We live in unique times where opportunities often turn into disasters.
I speak with specific reference to women’s sartorial choices in the ongoing wedding season. Irrespective of who they are or their personalities, many tend to wear “trendy”. Even if it’s “traditional”.
No problems there, except that most of this category of clothes dispenses with a dupatta/aanchal on the chest. The upper body is free to view, clothed in the top/blouse/kurti, but without a fabric draped on it. The pattern of the garment often leaves a strategic portion of the body bare. It could be the back or the shoulder or the side. The result is that a bra cannot be worn under this garment lest it shows through the bare part.
Now, given how the western media has infused our senses with the need for unreal, uniform, young and semi-spherical contours that pass for female chests these days, the mature woman here may also start hunting for a tailor/designer who can replicate this look on her body. It may be that many mature woman have youthful bodies. But some don’t. Their bodies have changed with time, with childbirth, nursing, more childbirth and more nursing, menopause with that humongous change of a slowed metabolic rate; also mature with a loss of toning and an arrival of weight, even if she were to live off just love and fresh air. And that’s perfectly ok, which we forget!
Why should exported young “trendy” contours be imposed on such bodies? The dress makers suggest that a moulded “cup” be inserted in the chest region of the garment, so as to be able to achieve the twin objectives of: a) disposing of with a bra and b) getting that nice smooth rounded look.
A mature body may not fit into this trap. It may hurt. So what may follow is this: The happy lady, having donned her dress arrives at the party. The dress is not body hugging on the chest, there’s no support for the breasts, and so the “cups” may not serve their purpose at all, thanks to that thing called gravity. The embarrassed wearer panics and starts fidgeting, but there’s not much to be done in a wedding party.
A strange shape appears in full view. Sometimes even the wearer doesn’t have a clue about the appearance of this oddity. The evening drags on somehow.
So ladies, please remember: the only way to carry off an upper garment in a bra-less state is to make it tight enough to protect the breasts from the effects of gravity. And age or weight never comes in the way of you looking beautiful: if you celebrate your body, it will always be beautiful. Please let’s not try to fit into our clothes. Let our clothes fit us.
The columnist is the founder-CEO of Necessity-Swati Gautam, a customised brand of brassieres. Contact: necessityswatigautam@gmail.com
