{"id":326355,"date":"2025-12-01T16:33:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T16:33:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/i-needed-new-bras-but-what-really-lifted-me-up-was-a-moment-of-connection-with-my-bra-fitter-jodi-wilson\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T16:33:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T16:33:40","slug":"i-needed-new-bras-but-what-really-lifted-me-up-was-a-moment-of-connection-with-my-bra-fitter-jodi-wilson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=326355","title":{"rendered":"I needed new bras but what really lifted me up was a moment of connection with my bra fitter | Jodi Wilson"},"content":{"rendered":"
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O<\/span>n a work trip to Melbourne, I detoured into the city to get fitted for a bra. A friend had shared that it was an experience all women should have because, regardless of age and body type, a supportive bra is always worthwhile; as is the firm yet kind guidance of a professional fitter who has seen it all.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was her hand on my upper back to steady me,\u201d my friend said. \u201cIt made me cry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite my tendency to recoil from department stores, I went to level three seeking a small moment of guidance, with a supportive hand on my back.<\/p>\n
I breastfed four babies for eight years, wearing maternity bras for too many months after my youngest had weaned. The elastic had stretched and the stitching had frayed. These bras were not unlike me: tired, soft around the edges, and a little threadbare.<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
Now as I enter perimenopause, I\u2019m having a hard time articulating exactly how to define the change, even though the shift into a new life stage is overt. I heard that the first symptom is rather ambiguous \u2013 feeling not quite like yourself \u2013 and I nod and think: That\u2019s precisely how I feel<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n
I beeline for a woman who wears her glasses on the tip of her nose and threads straps on to coat hangers without looking. Her name is Debbie, she asks my name and what I want.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing fussy,\u201d I tell her. \u201cGood basics.\u201d<\/p>\n
She moves quickly from one display to another and points out my options, collects my preferences in one hand, describes the style of each, and how I can expect them to fit. She\u2019s shown me exactly what I envisioned buying but I am aghast at the cup size. It\u2019s a visual reminder of what\u2019s most inevitable: we age and grow. It\u2019s the humbling nature of getting older in a world that actively tries to suppress it.<\/p>\n
Within the intimate confines of the change room I try not to focus too much on the softness of my belly, my pale winter skin mottled under the lights, all the improvements that could be made but probably won\u2019t be. Debbie speaks calmly, adjusts the straps, points out the separation between my breasts, comments on the fact that I\u2019m filling the cups well. She asks me if I feel held.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I think about this word for the rest of the day: held<\/em>. It\u2019s what we all want, isn\u2019t it? A bit of stability in this uncertain world, even if it\u2019s momentary.<\/p>\n
Debbie smiles and remarks on how easy it was to find what I needed. I walk away with a few basics that will, ideally, last a few years, but it\u2019s our fleeting interaction I\u2019ll remember most. It reminded me of the bolstering nature of conversation with another human, amplifying the dull and lonely transactions of online shopping.<\/p>\n
In an increasingly convenient, AI-assisted world, we\u2019re less and less likely to have these engagements with each other \u2013 planned or incidental \u2013 and with this loss we sidestep the opportunity to care, and be cared for. This is such a vital part of being human because it is an experience that feels meaningful in the moment, and reverberates within us for a long time afterwards.<\/p>\n