My (Vanity) Fair Ladies

I've never treated myself to a decent, good-quality bra. Like, ever. I guess I've never been overly proud of "the girls" and figured they didn't deserve the extravagance. I've posted about this before: how my best bras have literally been hand-me-downs from my sister (and I'm talking during adulthood, when she took pity on my sad, raggedy boulder-holders and tossed me a couple of her old ones).

Not long ago, I was standing in my kitchen with one finger down the front of my shirt, trying (unsuccessfully) to buffer my poor boob against this - the exposed underwire of my crappy, grubby old bra:

It had literally rubbed a raw spot, y'all. I had a boob scab. And did I mention it was the second time it had happened? The underwire had poked through on the other side first, where I had done a shoddy job of sewing it back in. I was debating whether to try it again when, lo and behold, the doorbell rang. And, in a dazzling demonstration of irony, it was a package containing a bra.

A nice bra.

A quality bra.

A Vanity Fair® bra.

Even I, an admitted lingerie novice, know that Vanity Fair® has been around for a looooong time. For the past century, they've been supplying women with supportive, comfortable, pretty underthings. Fashions may have changed since Vanity Fair®'s inception in 1919 (uh, thank goodness), but their mission has remained the same: to seamlessly combine style and comfort so that women can look and feel confident in their clothing. Sleek fabrics, clean lines, and a selection of both trendy and traditional colors mean that whatever look you're rocking, there's a Vanity Fair® bra that's just right.

I have to admit that my heart sank a little when I realized that my new Vanity Fair® bra - a Beautifully Smooth Next to Nude Underwire - had no padding. I've been a die-hard padded bra wearer since ... well, forever. Not being exceptionally blessed when it comes to cleavage, it has been my lifelong inclination to try and create some. My first thought was, "Oh my gosh. This is going to be a disaster. I have to write about a bra that my boobs look terrible in."

But then? I dutifully put on the bra just to try it out. And my world changed. It's comfy - like, I-don't-even-need-to-take-this-bra-off-the-second-I-step-in-my-house comfy. I could sleep in it. (!!) And it's lightweight. And it's supportive: even without padding, my girls are where they're supposed to be. And the straps don't slide down ... and they don't dig into my shoulders ... and it looks invisible under my clothes ... and it's just all-around awesome. Ahhhhhhh.

So now, I'm not only a huge fan of Vanity Fair® bras, but I'm a huge fan of the company in general - because they are longtime advocates of empowering women (woot!). The more I learn about them, the more I love them. Their new "Women Who Do" campaign celebrates all of us: women who are running families and homes and businesses and organizations and countries. The campaign reminds us how much we, as women, have in common - and should, like Vanity Fair® bras, be uplifting and supportive. Vanity Fair® also partners with Dress for Success, an organization that provides professional attire and career development tools to economically disadvantaged women - because under every great business outfit should be great lingerie.

What's more, Vanity Fair® kicked off its LiftTOUR this past July: a nationwide bus tour with a focus on fit and philanthropy. It's going to conduct bra fittings at seventy major retail locations across the country - and for every single fitting, Vanity Fair® is donating a brand-new bra to the local Dress for Success Affiliate. It's uplifting on, like, so many levels.

Vanity Fair®'s commitment to women is definitely inspiring. Who inspires you? Let me know in the comments for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!




Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 9/8 -10/19/2014.
Be sure to visit the Vanity Fair brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!