You Won’t Find These Gorgeous Bras In Victoria’s Secret — But You Should
July 24, 2015 by admin
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Finding a bra that fits is tough. Finding a bra that fits when you’ve had a double mastectomy at 28 can be nearly impossible.
Popular lingerie stores specialize in the latest shapes and colors but tend to fall short when it comes to suitable options for those who have had mastectomies due to breast cancer. Dana Donofree was one such woman, finding herself with few options as a cancer survivor in her late twenties.
So she started AnaOno Intimates, a line of lingerie designed for women who’ve had surgery related to a breast cancer diagnosis but still want something that can make them feel beautiful. The company soft-launched back in the fall and is rolling out a formal debut this summer.
After surgery, Donofree told Mic in an email, “I felt a loss of identity and a loss of my ‘sexy’ self, and every day was a struggle, not only physically, but emotionally … Finding a bra that resembles what we wore before cancer changes everything, from attitude to confidence to the clothes we wear.”
But it’s not an easy find. Despite the fact that over 200,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, and despite the fact that 93% of early stage patients and 75% of late-stage patients will get surgical treatment, mainstream stores like Victoria’s Secret don’t carry so-called “survivor bras.”
Part of the problem, as Victoria’s Secret reported after researching the process, is that post-op bras are “truly a science.” As Elisabeth Dale wrote in the Huffington Post,
“It’s not just the scar tissue or individual surgical sites involved, it’s also the size and type of prosthetic a woman buys and wears. Some are heavy or lighter, and they’re sold in numeric sizes, not like alphabet cups bras. To give you an idea of the complexity of this task, [breast care brand] Amoena requires a minimum of 500 hours of special training to qualify as one of their certified mastectomy bra fitters.”
For decades, woman who wanted a mastectomy bra had to order it from a medial supplier or choose from only a handful of specialty boutiques, Dale said.
Now there are more options, but designs are still limited. Donofree told Mic the most common option is a “pocketed” bra, which leaves room in the cup for a prosthetic. But the cup structure doesn’t fit well with the implants many women get after reconstruction, making for an imperfect fit.
AnaOno bras do away with the molded pockets as well as the extra space for nipples, as many women don’t have them after reconstruction, Donofree said. Making breast cups that better fit the typical round shape of implants also helps, she added.
The point, Donofree said, is for women to feel both strong and beautiful again — which was the inspiration for AnaOno’s latest campaign, titled “Never Alone.” The dreamy photos feature models posing as powerful ballerinas brandishing swords that symbolize the battles with illness they’ve overcome.
“It’s a symbol of the fight and the strength these women endured and found during their cancer treatment and as they head back into their lives after cancer,” Donofree said.
At such a young age, women like Donofree have plenty of fight left in them. If mainstream stores like Victoria’s Secret won’t take note, they’ll keep fighting their own way.
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Shopping local just might save you money
July 24, 2015 by admin
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Crier Connections
Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2015 10:00 am
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Updated: 10:01 am, Tue Jul 21, 2015.
thecrier.net
I read a fascinating article in the AJC titled, “Shopping local cuts impulse buying.” The premise is that steering away from big box stores, and instead spending your money in smaller local shops, results in spending less money.
Yes, some items may cost more at a small store, but you’re less likely to walk out with lots of things that weren’t on your list to begin with—those impulse items that somehow leap into your cart as you wander the store. I must admit that when I visit Target or Costco, I do tend to purchase more than the one or two items I go in for.
Carrie Rollwagon experimented with shopping local for a year and wrote a book on the topic—The Localist. She discovered she sometimes spent more on individual items but spent less overall, primarily because she cut down on impulse buying. And it wasn’t only avoiding temptation while in a big store, but also the fact that waiting to find something in a local shop often resulted in the buying urges disappearing altogether.
Shopping local is easy in Dunwoody because we have so many inviting shops. I enjoy walking into a small business where folks know my face and sometimes even my name. I still buy paper towels and such at Costco and lingerie at Nordstrom, but for many other purchases, you’ll find me in a locally owned shop.
Running around Dunwoody on weekends is always a pleasant experience. One Saturday, I met a friend for coffee at Crema and then stopped into Southern Comforts to see if they had any fun yard art. No yard art, but I did find two pillows for my front porch bench. I suppose you could consider the pillows an impulse buy, except that they’d been on my need to find list for a few weeks.
I continued my local shopping at the Dunwoody Library Sale, where I saw lots of familiar faces. Twelve books later, I wrote a check for $18.75. How many books could you get for that amount at Barnes Noble or Amazon?
Next was a quick run into Sprouts to pick up some seafood. Sprouts may not qualify as local, but the author of The Localist suggests shopping local-ish if you can’t go completely local. Local or local-ish, I count Sprouts because they are such a welcome addition to our community. I considered finishing the day by eating dinner outside at O’Brian’s Tavern, but instead decided we’d grill the Ahi Tuna I’d just purchased and save the tavern for another day.
I followed pretty much the same routine on a different Saturday, starting with Crema and then Highland Apothecary, where I picked up Benadryl that Hoang had compounded into dog treats for my itchy dog. I ran into Consigning Women to drop something off and then into Southern Comforts to see whether they had anything for my screened porch I just couldn’t live without. I came away with a lamp for the porch and a new pair of reading glasses. In that same shopping center, I hit Camelot Jewelers to have some earrings repaired and stopped into O’Brian’s to ask about their piano Saturdays.
Shopping local-ish in our little corner of the world is a delight. But then, again,we all know that’s the charm of Dunwoody. Southern Comforts said it best in a recent ad: “What better way to show your support for the USA, your community and neighbors than choosing to shop local?”
Kathy Manos Penn is a Sandy Springs resident who works in corporate America. Read more of her musing at TheInkPenn.blogspot.com or contact her at kathymanospenn@gmail.com.
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Tuesday, July 21, 2015 10:00 am.
Updated: 10:01 am.