled and you can never get her to exercise, buy her one right before she joins her friends for a walk-a-thon or volleyball game.
I think I’ll add more to this list as I think of things. I’ll call it my “Legacy Series”. Please contribute!
