Victoria's Secret.

The other day, I asked my mom if she could take me to Nordstrom's to go get a fitting. All my life, I'd worn whatever Gilligan & O'Malley bra I fancied best at Target and went on my way. She said she'd compromise and take me for a fitting at Victoria's Secret.

I'd heard bad things about Victoria's Secret, but I agreed nevertheless because it was -something- and I needed bras immediately. I simply couldn't take what I had anymore. After trying a couple bras on, I was stopped by a sales associate who asked if I'd been fitted.

Hesitantly, I responded, "No...?"

She quickly sped off into talking about how great a fitting is and called over another girl who slipped a tape measure around me, asked what size I'd already tried on, and waited for an answer, all whilst not telling me what size she measured me at.

I told her, "I tried a 36D, which was too small, and a 36DD which was -slightly- too small."

"Okay, well, I'm going to bring you the sister size to that one, a 38D, and we'll see if that fits you better," she responded then quickly turned and walked away before I could even react.

I knew a 38 band was too big for me. After trying on those bras, I asked for some 36DD's again. I realised the band was too big in those, as well, so I asked for a 34DDD.

Now, maybe it was just coincidence, maybe I just read too much into the situation, maybe I was just frazzled, I don't know.

The whole bra-fitting thing was not fun. It seemed every time she brought me a new batch of at least five bras, she'd be knocking on the door just a few minutes later asking how they all fit. I didn't know. I'd only had time to try one bra on before she'd knock and ask. I felt like maybe I was just too slow, so I tried to breeze through them all. I'd try one on, jump up and down a couple times, then try the next, all while the whole group of girls who worked there, stood right outside the fitting room I was in, talking about some party they were having later, with an occasional knock from the girl helping me to ask if I'd finished yet. And then it happened.

I pushed the little help button and the girl asked what I needed.

"Could you bring me some 34DDD's?" I asked genuinely.

Suddenly, a silence befell the gaggle of Victoria's Secret "Bra Fit Specialists" right outside my door, and then simultaneously they all burst out laughing as though that was the funniest thing ever. Maybe it wasn't what I said that set them off. Maybe they were genuinely laughing about something else.

I'm not a skinny girl. I've never been and I have come to the point in my life where I am okay with me, with my body. But in that precise moment, I felt like my twelve-year-old self being ridiculed for how I looked. How dare I think I can squeeze myself into a 34? Ha! That's like asking if they have a size zero dress for me to try on because I'm certain it will fit me. I felt absolutely horrible about myself. To add insult to injury, after the plethora of bras she would bring me each time I asked for more, this time she brought -one-. Just one. As though I'd try that one on and realise the error of my ways and that a 34 band simply was not made to fit me.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe that wasn't how the situation was treated at all by them, but the way all the actions played out, it made me feel that way and the way I felt was real.

I did eventually manage to get her to bring me a few more 34DDD's. I settled on a few that fit me decently. Better than the 38B or 38C bras I'd been wearing all the time before. They were not a perfect fit, but they'd do for now whilst I figure out my -real- size in better bras.

It's been less than a week since I got those and I've already had to switch two of the bras to the tightest hook when I'm wearing them. They were perfectly comfortable when I got them, but after a few hours at work, they quickly loosened up to where they are too big for me. They are stretchier than the third bra, but I'm not certain if the third one is normal and the first too are overly stretchy, or the first two are normal and the third is un-stretchy. Apart from that, the wires are too wide and the cups are too shallow for me. Victoria's Secret bras apparently do not work for me.