I have fibromyalgia, arthritis, and a bunch of health issues that can make dressing difficult during flares. It seems I always have to choose between looking nice and feeling comfortable. Finding "not so ugly" comfortable clothing has been a challenge.
The biggest challenge has been finding a bra that is presentable enough for company, but comfortable enough to sleep in. When it's just hubby and me, it's no big deal, but about once a month hubby will have his gaming buddies over and our apartment is small, so if I'm flaring I end up hiding in the bedroom - and I either walk to the bathroom with my arms folded over my chest - or I have to put on a bra to go to the bathroom, then take it off to get back into bed (and during bad flares I can't even get into a bra without hubby's help).
I found a set of two Genie bras at Walmart yesterday for $20.
I LOVE them. Comfortable, easy to get into and out of, and more support than going braless.
I wouldn't recommend them as a dress bra, or even a daily bra if you like wearing tailored blouses (for t-shirts and loose tops I think it's great, though it does temd to make the boobs seem about a size smaller). The bra isn't very supportive (but is more supportive than leisure and sleep bras and about the same as a sports bra), and it does create a bit of uniboob (but not as bad as my current sports bra - and the insertable pads really help).
As I saw recommended on youtube, I ended up buying the size smaller than the box recommended.
But for a flare-day bra, I was quite impressed. It was supportive enough that I even felt comfortable wearing it out on errands today (wearing a loose t-shirt).
It won't replace my other bras, but it definitely beats going braless. To be honest I'm very surprised at the support level (I'm a D cup).
Thanks for the info-I'll have to see if our store has them! Bras are my hardest clothing challenge (I'm a 44 very small B or A--try to find that in any store)
Glad you found something that helps with your situation! Bras are so hard to deal with when there aren't any problems, but I'm finding the back closure ones impossible now that I have arthritis in my fingers.
The real test is going to be putting the bra on immediately after a shower, especially at the gym.
My current sports bra mashes my chest flat but it zips up the front. It's the only bra I can get on immediately after a shower, and it's still a struggle because the staps get twisted.
The Genie bra doesn't seems like it would have that problem (because you put it on like a t-shirt, and it's very, very stretchy).
I'm also anxious to see how they wash up (they're supposed to be machine washable and dryable, and the reviewers who like the bras say they wash well).
If they wash up well, I'll be buying at least one more set and probably (despite what I said before) will wear these for every day. I don't like that I seem to lose a cup size (I'm pear shaped so minimizing the boobs emphasizes my hips a little more than I'd like to), but the physical comfort is so wonderful that the trade-off in symetry seems worth it.
I feel that I look a little better in a traditional bra, but only a little better, and the genie bra definitely looks far, far better than me going braless (which isn't a public option at all). My boobs have no perk at all left in them, so even though I'm a D cup, without a bra you can't tell that I have breasts at all).
I was also wondering about these. Are they easy to get on? I bought a camisole that had to go over the head and it is very very hard to get into. It has support, so is fairly tight. I just thought these bras would be the same. Would love to try them if they are easier to get in and out of.
I was also wondering about these. Are they easy to get on? I bought a camisole that had to go over the head and it is very very hard to get into. It has support, so is fairly tight. I just thought these bras would be the same. Would love to try them if they are easier to get in and out of.
They're very, very easy to get on and off (I still can't believe how easy).
I know the kind of camisole you're talking about, and I can't get into those kind even on a good day.
Some of the infomercials for either the genie or the Ahh bra, suggests "stepping" into them, but with my hips being more than 15" wider than my waist and underbust, I'ld be afraid of the bra stretching out (another thing it's not supposed to do).
Instead, I pull it on like a t-shirt, and it's almost as easy as a t-shirt to get on. You do have to stretch and pull the fabric a little bit, but it's so easy, it's amazing. The fabric stretches like you wouldn't believe.
As a result, it's not super-supportive, but it's more supportive than you would guess.
If your Walmart does carry them, try them on - and don't pay attention to how they look in the mirror until AFTER you put a top on over them.
I almost decided not to get mine because they didn't look any more supportive than my normal sports bra or those flimsy "sleep bras" that you see in catalogs (both of which I absolutely hate).
If you want a bra that lifts you very high (boobs closer to your shoulders than your elbow) and has great seperation, this is NOT the bra for you. Without the pad inserts, it does give you the flattened uniboob common to unstructured sports bras. And you do have to move the pad inserts around a bit so that the shaping is where you want it.
But as for the getting into and out of the bra, it's absolutely amazingly easy.
I'm in a pretty big flare right now (in payback for overdoing it, eating imperfectly and breaking my routine while visiting my family in Illinois for a week and-a-half). I wore the genie bra every day, except when we went to get a family portrait taken (then I wore my underwire - and changed back into the genie bra as soon as I could).
As the visit wore on, so did the consequences of the changes in diet and routine and sleeping in a bed not my own (without my memory foam mattress). Each day I got stiffer and stiffer, and it was the perfect test of the genie bra.
My biggest concern was whether or not I could get into or out of the bra on my stiffest, sorest, most inflexible days - and I had no problems - even when I was too stiff to bend over or to crochet - getting into and out of the bra was still easy.
Another test was the day we went to the zoo in 90 degree whether. Their zoo is very tiny, and took only about an hour to see all the animals (and that's even counting stopping and gawking time), but I was absolutely soaked with sweat when we got home, and we were supposed to be going out to dinner. So I wanted to change clothes AND bras.
Usually when I'm this sweaty, it's a bit difficult to get out of a bra that doesn't have a front closure, and almost impossible to get into one of any kind.
I have two bras (because they come in sets of two), so I got out of the sweaty bra surprisingly easily (just like a t-shirt - except that it does roll up into a sweaty ball that you have to unfurl to wash or air dry).
It was even easier getting into a clean, fresh bra. If I wasn't hooked before, I would have been converted at this point, because I never can get into a bra when my body is even the slightest bit damp from perspiration, swimming, or after a shower.
Getting the bra on after a shower, was a breeze as well.
I love these bras so much that I want to get a few more, and I probably will be wearing them most of the time (except when I want to really dress up). I am a tiny bit disappointed that I can't get the same support and lift as in a decent underwire or a very good soft-cup, but losing half to one cup size is a very good trade for comfort and the ability to get into and out of a bra without playing a weird solo game of vertical twister.
I love, love, love these bras. The only thing I wish, is that they were available in singles at a decent price and in more colors. The online specials require you to buy 6 bras.
The Ahh bras do come in a wider array of colors, but they don't have the inserts (though the genie insert doesn't look any differently than the foam swimsuit pads you can buy at JoAnn Fabric).
Thank you for your candid reply. I am certainly going to look at my WalMart.
I always want to go bra-less like when I was smaller...but it isn't a good look at my weight. This sounds like a perfect answer for around the house/casual.
I've never fallen in love with a bra before, but I like these bras even more the longer I wear them. Which is funny considering how ambivalent I was when I bought them.
They're not the most flattering bra, and in my 20's I probably would have rejected them based on that. They do flatten me a bit (though less than I'd feared, especially with the foam inserts) and I wish they'd bring "the girls" just an eensy bit higher (I'm wondering if shortening the straps will help), but the comfort is just absolutely amazing.
For those with arthritis, fibromyalgia, or any pain, mobility, and flexibility issues, these are just the absolutely most-awesome bra ever (I just want more colors).
I've heard that the Ahh Bra is nearly identical and comes in more colors (but doesn't have the shaping pads). I've tried just slipping the pads in next to the skin (rather than in the pocket) to see if it worked (to simulate what I'd have to do with the Ahh Bra). It does, but the pads don't stay in place perfectly,
I could modify the bras to velcro in pads (because the genie's pads don't look any different than the swimsuit bra cups you can buy at JoAnn Fabrics).
If I had money to invest, I think I'd buy stock in the company, I love the bra that much.
Have you ever tried the Ahh Bra? It's very comfortable and I've been using it for a few months now. Should try it out, you can probably get them at walmart for cheap now a days.
Have you ever tried the Ahh Bra? It's very comfortable and I've been using it for a few months now. Should try it out, you can probably get them at walmart for cheap now a days.
I want to try the Ahh bra too. From the amazon and youtube reviews, alot of reviewers complain that it doesn't come with shaping pads or pockets for them, like the genie - so that is a downside (but you can tuck bra inserts into them, and you can buy bra inserts at fabric and lingerie stores. I've been thinking of buying better pads anyway, because the genie pads aren't as nice as pads I used to have (I started wearing one when I was a teen, because one breast was significantly larger than the other).
I do lik that the genie has t the pads and the pockets to keep the pads securely in place, but I could safety pin pads into the Ahh Bra if I wanted.
What I like about the Ahh Bra is that it comes in a lot more colors than the genie, but I might miss the pockets for the shaping pads. Even though it's more expensive, I think I would buy a single Ahh Bra from amazon before I decide which bra I like better (oh and I've read that the Ahh Bras run about one size larger than the genie - so if you wear a 3X in the genie, you'd wear a 2X in the Ahh Bra.
Some of the comparisons on youtube make it seem like the Ahh Bra is made of a slightly different fabric, and then in others (more recent ones) it looks like they're the same bra, made of the same fabric, in the same factory, just with different labels (apparently only some of the genie bras come with the pocket and pads).
Also what I said earlier about the genie bra not lifting your breasts high enough to look "perky" I'm finding that I can adjust the boob height a lot more than I thought. I'm seriously considering shortening the bra straps (I'll probably use a safety pin until I'm sure it works, and if it does then I'll get out the old sewing machine).
I do like the pads though, because without them there is a significant breast smashing, uniboob efect (may not be as noticeable on smaller breasts).
Just in case anyone goes looking and can't find them in with the lingerie items, ours are at the front of the store next to the registers and books. They had a whole display! But this is the area where most of the 'Sold on TV' items are. So, you might want to look around or ask if you don't find them right away!
I bought them mostly for sleeping and yoga. I ~might~ wear them out of the house on a lazy day, but I'm a DDD, so they don't have as much support as I really need. I've worn them to bed every night since I got them - much better than the shelf-bra camisoles I've been wearing. My boobs stay much more contained in them through the night, and the straps are much more comfortable than the thin cami straps.
I tried the ahh bra and I didn"t like it too much
it created the uniboob and it looked like i was wearing a sports bra
it would probably be ok for yoga and around the house but i wouldnt wear it as an everyday bra
maybe i should try the genie bra with the pads i noticed they are cheaper than the ahh bra also
I tried the ahh bra and I didn"t like it too much
it created the uniboob and it looked like i was wearing a sports bra
it would probably be ok for yoga and around the house but i wouldnt wear it as an everyday bra
maybe i should try the genie bra with the pads i noticed they are cheaper than the ahh bra also
I always wear the pads with my genie bras, though it takes a bit of practice to get the pads oriented in the most flattering position. Without the pads, I agree that there's not enough definition/separation - therefore creating the uniboob.
I'm also thinking that better pads would create an even better look, so I'm considering options. Possibly foam bra-cups for swimming suits and sundresses (sold at fabric stores like JoAnn fabrics) or maybe even silicone or memory foam breast forms or pads (they'd have to be slim enough to fit in the pockets, or would have to stay secure while being comfortable).
The genie bra looks decent with the pads, but even with the pads, I lose about half a cup size, maybe a bit more compared to my other bras that have more structure and support.
My hips are so huge compared to my waist and chest measurements, that I hate to lose even half a cup size, so I was thinking that a little extra padding, or shaping would compensate a bit to create a more proportional look.
I'll have to try the Genie.....I have the Ah bras - they don't have the inserts, which definitely sound like a plus. The Ah bras are easy to get into....as long as you are completely dry. Otherwise, DH has to lend a helping hand! I have been able to "step into" the bra when desparate (ie, DH not at home) but it's a hassle.
The genie bra for fibromyalgia comfort
)
