Glad to be back and wondering

[Justagirl💃]

Education.

Even very educated people can be traditionalist, hateful, and exclusionary. Education is surely a gateway to enlightenment, but I have not seen it as a singular force for accepting humanity in its many shapes and forms. I'm not trying to be contrary, I think education is spectacularly important in all aspects of life.

If I asked you about the connection between the Chaldean peoples and the current conflict in Syria, do you think you could answer that?

Serious question, not a 'gotya" approach.

I ask that because you might be able to quickly answer, research or just say nope.

then if I asked if you could answer me how the Chaldeans and the current conflict in Ukraine are connected you might think I am way out there.

Regardless, I state education because much of education is based on teaching values and opinion to the young to keep the current society going.

The number of videos that I have watched of young kids having a time with young animals (innocents know innocence) thing is a play that most do not grasp outside the 'awww" "Time Line Cleanse" moment.

But most do not realize that interactions with things are absorbed by children instantly and they learn your behaviors.
So much of what the 'struggle' is at this time is taught.  Ergo: Education.

How many times have you seen the meme where mom is embarrassed when their kid in the shopping cart yells out..."get of the way you F* A*-hole!"

That is education!

Education begins at home, and no state education program is able to replace the first required part. 

[HeldUp]

Without a churlish response, the answer of "education" was open to wide interpretation. The clarification goes to state that any human interaction is education. Many would not directly correlate simple interactions being education with a capital E, though it is fair and logical to assume any type of learning is an education of a sort (school of hard knocks vs ivy league diploma, et cetera). I do, however, believe we're on the same page--regardless of the casual quiz on anthropomorphic origins of certain Mesopotamian societies (no, my background is not one of human history of Middle Eastern cultures, however...I've heard of them)--there's more to education than persons, places, and things to an end where we can a) foster critical thought and interrogation of our received beliefs b) remove the stigma of "otherness" and c) just get along without feeling the need to assert our received beliefs as the cost of entry.

There is of course the old "you can lead a horse to water" idiom; how many have eschewed what they've "been taught" to act in a contradicting manner?

In the interest of continuing the discourse of the original post, as to "where this estrogen path has lead me", it's lead me to a lingerie boutique to learn about other styles, fits, and do so without the cost of shipping and handling. Something even two weeks ago I struggled with mentally, but it ended up being a pretty pleasant experience.

[Justagirl💃]

In the interest of continuing the discourse of the original post, as to "where this estrogen path has lead me", it's lead me to a lingerie boutique to learn about other styles, fits, and do so without the cost of shipping and handling. Something even two weeks ago I struggled with mentally, but it ended up being a pretty pleasant experience.

That's great! 
Lingerie boutiques are there to sell products to a select market, and that market is "anyone" that has a need for the products. 
So glad you had a pleasant experience and the girls were able to help you. 

[Johndoe1]

In the interest of continuing the discourse of the original post, as to "where this estrogen path has lead me", it's lead me to a lingerie boutique to learn about other styles, fits, and do so without the cost of shipping and handling. Something even two weeks ago I struggled with mentally, but it ended up being a pretty pleasant experience.

For me, the benefit of a fitter I trust, is I can try different styles and sizes and see what works. I also value the opinion and suggestions. A good fitter will take the time and explain why something works and why something doesn't work and help you find the look or support you want.

A big thing for me is side support. I get tired of my arms running into my bust all the time. A byproduct of side support is the tissue is redistributed on the chest. And that can mean more projection or more cleavage or both leading to a more feminine appearance in the chest. At my size, it's a toss up so appearance wins that. Sometimes it's projection, sometimes it's cleavage. These are very familiar problems with fitters. Their suggestions are invaluable. 

And with a good fitter, there's no judgements. You are just another client. Just another set of boobs they are trying to make look and feel their best. And yes, they will touch you as they adjust not only the bra but your breasts looking for that look and feel you want. For me, it's worth it. 

[Sophie]

John,

You are soooooo correct!!! I have two boutiques that I still are very loyal to. I also wear bras from Torrid because I really like their 360 smooth push up bras.

I actually schedule my fittings so I can have Emily do my fitting at Zoë and Company Bra Fitters or Amanda at Intimates @ MB. They have been doing my bra fittings for years. They were always so respectful and kind and very knowledgeable about their inventory. 

I started out bra shopping with both boutiques when I was still pretending to be a man. They just saw me as a person who needed a bra for their breasts. They also took it a step further. They taught me that I should do more to celebrate what I had been given and that I needed more than just the right SIZE bra, I needed the right SHAPE too!

I was with Emily at Zoë's for a fitting once and I still have this bra. Anyways, she brought in a Pour Moi bra in purple. It's an unlined underwire with lace cups. She asked me to give it a try. I put it on and the she came back in to check the fit. She asked if it was ok that she touched me to make some adjustments.  I said sure. She tugged at the band and adjusted my straps. She came around to the front and reached into my cups and scooped my girls and put them in the cups where they belonged. She said OMG, she said you have dense tissue. As a man, she thought that they would be fatty.

A good fitter is worth her weight in gold. Im fortunate that I have a couple of great fitters who work at boutiques that I was and still very comfortable purchasing my bras and other intimates.

❤️ Sophie ❤️ 

[Johndoe1]

Sophie, you are so right! I remember the first time my fitter "adjusted me." She kept looking and looking and finally said, "Something is not right. May I?" I said sure. She grabbed both straps and yanked up and all of a sudden even I felt everything fall into place and all with the world was right. I told her, I don't know what you just did, but you got to teach me how to do that! She laughed. That one move told me so much.

[HeldUp]

My experience wasn't as interactive. I don't thing she worked with many men and was a bit tentative, but she did check fit and gave her opinion when asked. There weren't any "chiropractic" or other such "eureka" moments, but it was professional and helpful. I think my size was an issue vs their inventory a slight bit, but I did find something that fit that was wildly outside what I've sized before. I walked out with a well-fitting 36D unlined Chantelle Norah Comfort, which boggles my mind--I don't think I'd fit (and fill) a 36D in anything else. The best fit I've found otherwise, even with the same brand, is 36B. As soon as I told my wife (she wears 36D) she exclaimed, "don't wear my bras!" There's no chance of that, I couldn't half fill any bra she has.

[JoniDee]

John,

I actually schedule my fittings so I can have Emily do my fitting at Zoë and Company Bra Fitters or Amanda at Intimates @ MB. They have been doing my bra fittings for years. They were always so respectful and kind and very knowledgeable about their inventory.

I started out bra shopping with both boutiques when I was still pretending to be a man. They just saw me as a person who needed a bra for their breasts. They also took it a step further. They taught me that I should do more to celebrate what I had been given and that I needed more than just the right SIZE bra, I needed the right SHAPE too!

I was with Emily at Zoë's for a fitting once and I still have this bra. Anyways, she brought in a Pour Moi bra in purple. It's an unlined underwire with lace cups. She asked me to give it a try. I put it on and the she came back in to check the fit. She asked if it was ok that she touched me to make some adjustments.  I said sure. She tugged at the band and adjusted my straps. She came around to the front and reached into my cups and scooped my girls and put them in the cups where they belonged. She said OMG, she said you have dense tissue. As a man, she thought that they would be fatty.

A good fitter is worth her weight in gold. Im fortunate that I have a couple of great fitters who work at boutiques that I was and still very comfortable purchasing my bras and other intimates.

❤️ Sophie ❤️

Sophie,
If I were still living in Rhode Island, I would definitely book a fitting with Zoe and Company.❤️ Unfortunately, where I live doesn't have any bra boutiques; and I knew more about bras than the fitter at Dillard's bra department. So, I experimented and found Elomi Charley Lace Plunge bras worked best for me; but it's only recently that I learned I haven't been tightening my straps enough. Now my girls fill the 36D cups much better!

❤️ Joni