Posts in category "breast cancer"

Why Victoria’s Secret Has No Business Making Mastectomy Bras

Last week, the internet was all afire with the news that Victoria’s Secret, probably the most famous lingerie company in the world, would not be making bras for women who’ve had mastectomies. In case you haven’t yet heard of this story, Allana Maiden (who’s mother is a breast cancer survivor) created a Change.org petition a few months ago asking Victoria’s Secret to begin making and selling mastectomy bras. Victoria’s Secret took the petition surprisingly seriously, flying Ms. Maiden and her mother to company headquarters in Columbus, OH and promising to review the feasibility of carrying mastectomy bras in their stores.

Well, after much deliberation, the company announced that they were not moving forward with selling mastectomy bras, and gave the following reason, issued in a press release:

“Through our research, we have learned that fitting and selling mastectomy bras…in the right way…a way that is beneficial to women is complicated and truly a science. As a result, we believe that the best way for us to make an impact for our customers is to continue funding cancer research.”

Many people, including Ms. Maiden herself, were shocked. In one article, Allana Maiden compared Victoria’s Secret to Nordstrom, implying that since the latter sold mastectomy bras, then the former should as well. In addition, several prominent fashion websites wasted no time mocking Victoria’s Secret’s decision with headlines like, “Victoria’s Secret Won’t Make Mastectomy Bras Because Science is Hard,” calling the petition “basically a bundle of PR points tied with a bow and dropped in the massive lingerie company’s lap.”

But here’s the thing: making mastectomy bras is hard. The needs of women who’ve had their breasts removed is different from the needs of women who haven’t, and Victoria’s Secret absolutely made the right decision here…no matter how unpopular it is. While there are still plenty of reasons to criticize the lingerie giant, their reluctance to jump into the mastectomy bra market is definitely not one of them.

In the original Change.org petition, Ms. Maiden focuses on the emotional side of mastectomy bra shopping, saying “it doesn’t seem fair that shopping for bras is such a discouraging, time consuming and frustrating ordeal,” and “I think they deserve to feel beautiful and Victoria’s Secret is the perfect company to help make that happen with a line of “Survivor” mastectomy bras.” In a follow-up interview with ABC news, Ms. Maiden also says, “But I felt that if anyone could do it, they could. They have everything in place.”

While I completely agree that every woman deserves gorgeous lingerie, I disagree with the idea that Victoria’s Secret is the perfect company to handle every woman’s needs. As I’ve mentioned before, no one company can be expected to make every single kind of bra, and I respect Victoria’s Secret’s honesty in admitting that they are not the company best suited for this hard-to-fit market.

The honest truth is that not only is Victoria’s Secret ill-equipped to handle mastectomy bras, most lingerie boutiques and brands are in the exact same position, which is why mastectomy bras are a specialized area of the lingerie industry. The shape of the breast, the firmness, the tissue, the density…everything behaves differently once a woman has a mastectomy. And that’s not even getting into concerns from scar tissue, swelling, fluid retention, and reconstruction. Put simply, you can’t just throw together a mastectomy bra and hope for the best. It does require a lot of specialized research, testing, and trial and error. And of course, selling mastectomy bras also requires fitters with specialized expertise.

It’s easy to accuse Victoria’s Secret of not caring about women who’ve had mastectomies (an attitude which I think reflects, among other things, a complete unfamiliarity with bra design), but Victoria’s Secret was stuck in a Catch-22 here. Refuse to do mastectomy bras and have everyone accuse them of hating female breast cancer survivors, or do a line of mastectomy bras and deal with the inevitable criticisms surrounding fit (and, likely, the accusation that they should have never gone into the mastectomy bra market in the first place).

The fit issues that Victoria’s Secret already has would no doubt be magnified with the special circumstances of fitting women who’ve had mastectomies, and if there is any area of bras and bra fitting where women truly deserve a knowledgeable, sensitive, passionate expert, it is in mastectomy bras. And Victoria’s Secret can’t offer that. A company shouldn’t be punished for admitting they can’t do it all. In fact, they should be commended.

As mentioned above, Nordstrom does offer a wonderful prosthetic program, but unlike Victoria’s Secret, Nordstrom doesn’t make their bras. They sell bras from other companies, and even then, they don’t sell mastectomy bras in particular. Nordstrom adds a pocket to the bras from brands they already utilize. It’s a completely different way of doing business, and it simply makes no sense to compare them.

In my recent article on pretty mastectomy bras, I mentioned how hard it is to find beautiful, flattering, but still suitable pieces. The vast majority of bra sellers don’t make mastectomy bras. And I strongly disagree with the notion that every lingerie company should turn into a Wal-Mart of bras and panties: selling everything in every size in every color to support every need (not just mastectomy, but also first bras, nursing bras, post-surgical bras, etc.). Specialization is a good thing, and it doesn’t make sense to expect every single company to appeal to every single customer.

The bumper crop of plus size, full bust, small bust, mastectomy, and nursing bra brands that have popped up lately are a direct result of behemoths like VS choosing to avoid those markets, and the lingerie industry is better for it. Unlike what some fashion blogs choose to believe, this isn’t an easy issue and Victoria’s Secret was in the right. So instead of encouraging this company to completely upened their business model, why not support those companies which are already making beautiful mastectomy bras?

Brands like Royce, Anita, and Amoena need your money and your publicity more than Victoria’s Secret ever will. Petition them to make prettier bras. Then petition your local boutiques to carry those bras. Heck, tell Nordstrom to carry them. Because at the end of the day, Victoria’s Secret isn’t and shouldn’t be the answer for every woman.

Cora

Cora

Founder and Chief Editor of The Lingerie Addict. Sugar Junkie. Lace Lover. Sci-Fi Geek.

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Introducing The Hospital Bra

Every once in awhile, I get a question from a reader who has pending breast surgery and is wondering where she can find the appropriate post-surgical undergarments. As someone with no medical expertise, I never feel comfortable giving anything resembling medical advice, but recently I ran across the Hospital Bra, and I thought it might be helpful to some of you or some of your friends and so I wanted to share it here.

I’ve been lucky so far to not have any health issues that make it difficult for me to put on a bra. My mobility is fine. I’ve never had a major surgery. There’s no scar tissue or chronic pain that affects my torso. And that means all the decisions that go into the kind of bra I wear on any given day are more or less cosmetic.

But for women who’ve recently had surgery or about to undergo surgery, their concerns run a bit deeper. After a mastectomy, lumpectomy, reconstruction, reduction, or implant insertion, many women are dealing with issues like fluid discharge, wound care, limited mobility, and extreme discomfort. So soft, absorbent, easy to clean, and easy to wear garments are super-important.

Now I haven’t tried this bra, so this post isn’t a recommendation or a review. And it’s certainly not medical advice. It’s just something I ran across and thought was interesting and innovative enough to share here. In fact, learning about the Hospital Bra has made me even more interested in bra options for women who’ve had breast surgery.

Do you have any advice about choosing a post-surgical bra? If you’ve had to wear one before, what tips would you offer other readers? Let’s pool our resources in the comments.

Cora

Cora

Founder and Chief Editor of The Lingerie Addict. Sugar Junkie. Lace Lover. Sci-Fi Geek.

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12 Pretty Mastectomy Bras

Lately, I’ve gotten several requests for a blog post on pretty mastectomy bras. This is definitely a topic I’ve been wanting to cover for awhile (while researching for this post, I came across a draft from 2010!), but I’ve often been thwarted because there aren’t many pretty mastectomy bras out there.

Despite the popularity of Breast Cancer Awareness campaigns, the lingerie industry doesn’t appear to have caught up with the needs of post-surgery breast cancer survivors. From what I can tell, the two big names in mastectomy bras appear to be Anita and Royce (stores based in the UK appear to have more of a selection than shops within the US), and boutiques like Nordstrom and Chantilly Rose offer pocketing for the bras they sell, even if those bras weren’t originally mastectomy bras.

While this article does give a few options, I hope it’s seen as a start on the conversation of mastectomy bras, not the end of one. If you know of places that make or sell nice mastectomy bras, please include them in the comments. And if you’re a breast cancer survivor and would like to write an article on this subject for The Lingerie Addict, please do get in touch.

Royce Champagne Truffle Mastectomy Bra – £23.33

Royce Pink Champagne Mastectomy Bra – £23.33

Royce Mink Champagne Velvet Mastectomy Bra – £25.00

Nicola Jane Black Pearl Mastectomy Bra – £26.99

Figleaves Royce Chloe Mastectomy Bra – $41.00

Royce Heather Mastectomy Bra – $42.00

Darcey Mastectomy Bra – £35.00

Camelia Mastectomy Bra – £45.00

Peony Mastectomy Bra – £45.00

Myosotis Mastectomy Bra – £45.00

Anita Versailles Mastectomy Bra – £52.00

BodyRock Sport Natalie Mastectomy Bra – $95.00

Cora

Cora

Founder and Chief Editor of The Lingerie Addict. Sugar Junkie. Lace Lover. Sci-Fi Geek.

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Breast Cancer Awareness: Why I’m Ambivalent About ‘Buying Bras for the Cure’

It’s October. And in addition to being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, LGBT History Month, and Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month, it’s also Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

But you already knew that. Because everything’s covered in pink right now. Pink ribbons. Pink shirts. Pink mugs. Pink lipstick. Pink purses. Pink guns. Pink footballs. And, of course, pink lingerie. There’s even a name for this torrent of pink that happens around this time of year: pinkwashing.

Now, I’m about to say some things some people probably won’t like in this post, so I want to clarify a few things right off the bat.

  1. I don’t like Breast Cancer. It’s awful, and I think we can all agree on that.
  2. I like non-profits. My previous career was in the non-profit industry.
  3. You should spend your money wherever you want and on whatever you want.

So now that that’s out of the way, let me get to heart of what this post is about:

If you want to support a non-profit that focuses on breast cancer, please consider donating directly to that non-profit…instead of using an intermediary like a for-profit lingerie company.

For the last few weeks, my inbox has been inundated with breast cancer related press releases. And to be perfectly honest, I’m not sharing most of them here because I find the majority to be pretty offensive. I’m getting press releases from brands that are bragging about donating $2 of an almost $70 bra to a breast cancer non-profit. I’m getting press releases from brands who vaguely say a “portion of their proceeds are going to Breast Cancer Awareness” without ever saying which portion or to whom. I’m getting press release from brands who aren’t even mentioning donations to breast cancer non-profits; they’re simply piggy-backing on Breast Cancer Awareness as a way to sell more pink bras.

And I’m bothered by that. Breast Cancer, an actual disease affecting actual people, has become just another marketing opportunity…one with little-to-no accountability and tenuous ties (at best) to the larger research and support community.

As someone who worked in the non-profit industry for 8 years, I understand that charitable organizations truly need all the help they can get. Your average 501(c)(3) is not exactly swimming in excess donations. I know that every single dollar helps, and I don’t want to minimize that. But if only 2% or 3% or 4% of the purchase price of what I’m buying is going to the cause, then I have to ask myself (personal, not pointing fingers here), “Is there a way I can be more effective with those dollars?”

Like I said, this post isn’t about telling you what to do with your money. People should spend it how they want to spend it. But if you are going to purchase from a brand or retailer that’s using Breast Cancer Awareness language, please do your research beforehand. Look to see if they’re actually donating to a non-profit. Look at how much they’re donating. Look at who they’re donating to. It only takes a few minutes, but it’s the best way to make sure your money is going where you want it to go.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, please consider making a direct donation. Even half of the money you might spend on a bra could go so much further if given outright to a non-profit. If you’re not sure where to start, The National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund and The Breast Cancer Research Foundation are two of the highest-rated breast cancer non-profits.

That said, there are several lingerie brands disclosing how much they’re donating for Breast Cancer Awareness and who they’re giving it to. I’ve listed the ones I know of that are donating at least 10% of their proceeds below. If you know of any others, please include them in the comments so we can make this a resource for everyone. And, of course, if you have some thoughts you’d like to share, I’d love to hear them. This is something worth talking about.

  • Brulee Lingerie is donating 30% of the sales from it’s pink and black chemise to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
  • Lula Lu Lingerie is donating 10% of sales from their Kallie Lace Bralette to the Save the Ta-Tas Awareness Foundation.
  • Frederick’s of Hollywood is donating 10% of sales from their “Cure Collection” to the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund
Cora

Cora

Founder and Chief Editor of The Lingerie Addict. Sugar Junkie. Lace Lover. Sci-Fi Geek.

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Naughty Bits: Lingerie News for 10/14/12

Victoria’s Secret Push-up Sports Bra

  • Victoria’s Secret push-up sports bra? For you ladies that workout, Victoria’s Secret would love for you to consider their new push-up bra. That’s right, Victoria’s Secret wants you to have maximum lift while you lift. Do you think that’s a good idea or big miss?
  • Bra sizes are up three sizes in just 2 years, according to one study.  In a survey conducted by the British high street store, Debenhams, 78% of women in the UK have been buying bras that are too small with typical bra sizes going up three sizes (from 34B to 34DD) in the last 2 years. Debenhams has also discovered that many of their customers are buying padded and pushup bras…70% more to be exact.
  • Breast sizes are booming but is it because women weigh more? Even MORE talk about bra sizes recently (there’s been a lot!)t. Last week there was news of lingerie firms possibly tampering with bra sizes in order to flatter their customers along with the study above. Some say that the jump is a result of women being more confident in letting themselves be curvaceous. However, statistics do show that obesity in England has been increasing over the last decade and the bigger busts may be a result of this trend. Generally speaking, the bustier a woman is, the larger she is. Why do you think the increase in bra sizes is happening?
  • An Indian lingerie campaign which doesn’t feature half naked women. Indian lingerie firm Amanté is urging its customers to get rid of ill fitting bras through an ad campaign reminiscent of campaigns against domestic abuse. Telling consumers to “break up with the wrong bra” and that “suffocation is the worst kind of abuse”, Amanté has raised eyebrows by not showing a single bra or breast; the ad simply shows a woman gazing into the camera. How do you feel about that?
  • Stunning photos of plus-sized swimwear model Robyn Lawley. Australian model Robyn Lawley, the first plus-sized model for Ralph Lauren, was pictured in a swimwear editorial in Australian Cosmopolitan. Being 6′ and a size 12, this may be the beginning of seeing a wider range of shapes and sizes in fashion magazines. Check out the photos and tell us what you think in the comments.
  • Touched up Victoria’s Secret photos from last week’s post Remember last week’s post where we showed what unretouched Victoria’s Secret photos may look like? Well, check out the published versions after a little “sprucing up.” There have been changes to swimsuit colors, changes to the background, along with wrinkles, birthmarks, and scars removed. Is this the kind of retouching you expected?
  • A bra that can detect breast cancer on the way? People have been attempting to create a bra that can detect breast cancer since the 1970′s. However, the world may actually be on the verge of having one. A device name the “First Warning System” is equipped with sensors, AI, and pattern recognition software that can detect temperature changes of cells associated with breast cancer. More sensitive, accurate and cost effective than a mammogram, it will have both applications for both OB/GYN and primary care office use along with over-the-counter potential.

Mike

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I love my breasts.


I try to keep things light and fluffy here on The Lingerie Addict Addict, but, every once in awhile, I have to get serious. Today is October 7, and we’re a week into National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in women, and women in the United States (where the majority of my readers live) have the highest rates of breast cancer in the world. Every year, 200,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,000 people die from it.

Though physicians no longer advocate monthly breast self-exams, women are still encouraged to begin regular mammography at age 50…or younger if you have a first degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) diagnosed with breast cancer.

Earlier diagnosis means earlier treatment and earlier treatment means a better chance of beating the cancer. You can read more about risk factors, screening, and symptoms of breast cancer at the National Cancer Institute.

Whether you’re at risk for breast cancer or not, there are lots of ways to show your support for the women and men affected by this illness. The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (know for its Race for the Cure and Breast Cancer 3-day events) raises millions of dollars every year for research into finding a cure.  If you want to make a difference, I recommend donating directly to the Susan G. Komen Foundation or to any one of the local charities serving women who are battling breast cancer.

Of course, several lingerie companies are also running specials for this month.  I have to be honest here and say that I’ve deliberately chosen not to post most of them.  Call me jaded, but I simply cannot support any “promotion” that donates mere pennies from a sale (less than 1% in some cases!) and calls themselves breast cancer supporters.  Something about that just strikes me as very disingenuous.

That said, if you need new lingerie and want to support breast cancer patients & survivors at the same time, here are a few places I can recommend in good conscience.  I’ve also included how much of your purchase goes towards charity below the links.  As the saying goes, “Together, we can find a cure.”

Affinitas Intimates Samantha Bra–$28
20% of sales donated to breast cancer research
Lula Lu Kaylen Bra–$50
10% of sales devoted to breast cancer research
Commando Underwear (Sexy Stripes Tights Shown–$30)
$5 from every sale devoted to breast cancer research
Va Bien Lingerie–10% off w/ code FIGHT
Additional 10% from every sale donated to SHARE
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