I Finally Got Over My Anxiety of Being Bra Sized and My Boobs Have Never Felt Better

*Looks down* Whoa, where'd these come from?

Hi, I'm Becca — I have hated wearing bras for basically ever. Ever since an unfortunate bra fitting in high school with a nightmarish salesperson that left me insecure about the shape and size of my boobs, I swore off shapely, underwire bras in favor of bralettes. Eight years later I'd gone up two bra sizes and a bralette simply wasn't cutting it anymore. Pushing my VSPTSD aside, and trying to come to terms with my body, I gave bra fittings a second try and I've never felt better about my bust.

Rebecca Norris

Insecurities, we've all been there: something happens — we walk by a mirror, peep a certain angle, get lost in comparison, hear a mean remark, read a rude comment — and we no longer view ourselves as worthy enough, pretty enough, as unique as we truly are. We begin to second guess ourselves in regard to those thoughts, which can then lead to other negative self-talk and opinions. Soon, we start to find ourselves opting out of pictures, criticizing every body angle, and forgetting to see how wonderful we really are.

That's what happened to me when I experienced my jaw-dropping bra fitting. Before I knew it, my confidence was catapulted into insecurities, making me all too aware of how "insufficient" my boobs were. Of course now, years later, I look back on that body and feel sick at the way I didn't appreciate it. But that, my friends, is the reality of body dysmorphia and getting caught up in the trivialities of other people's words and opinions, allowing your self-talk to become negative and unhealthy.

As women living in the 21st century, this isn't anything new — plain and simple, it's reality. Luckily, we're rounding the corner into a new age thanks to celebrities like Iskra Lawrence and editors like Michelle Lee, teaching us to love ourselves as is. In celebration of that I decided it was time to not only share this bra-fitting story to help you find your way to your best fit, and to help you find that confidence you may have been missing, but to also use this platform to take a step forward for myself in true Iskra fashion — unedited and feelin' just fine. Here's to hoping this attitude can one day be the norm for women and girls of all ages.

Now, if you've gotten this far — how 'bout we keep the ball rolling shall we?

Underwire bras — who needs 'em? That's been my mindset for the past eight years since that unimaginable bra fitting.

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Flash back to high school, my BFF and I were shopping for bras and, after trying on over a dozen bras in varying shapes and sizes — all of which left me with a gaping cup, straps that wouldn’t stay up, or a bulging armpit area thanks to a way-too-tight band — the salesperson was kind enough to tell me I had — wait for it — “lemon boobs.”

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After I picked my jaw up off the floor, she went on to tell me that, more or less, I needed to get over craving a perfect fit because "there’s no such thing" for lemon-shaped boobs. You can imagine my horror.

So, like any logical person, instead of going to another (nicer) salesperson, I decided to write off fitted underwire bras forever in favor of ultra-comfy, body-hugging bralettes.

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Fast forward 8 years. Endless bralettes, weight gain, and a vampire breast lift later, my boobs definitely felt bigger than their previous bottom-heavy 34B lemon boobs.

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But I couldn’t say for certain because I was still so pressed on swearing off salespeople and staying in my comfort zone of bralettes despite my growing bust. While my weight gain only came with a slightly fuller B-cup, it was my vampire breast lift — a non-surgical platelet rich plasma treatment where my doctor drew my blood, spun it in a centrifuge, separated my platelets and reinjected them back into my body (yup, like Kim K's vampire facial but for your boobs) — that toppled my tas over the edge of my beloved bralettes. While the immediate effects were minimal, two months after my treatment my boobs were noticeably larger. And, it made sense because the effects of PRP take a couple months to fully actualize.

Eventually my bralettes started riding up and my boobs felt too heavy for the stretchy fit, so I decided, fine, I’d finally give underwire bras a second chance. Only this time I'd be returning to the scene of the crime with my big sister by my side to figure out this bra thing once and for all.

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The result? We both bought the same bra — a 34C Body By Victoria Perfect Shape Full Coverage Bra that features a Memory Fit that conforms to your figure with slight padding right at the wire to avoid any gaping at the top corners where the strap is attached.

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In other words, it was heaven for my boobs.

Only problem was, I didn’t get sized — I guessed. So it just kept riding up.

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I kept thinking maybe it's the band, maybe the straps are too loose. But no matter which rung I hooked it on, and no matter how much I loosened the straps, the underwire kept cutting off the bottom of my boobs. WTF?

One gigantic sigh later, and I found myself, bra in-hand, walking into Victoria’s Secret on my lunch break finally giving in. And good thing, because apparently I had gone up two full cup sizes since way back when, not to mention a whole size up from what I had just bought.

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Unlike my fitting years ago, this time my bra specialist really heard me. When I told her that gap is a common problem due to my bottom heavy boobs, and that I didn't want anything super pushed-up, she automatically nixed a few of the bras she already had in hand. What's more, when I told her I didn't like a fit, she didn't try to tell me I needed to get used to it. She took my word for what it was and did her best to tailor her recommendations to my preferences and needs.

If you've never been properly fitted by an enthusiastic, helpful bra specialist, I recommend giving Victoria's Secret a try. While some people say that their bra sizes aren't fully accurate, if you buy all of your bras there, it will be accurate for your personal lingerie choices.

For anyone who wants to get sized but doesn't have a store nearby, there's an online option, too. Put on a non-padded bra or bralette, measure your band and your bust, and click over to VS to calculate your perfect size from their selection. And, if you have 1/2 cup size tas (did you know that 50% of women fall in between standard cup sizes?) or outmeasure what VS offers, worry not — you can head over to Third Love to find your perfect fit.

While I was super skeptical about trying her recommended 34D, as soon as I put it on it was as if everything clicked... despite my still feeling like it's surreal.

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Now I just can't stop grabbing them because, y'all, they've never felt better.