Chloe's Story: Bra Shopping is Confusing

By: Chloe Beaudoin

Think back to the first time you bought a bra. Were you excited or nervous? Did you ask for one or were you dragged to the store? Did you feel weird or empowered when you tried it on?

My first bra shopping experience was very casual. My mom needed a new bra and brought me along. While we were there, the nice saleswoman took me to the side to show me their tween line. She was so persuasive, I ended up getting a three-pack of bras. 

I was so excited to wear my first bra to school, but the truth is, it was only a training bra. The thin, tank top-like cotton added zero coverage. At the time, it was okay, because I didn’t really need a bra yet. However, a couple of months later, my body started changing, and I finally realized my new training bras weren’t covering anything. 

My school didn’t have a sex ed component, so I was completely unprepared when puberty hit. It wasn’t something I spoke about with my friends, but I constantly felt self-conscious about. Not knowing who to talk to, I was relieved when my mom finally told me that I needed to get a “real bra”. I had no clue what this meant, but I was hoping it would make me feel less awkward about all of the changes happening to my body. The boutique I had originally gone to had since closed down, so my mom brought me to a department store instead.

My mom steered me away from the pretty lace lingerie because she said it was too mature. Instead, I picked up a reversible sports bra with one black side and one bright blue side. As I started wearing the bra, I noticed I always chose the black side because the pretty blue side was way too bright and showed through my top. That was the last time I bought a bright-coloured bra. 

However, the worst was still yet to come. About a year later, I was introduced to underwire bras. I went back to the same department store - with no sales associates. How was I supposed to know my size? I accidentally bought a bra that was two sizes too big, and just wore my (now too small) reversible sports bra instead. Not at all comfy.

As time went on, I started to develop more and I finally grew into that underwire bra. I also started to learn more about puberty in school and my friends felt more comfortable talking about these weird changes. But this took time. Why should girls have to wait to get answers? 

I still think about that experience to this day and how clueless I was. Girls are not taught these uncomfortable but crucial lessons, which is why I’m so proud to be a part of Apricotton. If you’re struggling to find answers to your “awkward” questions or you just want to find people with similar experiences, the Apricotton blog is here to help!

And if you’re interested in learning more about Apricotton bras, visit the Perfect Bra page, Perfect Sports bra page or Perfect Bralette page!