The 1^st One

She had a spring in her step, a smile on her face & carefree were her days. She loved the fact that she was popular with her friends (Girls & Boys), excelled at sports and was one fun daughter of mine!

Such is teenage life! And along comes puberty & the discovery of physical changes in one’s body, be it the hair growth or the evident presence of breasts. Breast Growth- sign of a woman, assets which became a liability for my girl. I could provide her with solutions for the excessive hair via waxing however I stumbled with probably the most important physical development which affected her emotionally. In some ways, it was unfair, because she was not as conscious as her friends as they noticed it, laughed at her & made lewd remarks, especially when she played her signature smash shots during volley ball matches. My bright happy girl stopped playing sports, avoided her favourite fitted tees and started to leave her hair loose on her shoulders. Something in her was not so happy and I failed to understand! The search mode came on and I googled with all possible key words. Initially I assumed, she was having issues with her friends but having taken her out for a drive and ice cream, I realised that was not the case. In more and more hours spent on trying to find a way out, I came across Teens & Bras! For a few days I keenly observed my daughter going about her routine and yes, there was an evident bounce which her existing bra didn’t seem to support. I also realised that at times, I could notice the bulge of her breasts even when she wearing a dark top. So this is what was troubling my angel. I searched more, spoke to experts in the field and obviously took my daughter on multiple shopping trips spending hours in a trial room! I had to bring back the smile in her life.

So here I am, post my research sharing with you tips & tricks I came across in choosing the 1^st bra for my teenage daughter!

1.      Ideal Materials: Teenagers lead hectic lives with school, classes and evening time with friends, running all over! So ideally one can pick cotton mixed hosiery as children find it easier to relate to it, are soft & comfortable. Given that our girls these days wear lots of party wear too, I also picked a few cotton + Lycra mixed to go with her fancy tops! What I really kept in mind was my girls comfort.

2.      Bra Style:

a.      My 1^st choice was sports bra/Tee-shirt bra. It is the most comfortable one to slip on & spend an entire day in. Often it’s akin to putting on a tee & yes, they provided complete coverage of the bosom too.

b.      2^nd choice was the multiway bra which could be worn in multiple combinations as strapless, racer back and halter depending on what my girl was going to wear over it. Definitely a money saver too!

c.      Cami top Bra: I would highly recommend this as it takes care of the need of a bra as well as a camisole. It is available in Cotton mixed fabrics & that is boon for translucent tops & the Indian summer season!

d.      Fashion Bras & Lacy ones are really not required at this age especially since they are in a growing phase. So for now, I skipped this one all together, though yes my girl has her eyes on few!

3.      Colours: We fought over it! Yes, she wanted neons, polka dots and all that jazz! I put my foot down. Given my daughters skin tone & her wardrobe, the safest colours are Skin, Nude, Black, light pink, grey and yellow. Though yes, I did pick a few others too, but my daughter herself has come to realise their utility when the polka & the stripes show through and has started to carefully pair her bras with her tops.

4.      The Right fit!

a.      There are essentially -2- parts to consider: Under Bust (band size) & Over Bust (cup size)

                                                    i.     Under Bust: this is that part of the bra that runs across the upper chest and around her back. Band sizes are generally 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 and so on.

                                                   ii.     Over Bust: Cups are what hold the bust. Cup sizes are alphabetic like A, AA, B, C, D, DD and so on.

So a size of the bra is a combination of the above 2. For example, 34B. It is extremely important to get both these sizes right for the perfect fit, coverage & support. I realised in my trials with my daughter that she was wearing the wrong cup size! Hence the bulge & lack of support!

5.      Signs of a wrong fit:

a.      The Bra band feels tight and uncomfortable around the ribcage.

b.      The band is too loose & rides up her breasts.

c.      Breasts are compressed and hence the awkward bulge/swell on the chest due to small sized cups.

d.      Large cup sizes wrinkle & create creases under the top and prevent a finished look!

So will all trials, experiments, hours in the trial room and google search I drew my check list for finding my daughters perfect fit!

6.      -2- Finger Test: Once she tried on a bra, I would ask her to insert -2- fingers just behind the hooks or at the centre of the bra on her back. If -2- fingers fit in comfortable, it was proven that the bra was neither too loose nor too tight!

7.      The band passed through the middle of the back & didn’t rise up creating an inverted V.

8.      Cups were comfortable, neither suffocating her nor allowing a freeway.

9.      I made her do her PT exercises of raising hands in all directions to check for spillage or bulges! Wanted to make sure my girl was completely covered!

10.   The straps should not dig into her shoulders leaving their mark behind.

11.   Now my daughter is a bit busty. Hence I also picked an under wire bra wherein the wire extended from the centre to the underarms to ensure full support—so yes, when your little angels grow, it will be time to invest in a good under wire bra too!

12.   Minimizers! Now this is where one has tread carefully! So because my girl was super conscious of her assets, she wanted a bra which would make her appear smaller. However, I had my concerns! It is like making Lemon Pickle where you try & squeeze in too many lemons in a jar hoping they will juice out and compress over time!

13.   Last but not the least, I learnt one major lesson—Maximum support to our assets must come from the band and not the straps! One mistake I too had been committing all my life!

The spring in her walk is back, she seems more confident, she is back in the game with her smash shots and friends no more mock. My girl is back to being the carefree angel she was, all because of a Bra! Yes, always seemed like the last pair of clothing to give much thought to but now I know better. Beautiful inside is Confident outside.