Tuesday, May 17, 2011

I'm A What?

In response to yesterday's post, Pat commented that I crossed another bridge.  You ain't seen nothing yet, Pat!

Maybe I was feeling more comfortable as Meg.  Maybe I walked past a paint store and the fumes got me high.  Whatever it was, I was just... comfortable.  I felt I was Meg, not playing Meg.  I know I have a long way to go, but I think it's like that hurdle when you're not translating a language you're learning ~ your brain just understands it.

I didn't care about the woman grinning at me on the way in.  I didn't care about the guy in the jewelry store.  I wasn't playing a part, I was the (female) customer and he could play or not play his part as he saw fit.

Maybe it was the great experience with the woman in the first jewelry store.  Maybe I was high from that.

Whatever it was, I did something I've thought about but never have done.

I was asked the "can I help you?" question in this particular store, and I no matter what I rehearsed, I said "I'm just looking around, thank you."  Even when she'd come back with "just let me know if I can help" or "if you buy two, you get one free" or whatever the follow-up du jour was, I just nodded and said "thank you."

This time, when the saleslady in Victoria's Secret said "can I help you find something?" my brain said "I'm just looking" but my mouth said "I wanted to look at bras, but I'm never sure what size to get."

If she was surprised, she didn't show it.  I hope I didn't show my surprise at asking!

She shrugged and said "I can measure you."  She pulled a tape measure out from somewhere and asked me to raise my arms.  I did so, and before I could even think to move my purse strap, she had taken her two measurements and she told me that they no longer carried my size.  I was a 42B!  Huh?  OK, I know I have little idea as to what I'm doing, but I've been wearing 38C for a while.  It seems to fit well and look right.  I think if I wore a 42B I'd look tiny, bustwise.

She said they started carrying more styles and stopped carrying 40+ bras.  She said I could wear a 38B if I used the loosest band size.  She then proceeded to find all of the 38Bs (there weren't many) and left the each drawer open so I could see what they had.  There were some I liked, and I wondered if the padding would help push up what I had without forcing the forms into public view, but I didn't think I should buy a bra that I was just told wasn't really the right size.

The saleswoman flitted around, showing me what they had and then she... disappeared.  I think another customer came in and she had to greet her, and she figured she did all she could with me.

I did not buy.  But I do want to get a second opinion, and I will, on another day.  If only that lingerie store was open later!

42B?  Really?




3 comments:

  1. You do continue to impress me with your courage and spunk. You really do seem to be getting more and more comfortable getting out and about as Meg and interacting with the civilian population.

    I commend you for your individual achievements and thank you for pressing this form of outreach envelope for the rest of us. Every time one of us gets out and about and has an interaction with a civilian it is a form of education for the rest of society.
    Keep up the good work.
    Pat

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  2. Did she measure you over your clothes? If so it might not be a alid measurement.

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  3. I wonder if it has something to do with the standard bra measurement instructions. They have you measure your rib cage below the breasts and add 4 inches for the band size. Why wouldn't the band size just be the band size? Then you measure around the breasts and subtract the original band size measurement to get the cup size. I always use the actual band size measurement and bras seem to fit me well.

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