Letters to the Editor
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There ARE good sports bras out there
I'm either a 32E, 34DD or a 36D, depending on how you spin it. My hooters are quite large in relation to the rest of me.
I exercise strenously. Further, I know other well-endowed women who do high-impace exercise as well. (Jogging and Aerobics, mostly.) There are good sports bras already on the market. Currently I'm in love with the Danskin Now, High Impact Extreme Sport bra. I had to brave the terror of Wal-Mart for them, but they're wonderful. They hold everything in and keep it from shaking. As a bonus, I could wear them without a shirt. (The fact that I'd lose my t-shirt, collector of sweat, hider of my tummy, defender from sunburn stops me.) Champion also makes several wonderful High Impact bras that work well for serious ta-tas.
These aren't expensive bras, mind. $10 - $20 dollar range, less when you find them on sale or clearance.
But they do exist. I question whether this "research" was designed to preface the announcement of some super-duper, over-designed, over-priced sports bra that will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 bucks or more and carry a high-end logo.
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Sweet, it's about time
I find that when I'm running a sports bra is not enough and a traditonal bra is less than comfortable. If they could come up with a good sports bra, there would be tons of cross over, because as a rule they are much more comfortable, if not as "pretty" as some of the contraptions available at Victoria's Secret.
I don't think this is why women don't exercise though, that seems like a stretch, but it is a hindrance if you're not small breasted.
Now, I'm holding my breath waiting for the litany of letters decrying the fact that you aren't mentioning that boys and men have isuues, too, and you're ignoring them, blah, blah, blah...
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No disrespect
To the poster with very large breasts...if they are not natural, they don't always have the same amount of bounce and jiggle as natural breasts, so less support would be fine in your case.
I was once on a speedboat and was having to cross my arms over my chest to stop the movement going on that was distracting and painful. It turns out all of the other women had fake breasts and were not going through the same thing. They all thought it was interesting, too.
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Fascinating stuff
"Broadsheet will be taking the ladies seriously, whether that means tracking news about how our rights are holding up, how well we're representing ourselves politically ..."
Discussing bras for bouncy breasts will definitely make us take the ladies seriously and not consider them shallow creatures. Thank you for publishing this. I will now go back to the columns by the male editors/writers who are discussing the Iraq War, Terrorism, Immigration. YOu are welcome to join us if you wish.
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Champion makes some great sport bras
I'm a 34 D/DD (real, not implants, as a previous poster wondered), and Champion makes several sports bras that do an excellent job of support during all types of exercise.
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Inadequate support deters women, period
It's hard to find a good, supportive, comfortable bra of any type when you're well-endowed -- let alone a sports bra!
Title IX carries an extensive line of sports bras in a wide range of sizes. I know women of all shapes who swear by them. (However, Title IX is schizoid about their sportswear and clothing lines: their size range is extremely limited and offers almost nothing for petites, talls, and women above size L or 12/14.)
I've gotten recommendations for Champion sports bras from several large-breasted women. They are very supportive and reasonably priced as sports bras go.
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Large Sizes Not In Stores
It's also very difficult to find larger sizes (especially in odd combinations) in stores. I buy lots of things online, but it's hard to order a bra online because size alone isn't the whole story - the way the bra is shaped is also a factor, and if you can't try it on, it's hard to tell if it will fit. I wear a sports bra in a 40DD, and I had to order mine online - and I ordered and returned 6 bras before I found one that fit. The bra cost $45 but it was the cost of all those returns that added up - I'm hoping that the type I wear is never discontinued.
The local sports stores just snickered when they found out what size I wore, and even the local "plus" stores are very limited in what they carry - and they mostly have bras that "look sexy", not bras that are good for working out.
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women's fitness IS serious, and important
this is mostly directed towards rcastanon, who i'm going to guess is either be a man, or a woman who doesn't work out regularly enough to care about proper workout gear.
not only should the needs of female athletes be taken seriously, but all women should take fitness seriously. Working out can ease the symptoms of depression and prevent breast cancer, as well as lowering cholesterol and blood pressure etc etc. there IS an obesity epidemic in this country, and that too should be taken seriously.
yes, it's tempting to act dismissively and derisively about the fact that women have boobies and they bounce when we move, but having an unsupportive bra can make working out extremely uncomfortable. i wonder, actually, if the female soldiers in iraq are issued proper bras.
and for you ladies who enjoy working out but have yet to find a supportive bra: try nike. i've always had good luck with them.
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Title 9
I went shopping at Title 9 before my annual week of walking and camping and found three bras that work very well for my 38DD (natural) breasts. At the same time, I am 5'8" and overweight, so I'm more than conscious of a lack of real workout clothing in women's sizes in general. And yes, it does discourage me and other plus-sized women I know from taking even easy steps to get moving again.
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Please?
Jeeze, I just wish someone would make a comfortable, supportive bra, period. Sports bras are the worst, though, especially in the D-DD range. A lot of them seem to depend on mammogram-style smoosh to get any kind of support.
As far as Iraq, immigration and other political issues are concerned, I follow the news and whenever an opportunity comes up in which I can influence events, I act. Discussing it ad nauseum doesn't change anything. It doesn't even amuse me.
This discussion of sports bras, however, is prompting a list of possibilities, and I'm grateful to those ladies who have posted their favorites.