I’m a believer in comfort. It’s difficult enough moving through life in this oversized body, putting uncomfortable clothing on it would be asking too much.

As a result of my commitment to comfort I swore off underwire bras many years ago. Why? Well, they hurt. Who needs that in her life? Not this gal. As a result I found a line of bras at Lane Bryant that has no underwire and actually comes in my size. Hooray! I bought them. Lots of them. Tan, pale pink, hot pink with polka dots, grey, black, and cobalt blue. Multiples of some of them, even. I was happy.

Then, I decided I needed some new underwear. It happens. The elastic stretches out, the seams fray, they’ve run their course. Off to Lane Bryant I went, because no matter what other underwear I try, the hipsters from Lane Bryant are my go-to undies. Oh, and they have to be cotton, please and thank you.

Well, as I was collecting various pairs of undies, the bras caught my eye. It had been a while since I bought one, and it was probably about time. The clerk noticed me checking them out and asked me my size. I hemmed and hawed a bit, because I really couldn’t remember. That’s when she asked me about doing a fitting. Uh, okay.

You will not be surprised to know that these are not images of me.

She did her magic (not really, just a couple of quick measurements) and suggested a size and a couple of styles. Off I went to try them on, and immediately I was amazed that everything seemed to sit at a new, higher elevation. Still, it didn’t feel quite right, so I took the opportunity to ask the clerk (a different one) who was helping the lady next to me with her bra, for some additional help.

She determined that the size was right, but the style was wrong. She brought me something else, and voilà! I was amazed. I looked good! And it even had underwires. So apparently they only hurt if your bra doesn’t fit correctly. Who knew?

I’m now the proud owner of new underwear and bras, what an exciting time in my life! Thank you Lane Bryant for making things that fit me, and thank you to the ladies in the store for helping me find the right fit.