Okay, this is a really silly one, but today was the first time I've ever worn a bra that was NOT white, Black or tan/brown.
You see, My mom wasn't around much when I was growing up, so the bulk of my "act like a lady" training came from my grandmother - who was insanely old school. According to her wisdom, ladies did NOT wear colored bras for the fear that their "womanhood" would be exposed through their blouses. When wearing a white or light colored shirt, I was taught to wear a Black bra, I could only wear a white bra if the shirt was a dark color or if I had a camisole underneath. Tan or brown bras were only to be worn with special care to ensure the color/design (lace) would not show through. It makes complete sense.
Growing up I would fantasize about wearing fancy red and pink bras, but every time I put a "colored" bra in my cart, I would hear my grandmother's voice saying "ladies don't wear colored bras". Last week, I went bra shopping, and the diverse colors and designs were dizzying, I couldn't decide on stripe or polka dot or words, or rhinestones... I went into a colored bra coma, and when I came out I had a simple purple bra in my hand. I walked to the cashier (an older black woman) and felt the guilt once again - was she my grandmother's look out? was she spying on me and reporting back to her cohort all of the horrid details of my un "ladylike " behavior? I lowered my gaze, and tried to avoid all conversation whatsoever, but she spoke to me, and said "ooohh chile, this is a nice purple"
Maybe this was a sign ? maybe I could still be a lady and wear a colored bra?
No comments:
Post a Comment