Elizabeth's Story: How to Love Your Body

By: Elizabeth Casciaro

Growing up, I was always looking forward to hitting puberty. Contrary to most young girls, I was actually super excited to one day get boobs and a period, probably due to it being a very open subject in my household. You would think that because of this, when it finally happened I would be over the moon, but I actually couldn’t have been more embarrassed!

I still remember going to the mall with my mom one winter day and buying my first bra from Zellers (kind of like a cheap department store, if you’re too young to remember it). I was thrilled! However, little did I know this would be the start of a very exhausting journey for me, as this bra quickly became too small and needed to be replaced. The next place I checked out was a store for tween girls, but those also didn’t provide much stretch. As an elementary schooler, I ended up having to shop at lingerie stores! And let me tell you, I definitely know that walking into an overly sexualized place like that with your mom is the LAST thing you want to do at that age. Not to mention, I still wasn’t wearing the perfect size and best bra for me as fittings by sales assistants could be inconsistent and incorrect. 

On top of all of this, let me remind you that I was around Grade 4 when I first started wearing a bra and was one of the first girls in my class to do so. Weirdly enough, everyone started to tease me about it! For some reason, it was the most scandalous thing in the world if someone saw your bra strap. I wish I could go back and tell my younger self not to worry about what everyone else was thinking and to stay confident. Eventually, the teasing made me so embarrassed that I actually STOPPED wearing a bra for a certain period of time (but I was teased for that too!). I also began to be super shy about asking my mom for new bras when I had outgrown older ones as I had begun to see it as a shameful thing.

I eventually became comfortable wearing a bra again, but my story doesn’t end here. By the end of puberty, my size ended up being around an F! I actually really disliked being so large for a very long time because of back pain, never being able to find bras in my size without spending ridiculous amounts of money, feeling like my clothing options were limited because I convinced myself they would only look good on a smaller chest, fearing looking “saggy”, and a lot of unwanted inappropriate attention. It was getting to the point where I was heavily considering having a breast reduction!

Eventually though, I came to realize that besides the back pain, my body is beautiful the way it is! I shouldn’t have to fit into a slimmer or more average sized beauty standard to feel confident in myself. 

Apricotton would have been the best bra available to me as a young girl going through puberty because its bras that grow with you would have removed the experience of wearing uncomfortable pairs and constantly needing to buy new ones as I grew. I also appreciate that the hideable straps and smooth design offer an element of privacy if you’re not ready for your peers to realize you’re wearing one yet. Having a good bra is the first step towards having a comfortable relationship with your breasts, and I’m glad to see that Apricotton realizes this need needs to be met from a young age!

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About the Author:

Elizabeth is a 4th year English student at Western University. She's excited to be working with Apricotton because she believes everyone deserves a comfortable bra shopping experience!