I am writing a blog about bras.
I swear I can almost hear my mother: “Megan Leigh! That’s not really appropriate, is it?”
Sorry, mom. Sorry, not sorry.
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted a lot of things, bras being one of them. “Wear the mask, ditch the underwire” became the choice for many during the pandemic. For some it was the work from home culture. For many of us, our morning routine went from a one hour process of showering, getting fully dressed (with hair and makeup!) to a five minute “roll out of bed, splash some water on your face and hop on that 9 am Zoom!” Goodbye to the days of dry cleaning and hello to the world of oversized sweatshirts, with or without anything underneath.
For others, bras didn’t register at the top of the list of “really important stuff I should care about right now.” Loved ones were suddenly and seriously sick, employment status had been interrupted or ended, child care was nonexistent. People were in survival mode and frankly, how someone looked didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.
I personally found myself in both groups throughout the COVID pandemic.
Now that more than 50% of our country is vaccinated and the increasing expectation is a “return to normal,” what does that mean? And what does it mean for “bra culture?”
If the past year has taught me anything it’s that life is full of unexpected moments and tomorrow isn’t promised. Every day is a new day and a new opportunity. That includes a new moment to decide what works for you, for your life, and what doesn’t. Despite the ugliness of the last several months, I’ve noticed more and more beautiful things. Women getting real about their bodies. My TikTok “for you page” is full of women (and men!) embracing the extra few pounds from a sedentary COVID lifestyle. “My body kept me alive and healthy through a worldwide pandemic. Why would I shame it for the way it looks?” was the collective theme. Friends and colleagues hosted clothing swaps (free community events to exchange gently used clothing) in order to get rid of “too tight” or unused clothes in hopes that those clothes would bring joy to new owners. Women stopped coloring their hair and let the gray shine through, and others who opted for more makeup free days and air dried hair instead of being fully “done up.”
Again, I’ve found myself a welcomed member in each of those groups.
But, again, others have entered this “new normal” with a different approach. For some, wearing a certain article of clothing or looking a certain way is who they are. They will continue doing full hair and makeup before leaving the house, even if it’s just to go to the grocery store (my sweet southern mama).
And that’s ok. It truly is. It’s for them to decide, not anyone else.
If anything, the disruption of life as we knew it over the last year has given us all moments to stop, reflect, time to find our groups of people, and decide what works best for us. Bra or no bra, just be you. Lifes too short to be anyone else.
-#MoxieMegs
