Bra or bust?
By TAN LEE KUEN INNER SECRET
Lot 213B
Level 2, KLCC
(03)2382 0779
THE assignment fell on my lap, to test out the Inner Secret Bra and its promise of a cup increase and instant cleavage. There are three girls on my desk and I was the chosen one. Brilliant.
The Inner Secret Bra is two adhesive silicone cups that is revolutionising the flat-chested Far East. The bra is highly popular in Hong Kong, where it is manufactured, and in Japan too.
When Florence Chan, the sales and marketing manager of the brand presented the bra to me, I hesitated in touching it. It looked like two slabs of fat, it felt like fat and it is slightly discomforting playing with it in the shop. Cool to the touch, the sticky glue in the inverted side is activated by the warmth of our bodies, causing it to stick to our skin, hence its magical strapless properties. Older strapless cups need to be glued on to the breasts.
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Inner Secret Bra sticks to the skin to increase a woman's natural cup size and give a cleavage. |
Will I look like that, I asked, pointing to a lingerie model. Florence tactfully informs me that my silhouette will improve but the underlining message is: Look, let’s not ask for miracles.
After wearing, wash the cups with a little soap and water and put it back in its box to dry naturally. Florence does not recommend wearing them for strenuous exercises nor for all night dancing. She explains that the film of sweat between the cups and the skin could cause it to come off. If that should happen, simply go the bathroom, wipe off the excess sweat, and stick on the cups again.
The silicone cups are reusable up to 100 times. To improve the stickiness, blow dry it a little with a hair dryer to make the paste sticky again before each use, taking care not to roast it.
“I have worn them to work, for shopping and for formal occasions, and I have had no problems with them,” proclaims Chan, adding that the bra works best with backless or strapless clothing.
Sounds promising.
My first experiment with the bra was with my friends at home. I took a shower and when it came time to stick them on, I was somewhat perplexed.
The idea of it seemed simple enough, but there was now the delicate process of position, balance and affecting a full cleavage. The principle is: to create more cleavage, I should place the cups further apart. After trying on several positions, all I got was a dent. Otherwise, there was an increase in cup size.
I slipped on a thin, white spaghetti top and sauntered out to the living room. If my friends noticed anything, they weren’t saying. A little exasperated, I sat opposite them, hunched over to aid the cleavage and twittered girlishly. They chatter on without losing their cool. But did I detect an undercurrent of surprise?
That was enough for me.
The next day, I wore it to the office. It hadn’t been long, but my breasts felt compressed, like I was wearing a corset. I strutted in front of my editor who gave me the assignment in the first place. When she didn’t comment, I asked her if she noticed anything different about me.
“You cut your hair?” she offered.
“No,” I answered.
And when she gave me a puzzled look, I told her about my artificial implants.
“Oh you’re wearing them? They look natural!” she exclaimed.
Right.
Later, I went grocery shopping and as I was paying, I felt the cashier giving me the once over, stopping briefly on level with my chest. I puffed and shrank at the same time. I was not used to this kind attention and hurried back to my car, feeling the weight of the world’s eyes on my chest.
That weekend, I tested the bra at a dinner with the girls. For the first time I wore a baby blue bandeau I had bought ages ago, matching it with jeans. The girls did not bother to be tactful.
“What have you done with yourself?” one of them asked curiously. “You look different. A funny different.”
When I told them, they squealed with laughter before asking a million questions about the bra. The price of it did set them back. At RM499 a pair, it was not something they would buy on a whim.
With clothes on, the bra looks, feels and bounces like the real thing, and the pressing feeling in the chest almost makes me believe that I have the bosom of a Rubenesque model. Whether anyone really noticed my new bustline or not, I felt I had changed. I felt more sensuous and desirable. That is, until I actually met someone. Then I became self-conscious and furtively looked downwards to see that nothing’s popped out.
Now the little experiment is over, I am grateful to go back to my sloppy camisoles, even though they do little to enhance the bustline. But I’ll be hanging on to the adhesive cups until the next time I need a little boost.
Other ways to cheat nature
Push-up brasPush-up bras make the most of your breasts by gathering it up and forcing it inwards and upwards to effect cleavage and a healthy bosom. The graduated foam padding helps give that lift. Louise Poirier invented the Wonderbra Push Up Plunge Bra in 1963.
Padded bras
Padded bras used to be the mainstay of our wardrobe. These bras with sponge pads are useful in adding girth to the chest but can look artificially robust, especially when there is a two-cup size difference and a lot of air in between.
Inserts
A simpler way to increase bust size is the use of inserts. These insert pads have been popular since the 1930s (when Lana Turner popularised the sweater girl look) and are conveniently slipped in and out of the bra. Formerly made of stiff, then pliant, sponge, inserts now come in silicone pads to give that natural feel. However, beware of insert pads in swimsuits. They float.
Water bra
Instead of using sponge or silicone, these bras have liquid-filled pads so it makes the breasts look and move more naturally. Maidenform’s Liquid Curves bra is especially popular.
Pump up bras
The latest in cleavage enhancement technology, the Ultrabra Airotica by British manufacturer Gossard has a crescent-shaped airbag stitched into each cup, which can be inflated or deflated as you wish. A tiny rubber pump, called the G-pump (G for Gossard) is secured on the two- way valves of the airbags. The manufacturer recommends pumping the airbag to twice its original size for optimal comfort.
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