Victoria's Secret decides not to jump into the mastectomy bra market

Hmm... and in the "water is wet" category of news... Victoria's Secret responded to the Change.org petition earlier this year that they won't be getting into the business of making bras for mastectomy patients.

[article: Victoria's Secret won't make mastectomy bras because science is hard]

*yawn*

I would laugh at the absurdity but I laughed when I first heard about the petition in all honesty. I must have received at least 20 different requests to sign the petition and I ignored each and every one. It never occurred to me for a moment that Victoria's Secret would swap out their platform of fantasy for the mucky reality of fitting women for bras after they've had breast cancer surgery.

I don't want to seem like a sour puss but come on. Let's be honest here. Have you SEEN a Victoria's Secret model lately? Is there anything about those ladies that reflects what a normal and average woman looks like? The women in my neighborhood are pretty but I promise you, none of us look like we're ready to hit the catwalk in our panties and bra. And that is okay.

Honestly, I'm not even mad at them. In fact, I applaud them for responding so quickly and making it plain that this level of work is beyond their scope. I will be plain... I'm a girly girl (okay... so I hide it sometimes with a tomboy facade)... and as such, I truly love and savor pretty and dainty lingerie. I do! Prior to breast cancer, I would spend a pretty penny on my bras because I had extremely large breasts and I refused to put them in anything less than the most exquisite lace and in the prettiest colors I could find. The challenge for me was that mass market stores like Victoria's Secret (just an example) don't carry larger sizes. I once was angry about that but then I gave up the anger and found what I wanted, elsewhere. What I found was a world of BEAUTIFUL lingerie that Victoria's Secret just didn't have.

My decision to move on was easy. They didn't carry my size. The quality of their product was not quite up to the standard that I wanted for my life. And well... hell, I felt like I deserved the best lingerie possible. It was laying directly on my precious skin. No need to force myself to wear something that wasn't designed for me. That was my mindset then... and it is my mindset now. Victoria's Secret has decided that millions of women who live a full life after breast cancer aren't the demographic they want to reach with their product. Guess what? That's perfectly fine.

After my mastectomy and reconstruction, when I was at a more "normal" (insert sarcastic dry cough here) size... I still refused to shop there. While I embraced shopping at other mainstream stores thanks to my lovely tummy tuck (courtesy of my TRAM Flap reconstruction)... I was very spoiled with the idea of continuing to wear the nicest lingerie I could get my hands on. VS, sorry to say, just didn't measure up for me anymore. Even if I could fit it now. I moved on and took my dollars with me.

So, in January when I learned about the petition for VS to create a line of lingerie for breast cancer patients... I giggled and sighed. I figured one of two things would happen:  they would come out with a line of garishly pink bras, covered in ribbons and then charge an inflated price and promise to give a "portion" of the proceeds to some invisible cancer organization;  or they would stall on a response and just never do it. I am truly surprised that they took the request seriously and responded in a reasonably prompt timeframe. That is very kind and respectful of them. Even if their answer comes down to no.

VS markets in fantasy. Breast cancer is real and sometimes its ugly. People don't want to be honest about that part of the struggle. Ah well. Welcome to my life... and the lives of millions of women. Yet, after we go through the fire of fighting cancer and we emerge as survivors... we are still WOMEN. We still want to look and feel attractive. We still want our partners to look at us and think lusty thoughts. (*raises hand slowly... I know I do) I believe that this petition did do one positive thing... and that is bring it to the public's attention that survivors are women too. We are still women who want to shop and look good in our clothes. Our bodies have changed, and perhaps our spirits are dinged a bit. But we're still women. Can our clothing reflect that as well? Starting with our cute sexy lingerie and going on from there.

As a tall, lanky teenager... I looked at Tyra Banks as my sister-in-my-head. She was tall, like me. She was about my complexion. She had a big forehead like I do. AND she was known around the world as one of the most beautiful women on the planet because she was a Victoria's Secret model. So please believe that I don't take that imagery of sexiness for granted. I still look in the mirror and expect to see Tyra Banks looking back at me. (laughs) I'm honest enough to tell you this.

There is a prime business opportunity here for someone with some design insight and business acuity... and no fear of the science behind our body differences after breast cancer. I hope that person reads this post or some article about this story... and decides to take on this challenge. I'm sure that women all over the world would be excited to see pretty lingerie for those of us who have to keep on living after breast cancer takes so much from us.

Yes please. I'll take a few pieces that make me feel sexy as Tyra Banks or Heidi Klum.

Any day of the doggone week.

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