Victoria's Secret is known for their sexy bras and lingerie but the secret is..it's only for girls with a specific body type. And I can honestly say that I have never left Victoria Secret feeling sexy or confident.
This isn't a story from a girl who wants to look like a Victoria's Secret Angel, but wants to convince people she's completely confident. I'm not completely confident, but I do love my body. That doesn't mean if given the opportunity I wouldn't change to look like a Victoria Secret Angel at any given time. But why is this? This is me, and this is my body. I often at times feel like I'm caught in the middle. I can't relate to skinny girl problems because I promise I have never skipped a meal, but I'm also not plus sized and don't always feel accepted by fellow curvy girls.
Victoria's Secret advertises to make you feel like you need to look "perfect." Because they don't just want you to be skinny, they also want you to have big, perky, round boobs with no stretch marks. This is who they want you to strive to be.
They created the "bombshell" which adds TWO cup sizes, because small boobs shouldn't be celebrated and if you do have small boobs you should change and get the bombshell so you can look like you have boobs to appeal to society's standards. Makes sense.
My experience however, is different. I'm not overweight but I'm definitely nowhere near underweight. I'm the definition of medium. And this was my experience. I wear a bigger size bra. And at Victoria's Secret, those are pretty hard to find. Anything above a D will be very slim pickings.
I found this bra that was pink and blue and reminded me of cotton candy and unicorns. I loved it, and I wanted it. And luckily they had many different styles.
To start, the sales lady did not believe that I knew my bra size. I wear sports bras and t-shirts everyday but believe me, I know my bra size. When a smaller girl approached her and told her what her bra size was (32B) there was no hesitation or "Are you sure?" I felt embarrassed and awkward. Just because my boobs don't always seem perky or appealing doesn't mean I don't know what I wear and what is comfortable.
The first style was the one pictured below. Absolutely no padding. I don't really know who can wear this except for girls with small boobs because there was no support and no padding AT ALL, none to even cover up. It was honestly horrifying and comical to look at myself in the mirror. This color was so cute though and I felt like I needed it. So...on to the next!
I felt like I was in "Goldie Locks and The Three Bras" because this one had So. Much. Padding. I understand some girls want that oomf which I totally get, but I don't need this. I wanted a normal bra without 2 inches of padding that looked cute and wasn't in a neutral color. I truly wanted this bra to work, but unfortunately with any padding it only makes me look bigger than what I am and is frankly uncomfortable with everything jammed together.
Lastly, they had a bralette. They actually had one that was my size, but the straps could not be adjusted. They assume everyone with big boobs is the same size. Hardly anyone could be able to fit into this bra except for girls who were skinny with huge boobs. I wish bralettes worked for me because they're so cute, but sadly it seems we weren't meant to be. My search was over and that was the end of it. I tried on some bathing suits and that search was even more tragic. Target it is.
I also found in the dressing room that they have this T-Shirt you can wear with your bra to see what it would look like in a normal outfit. The t shirt reads "one size fits all."
Needless to say...one size does NOT fit all. This hardly gave me any indication of what this bra would look like with a normal outfit. I can breathe in *most* of my outfits.
My biggest issue with Victoria's Secret is that they are a store for bras. Make different sizes. Carry sizes bigger than a 36DD. Girls are bigger than that. A lot of girls are bigger than that. It's sad that women my size come to your store to feel sexy and confident and leave with a bra that's colored in black, white, or nude with no cute patterns or designs. We deserve to feel confident and valued as a customer. Fix your sizes and add more variety. We aren't all Angels. We're just normal girls trying to find bras that remind them of cotton candy.
