After I wrote yesterday’s post, I met up with Debra. You can see why my ears perked up at her story about summer camp.
Debra teaches Pre-K during the school year and works at a camp during the summer. She’s fit, funny and pretty. She also wears a G cup bra.
Standing outside the camp dressing room the other day, she heard a little girl exclaim, “You’re wearing a bra? You shouldn’t be wearing a bra!” Debra rushed inside to find two little girls arguing. Amber, who was wearing a bra, was flat as a board. Jessica, who wasn’t wearing a bra, needed one.
Debra said, “It’s okay that Amber is wearing a bra. Actually, Jessica, you should be wearing a bra, too. How old are you?”
“Ten.”
“Yes, that’s the age I started wearing a bra. I used to be a tomboy running around. I didn’t want to wear a bra. But you can still run around and do everything you want with a bra on. Tell your mother that Miss Debra says that you need a bra. It’s okay. You can’t keep hiding under three layers of t-shirts much longer.”
If I were a ten-year-old, I would want to be just like Debra, even if it meant that I had to start wearing a bra. I hope Jessica’s encounter with Debra is just one of a lifetime of body-affirming experiences for her. (Nothing after the jump.)
