Having ME can profoundly affect how you present yourself in terms of clothing and such. Some people aren't bothered, some people are very much bothered and hate wearing tatty old pyjamas because they're all that's comfortable. So I thought it'd be nice to have a thread for talking about that and sharing tips. Here are some of mine.
Bravado Body Silk Bras - these are amazing. They are maternity bras that are entirely stretchy, no underwire and none of the equivalent unyielding bits you get in softcup bras. The problems that affect me in terms of wearing bras are skin pain and also finding that conventional bras are too tight around the ribs when I lie down, because your ribcage expands when you are lying down. These come with a kit to transform them into ordinary bras rather than ones with drop-down cups, the neckline is reasonably low so you can wear lower-cut tops again, the support is pretty damned good, and they come in a nice variety of colours, including some good skin tones if you're white. They say they go up to an F cup, but they've left out DD so it's really an E cup. You can wear an F cup with them if you don't mind a bit of bulging out above them, they're still perfectly comfortable. I should really be a 30 back, I think, but I'm fine in the Small size, which is meant to go down to a 32 back. Although when I was trying on bras in Bravissimo, that poor sales woman kept on fetching different one and I always ended up saying ARGGH GET IT OFF ME IT HURTS, so it's a little hard to tell. The stretchiness means they will keep going through a fair bit of weight fluctuation, too. There are other maternity sleep bras out there too, but the Carriwell wasn't anywhere as comfortable. The Fertile Mind Superbra comes in only two sizes, fits a wider range of sizes, and is half the price, but offers less support, has a higher neckline, and the "nude" colour is greyish, more of a "zombie nude".
Tunic tops turn out to be great for hiding a TENS machine if you have one clipped to the waistband of your trousers, and can feel a bit like wearing a dress without the hassle of wearing a dress. I'm an apple shape, long-legged and short-waisted I think, and they suit me nicely, with more cleavage than I've had from my other tops in years! I have some from Nomads clothing, it's nice soft organic cotton. I wish they did short-sleeved versions.
The Chic Fashionista site is good for learning about what works with different body shapes, and generally fun to read. I find that it's really hard to get clothes that fit and suit me, so this saves me some time when I'm staring at photos of models online who look nothing like me and trying to figure out how the clothing they're wearing will look on me.
If you are curvier, I find Curvety is great for eye candy and inspiration. The clothing tends to be pricier and more formal than what I'd wear. And at 4'11 and the healthy/overweight area of the BMI, I'm not anywhere near actual plus sizes. But the models look a lot more like me than the usual ones do, they have Substantial Bosoms for a start, so they help me figure out what shapes and lengths and so forth work. Plus it's really cheering to see gorgeous larger ladies looking confident and sexy, that's far too rare in the modelling industry. The models are a variety of sizes and shapes, and several are women of colour, which is good.
Accessories - I don't often bother with jewellery these days, though I have some nice stuff for when I go out, including pretty things for my hair. I do have a massive scarf collection, which really cheers me up. It only takes a second to fling a scarf on when I'm going out, and I run cold so I need them for most of the year.
Walking sticks - I'll take a proper photo of my walking stick collection some time, but meanwhile, here's a bad one. I think they're all still on sale in the UK if anyone wants links. Having pretty walking sticks is definitely cheering. Some have been enhanced with reflective strips, coloured ferrules, and one has a bike light and two hi-vis sections as well. I'm a bit anxious about not being run over, I cross the road slower than drivers expect, plus the ME affects my vision and I tend to trip over the end of my stick sometimes.
I've blinged up my wheelchair a bit as well, mostly with practical things like bags and spoke reflectors, but I had fun getting blue hockey tape to put on the pushims, which makes them warmer, grippier and more colourful. The bagletts from the Healthy Back Bag (Ameribag) range can made great side bags that don't get in the way of the brakes. You can clip them on and off and also use them as lightweight handbags when they're off, although you have to figure out a way to attach clips to your wheelchair first. A lot of gaffer tape was involved with mine.
I've not worn make-up in years, and frankly find that rather liberating, but it can be fun to play with, and I'm curious to hear other people's tips for keeping it manageable.
I'm also interested in discussing the sociological and feminist aspects of all of this, of course!
Bravado Body Silk Bras - these are amazing. They are maternity bras that are entirely stretchy, no underwire and none of the equivalent unyielding bits you get in softcup bras. The problems that affect me in terms of wearing bras are skin pain and also finding that conventional bras are too tight around the ribs when I lie down, because your ribcage expands when you are lying down. These come with a kit to transform them into ordinary bras rather than ones with drop-down cups, the neckline is reasonably low so you can wear lower-cut tops again, the support is pretty damned good, and they come in a nice variety of colours, including some good skin tones if you're white. They say they go up to an F cup, but they've left out DD so it's really an E cup. You can wear an F cup with them if you don't mind a bit of bulging out above them, they're still perfectly comfortable. I should really be a 30 back, I think, but I'm fine in the Small size, which is meant to go down to a 32 back. Although when I was trying on bras in Bravissimo, that poor sales woman kept on fetching different one and I always ended up saying ARGGH GET IT OFF ME IT HURTS, so it's a little hard to tell. The stretchiness means they will keep going through a fair bit of weight fluctuation, too. There are other maternity sleep bras out there too, but the Carriwell wasn't anywhere as comfortable. The Fertile Mind Superbra comes in only two sizes, fits a wider range of sizes, and is half the price, but offers less support, has a higher neckline, and the "nude" colour is greyish, more of a "zombie nude".
Tunic tops turn out to be great for hiding a TENS machine if you have one clipped to the waistband of your trousers, and can feel a bit like wearing a dress without the hassle of wearing a dress. I'm an apple shape, long-legged and short-waisted I think, and they suit me nicely, with more cleavage than I've had from my other tops in years! I have some from Nomads clothing, it's nice soft organic cotton. I wish they did short-sleeved versions.
The Chic Fashionista site is good for learning about what works with different body shapes, and generally fun to read. I find that it's really hard to get clothes that fit and suit me, so this saves me some time when I'm staring at photos of models online who look nothing like me and trying to figure out how the clothing they're wearing will look on me.
If you are curvier, I find Curvety is great for eye candy and inspiration. The clothing tends to be pricier and more formal than what I'd wear. And at 4'11 and the healthy/overweight area of the BMI, I'm not anywhere near actual plus sizes. But the models look a lot more like me than the usual ones do, they have Substantial Bosoms for a start, so they help me figure out what shapes and lengths and so forth work. Plus it's really cheering to see gorgeous larger ladies looking confident and sexy, that's far too rare in the modelling industry. The models are a variety of sizes and shapes, and several are women of colour, which is good.
Accessories - I don't often bother with jewellery these days, though I have some nice stuff for when I go out, including pretty things for my hair. I do have a massive scarf collection, which really cheers me up. It only takes a second to fling a scarf on when I'm going out, and I run cold so I need them for most of the year.
Walking sticks - I'll take a proper photo of my walking stick collection some time, but meanwhile, here's a bad one. I think they're all still on sale in the UK if anyone wants links. Having pretty walking sticks is definitely cheering. Some have been enhanced with reflective strips, coloured ferrules, and one has a bike light and two hi-vis sections as well. I'm a bit anxious about not being run over, I cross the road slower than drivers expect, plus the ME affects my vision and I tend to trip over the end of my stick sometimes.
I've blinged up my wheelchair a bit as well, mostly with practical things like bags and spoke reflectors, but I had fun getting blue hockey tape to put on the pushims, which makes them warmer, grippier and more colourful. The bagletts from the Healthy Back Bag (Ameribag) range can made great side bags that don't get in the way of the brakes. You can clip them on and off and also use them as lightweight handbags when they're off, although you have to figure out a way to attach clips to your wheelchair first. A lot of gaffer tape was involved with mine.
I've not worn make-up in years, and frankly find that rather liberating, but it can be fun to play with, and I'm curious to hear other people's tips for keeping it manageable.
I'm also interested in discussing the sociological and feminist aspects of all of this, of course!