the myth of the perfect fit

Having lived in New York City for the past 7 months, I have cultivated a new hobby. I love to go to stores and just try stuff on. Dresses, jeans, cute tops, shoes, bags even. Yes, I try on the bags. There’s no obligation to buy, right? So, that’s one of my favorite things to do with my down time, until I actually need to buy something and that thing is a bra. And boy, do I need bras, because I’m going through a terrible ill-fitting bra phase right now.

Needless to say, trying on bras in order to find one that does what it’s supposed to do (that is, supports my girls in a flattering way) has not been going well lately. I’ve been sized and I’ve been sister-sized, and so far all I’ve found is a long lost cousin of a size that technically fits but does nothing for me – most bras that are supposed to be my size “fit” but they seem to offer support precisely where I don’t need it and don’t offer coverage in the right places. They actually seem to want to push my breasts into places they have no business being! Though I’m actually kinda proud of being unique and having a difficult bust to fit, it is kinda irritating that I can’t find a proper bra. Or swimsuit. Or dress. Oh yeah, and my head is too small for adult hats and too big for kids’ hats….

I’ve heard that other women and men have similar problems with finding mass-produced clothing in the right sizes for all sorts of body parts – and not just the extremely tall, short, fat or thin people, either! I’m talking about typical, normal, seemingly average-sized-looking people. From sleeves being too short to waistlines that are too loose (when the hips are fitted correctly) to everything in between, above, and beyond. There’s all sorts of ill-fittedness going on out there, especially now that clothes are mostly mass-produced. But when you think about it, we are all so different, it should be amazing that such a small number of standard sizes can fit as many people as well as they do! How is your shape different in ways that make you un-fit-able? Are you proud of your uniqueness? What lengths do you go to (or trim to) to adjust your clothing so that it will fit you?

the body project: part ii

I finished the book a long time ago (um, about a day after my last post) and the verdict is: I love it! At the end Joan exhorts everyone everywhere to start thinking about what it is we're doing to all of the little girls by convincing them that their bodies are projects to be worked on, and to work on reversing the damage that's been done while maintaining the positive progress that's been made for women. A tall order, I know.

So I guess that's what I'm trying to do here: convince girls (and guys--hey they have issues, too!) the world over to love and take good care of their bodies because they are beautiful. All of them.