It All Started with a Snapped Underwire

I have been wearing underwire bras for about 37 years. During the first year of covid I gained 20 lbs, which was the covid equivalent of the freshman 15 right? And then during 2021- my mother suddenly passed away and I gained another 15lbs while working through my grief by eating the comfort food of my childhood. This meant, I was now 35lb heavier and strapping myself into the torture device of an underwire bra to sit at my desk and appear professional during video calls. Every morning I would strain to put my bra on with boob overflow in abundance. Finally, during a trip to my local Safeway, I bent over to get something from the bottom shelf (probably a box of Little Debbies), and SNAP the underwire broke under my left boob. I then walked around the rest of my shopping trip with a piece of wire stabbing me, causing pain almost to the point of tears.

I got home, ran in the house and ripped my bra off crying. Now what would I do… I only had tighter underwire bras and an old sports bra that squished my boobs together into a uniboob. I couldn’t face putting on another wired bra as my chest was in pain from the stabbing by the demon broken underwire, so I reached for the sports bra. Good old uniboob… but wait… it was actually kind of comfortable. I went out for a walk and just threw over my large coat to cover the uniboob and I was able to move comfortably without back pain and next thing you know, I was in the sports bra all weekend. But then Monday rolled around, what would I wear to sit at my desk all day. I just couldn’t face the underwire again so soon, therefore I put on the uniboob sports bra with a camisole covering it and my normal black top. I felt like I was breaking a rule or law sitting at my home desk ready for my video calls IN A SPORTS BRA. How was that professional… I am a Senior Vice President?

I did the first meeting… no one noticed anything because I’m wearing a black shirt and you only see me from the neck up on video. I did the second meeting and even leaned back a little bit. I jumped on the treadmill during lunch and did 20 min walk. I went back to sit at my desk, still wearing my sports bra. I wore it all day. I woke up the next day and what did I reach for: my sports bra, without guilt. No one noticed yesterday, so maybe I could wear one today. It was so comfortable, I went online and ordered 4 more in the same size.

I was free.. I was liberated. I left the house and went grocery shopping in my sports bra. I went to get coffee with a friend.. in my sports bra. No underwire in sight and people didn’t look at me different, they didn’t even look at me.

At work I started noticing a difference in my approach to meetings and interactions with my peers. I realized losing the underwire bra freed me from caring so much about how others saw me. I didn’t have to suffer the lack of confidence in who and what I was. I spent almost 40 years of minimizing my boobs and myself as that is what women in the workplace are supposed to do. Not any more. The snapped underwire freed me. I’ve lost 15 lbs in 6 weeks, I’m writing my first Medium story after reading them for many years and I’m ready to stop being caged in. Watch out world, I’ve got on a my sports bra and I’m coming to take you on. I’m all here, hanging out and free of restrictions holding me back.