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We've explored fair intimates a time or two before here (most of them linked in this post). This time, I want to share my favorite bras...which seem to be a lot of people's favorite bras...for good reason.
The first time we discussed fair intimates, a question was raised about those of us with more supportive needs when it comes to bras. Ethical brands seemed to start out offering bras made mostly with smaller cup sizes in mind. These days, the rest of us have a couple of good options too.
My personal favorite bra is the Pansy Full Bra. This bra just might have lured me away from underwire...for good. First of all...it fits. (yay!) It feels soft, comfortable + supportive enough for everyday wear. Pansy bras are made of Texas-grown, North Carolina-milled, organic cotton...Rhode Island-made, natural rubber + cotton elastic...and organic cotton thread. They are designed, sewn + dyed within forty miles of each other near San Francisco, California.
The first time we discussed fair intimates, a question was raised about those of us with more supportive needs when it comes to bras. Ethical brands seemed to start out offering bras made mostly with smaller cup sizes in mind. These days, the rest of us have a couple of good options too.
My personal favorite bra is the Pansy Full Bra. This bra just might have lured me away from underwire...for good. First of all...it fits. (yay!) It feels soft, comfortable + supportive enough for everyday wear. Pansy bras are made of Texas-grown, North Carolina-milled, organic cotton...Rhode Island-made, natural rubber + cotton elastic...and organic cotton thread. They are designed, sewn + dyed within forty miles of each other near San Francisco, California.
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I also admire Arq for their fair bras which are made from USA-manufactured, organic cotton + sewn in the USA. I tried the wide strap bra, when it first came out. It didn't work for me, but I'm certain my issue is fixed by the newer full-coverage version. I prefer the strap style of the Pansy Full, but imagine that the Arq Full straps could provide a little bit more support for those who desire it. I would very much like to try the crop tank as an option for combining bra + tank into one piece.
One more note on bras: We get to decide what we put on our bodies + that we like how we look. These bras do not create the exact same effect as my underwire ones did...and that is ok with me.
Bra fitting can be difficult + I've had women help me out a time or two in a shop. These women would always bring me bras that were more padded + more pushed up than the ones I was looking at + would try to convince me that I needed at least a couple of these. Needed? Why? They would come back in a few minutes + ask if I'd tried the ones they brought + didn't I see the difference? Were they telling me that men would expect me to have them? or that "real" women needed to have them to be sexy or look good in their clothes?
Our bras/the way we look in our bras/what our bras do to "enhance" us...do not make us worthy humans. That sentence on its own sounds utterly ridiculous...but most of us know what message I'm trying to address. We get to decide what is comfortable...what is attractive (+ if that matters to us at all)...what values we want our clothing to embody...what values we want to embody. I have absolutely nothing against any style of bra, I'm just reminding myself that I can choose to wear any style of bra + not have to feel "less than".
Not one of us comes out of the womb thinking cleavage is attractive...it is nourishment. We learned (mostly unhelpful + harmful) messages about what we should strive to look like. We can teach our partners + sons + daughters what is truly attractive. I bet none of us would intentionally choose a message that involves push-up bras. Let's be just as intentional with the messages we allow ourselves to believe + act upon (whether we choose to wear underwire or not). :)
All lovely photos via links. More fairdare favorites right this way.
Love,
Jane
One more note on bras: We get to decide what we put on our bodies + that we like how we look. These bras do not create the exact same effect as my underwire ones did...and that is ok with me.
Bra fitting can be difficult + I've had women help me out a time or two in a shop. These women would always bring me bras that were more padded + more pushed up than the ones I was looking at + would try to convince me that I needed at least a couple of these. Needed? Why? They would come back in a few minutes + ask if I'd tried the ones they brought + didn't I see the difference? Were they telling me that men would expect me to have them? or that "real" women needed to have them to be sexy or look good in their clothes?
Our bras/the way we look in our bras/what our bras do to "enhance" us...do not make us worthy humans. That sentence on its own sounds utterly ridiculous...but most of us know what message I'm trying to address. We get to decide what is comfortable...what is attractive (+ if that matters to us at all)...what values we want our clothing to embody...what values we want to embody. I have absolutely nothing against any style of bra, I'm just reminding myself that I can choose to wear any style of bra + not have to feel "less than".
Not one of us comes out of the womb thinking cleavage is attractive...it is nourishment. We learned (mostly unhelpful + harmful) messages about what we should strive to look like. We can teach our partners + sons + daughters what is truly attractive. I bet none of us would intentionally choose a message that involves push-up bras. Let's be just as intentional with the messages we allow ourselves to believe + act upon (whether we choose to wear underwire or not). :)
All lovely photos via links. More fairdare favorites right this way.
Love,
Jane
