Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic…

I must admit, bra shopping, for me, is nothing short of a mission. Countless times I have put it off and put it off until I am forced, out of pure desperation, on to the High Street to hunt down a bra which does not resemble a stained, chewed-up, hole-filled rag.

The problem is, when I do finally make it to the shops, the task itself is just too much for my resolve to take. What colour? What shape? And dear lord, what size?! How can one shop advise me that I should be wearing a 34D when another concludes that I am, without a doubt, a 26HH? (Here’s looking at you, Bravissimo). It’s enough to send me racing back home to hide under the duvet and clutch my stained, chewed-up, hole-filled rag bra to my chest in despair.

So when I was invited along to the Triumph event in my local Jenners to get measured, drink champagne and find out everything there is to know about their new Magic Wire bra, I jumped at the chance. (Figuratively, of course, as this old bra doesn’t support quite like it used to.)

When I arrived, I was immediately taken for a fitting with a lovely assistant who told me all about the importance of wearing a proper-fitting bra while laughing (or at least pretending to) at my hellish lingerie-purchasing anecdotes.

The bra is designed with comfort and support in mind, has no wire (which saves any awful stray wires digging ceaselessly into your armpits) and has been created to feel like a second skin. And, as luck would have it, it succeeds marvelously in ticking all of these boxes.

Normally, any mention of ‘no underwire’ would send me running for the hills for fear of looking like an 87-year-old undertaking a severe crash diet, but the Magic Wire bra held everything in place perfectly. The secret, or indeed the ‘magic’, lies in an invisible integrated silicone wire which, when molded inside the cups, provides the support of a normal wired bra.

The bra comes in many different colours and patterns and, as it is currently retailing at £36, I will definitely be purchasing another one soon! Or perhaps two…

The Magic Wire bra was designed after Triumph research discovered that a bra digging in was one of women’s top daily niggles and the lingerie company set out to remedy this.

Triumph has also launched a new #Nigglefix campaign, a platform to enable women to share those things that frustrate them on a day-to-day basis and share any top tips on combatting them. The campaign focuses on empowering women to come together and collectively help each other find fixes for their niggles.

Join the conversation: @TriumphUK #nigglefix

Aborting Integrity – Reproductive Rights in Latin America

The Spanish government of Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, under pressure from the Catholic Church, is set to pass a controversial bill to end women’s right to opt freely for an abortion. Ahead of the rapidly approaching vote, which will take place this month, Alicia Simpson looks at the draconian laws of the Hispanic regions on the other side of the Atlantic.

Credit: http://www.demotix.com

Through the winding side-streets of downtown Santiago they march, their faces set in steely determination, their placards – spattered with crimson messages of Saquen sus rosarios de nuestros ovaries (Take your rosaries out of our ovaries) and Mi cuerpo es mío, yo decido (My body is mine, I decide) –  are held high, contrasting the golden, grandiose architecture of the capital city.

On and on the 5000 protestors twist, like a driven python pursuing its prey. A sea of red and white – the colours of the Chilean flag – men and women, of all ages, hold hands in solidarity as they fill the sky with their battle cries. Some female protesters parade with their breasts exposed; others carry banners with babies on a background of blood. Their message is clear: they want safe and legal abortion and they want it now.

The Problem With Being An Independent Woman In The 21st Century Is…

…Quite simply put: it cannot be done. Or so I have recently (and regrettably) been forced to conclude. As I type this, sitting here in my boyfriend’s flat which not-so-long ago became my home, I cannot help but feel nostalgic. What I must accept (though admittedly I am struggling) is that my previous flat – with its two completely mismatched couches, heroin-addicted neighbours and claustrophobia-provoking bathroom – is no longer mine. Due to mainly financial reasons, I have been obliged to let it go.

Evidently, the truth of the matter is that it is not the junkie couple who lived below whose company I shall be sad to lose. (Nor will I miss my ground-floor neighbour who sat, day in day out, fully naked, with his curtains wide open.) It seems the real problem is then, that this flat had become a symbol of my independence. A statement, if you will, that I am an individual, liberated woman who can do as I damn well please!… Or not.