By: Mbalenhle Zondi
As I grow older I have realised that shopping for ‘perfect-fitting’ clothes is getting trickier by the day. Last month I went Christmas shopping and I came across the most gorgeous dress ever (well at least to me it was) and I just had to have it. So I decided to try the dress on to see if it suits me and to find a size that fits me perfectly.
As I grow older I have realised that shopping for ‘perfect-fitting’ clothes is getting trickier by the day. Last month I went Christmas shopping and I came across the most gorgeous dress ever (well at least to me it was) and I just had to have it. So I decided to try the dress on to see if it suits me and to find a size that fits me perfectly.
Now I’ve got quite a unique frame: athletic, with a big bust and my shoulders are slightly wider than my hips. I guess if I had to be classified under a body shape I would be an ‘inverted triangle’, though I’m not really a ’10 over 1’ as some people put it *LOL*. Anyway, I tried on the dress and it fit me so well and hugged my body in all the right places, but my breasts were so squashed and could barely even breathe...NOT a pretty sight at all! So I had to try on a bigger size, and it fit me well around the bust, but on the rest of my body it was just ‘hanging’ like some borrowed cloth. Basically, I wasn’t wearing the dress, the dress was wearing me! A sudden rush of sadness came over me and I left the store empty handed.
A couple of days later I was chilling with a friend of mine and I told her about my shopping experience and moaned about how difficult it is for big-breasted women (particularly young women) to find clothes that fit well. Her response was rather unexpected; she argued that big-busted women have it easier than Bootylicious (curvy at the rear end) women because big-busted women can always find “nice flowy tops” to compliment their frame, whereas it’s more difficult for bootylicious women to find jeans/pants that fit right. My friend has a typical African shape: curvy at the bottom and small at the top. She basically has what we South Africans call an ‘ATM’ (African Trade Mark)...ke le Pakistan bosso!
Bootylicious.. (picture taken from the internet)
She said that shopping for jeans has become a nightmare for her, because when she finds jeans that fit her well, she can barely get them over her buttocks. When she gets a bigger size, it fits her well around the buttocks, but they are baggy at the bottom and big at the waist. We debated this for over 30 minutes, with me adding that big-busted women also have difficulty finding a good quality bra that fits perfectly. It’s especially difficult for younger (big-busted) women to find a bra because most bras’ that cater for big-breasted women are not really appealing to the eye. I mean can you imagine a 20-something year old wearing ‘granny bra’s’? Really now!
This debate left me wondering who really has it worse when it comes to finding clothes that fit perfectly, women with big breasts or bootylicious women, or ke samsokolo vele?
What is your opinion on this topic? Do you ever experience difficulties when shopping for clothes? Leave me a comment on this blog entry or hit me up on Twitter: @Enhle_Mbalee
