No support for female athletes

A sports bra, a sports bra, my kingdom for a sports bra!

I’ve been in Dubai now for over 2 years. This is of course 2 years of fairly regular exercising, though I’ve only recently started running again, thanks to the miraculous appearance of a real running track on Russian Beach (those of you who are non-Dubaians might not realize what an incredible thing this is for the municipality to create a non-profit generating thing which encourages bipedal activity, this in a city with no sidewalks). Anyway, this 2 years of athletic activity naturally indicates a time to upgrade various sportswear necessities.

New running sneakers? Check.
A few new comfy, stylish sports trousers? Check.
New sports bra? … ? … ? NEIN.

When I checked all the sporting goods stores (four of them, if memory serves) in Mall of The Emirates and did not find a single sports bra, I was annoyed.

When I checked all the sporting goods stores (another two of them) in Bur Juman and was directed to racks of stretchy spandex shirts, I was beginning to get offended.

When I checked all the sporting goods stores (another three of them) in Festival City and found two stores bereft of anything resembling a sports bra and one Nike store with an unwearably misogynistic range, 80% of which were sold out leaving only 32A and 40C (neither of which would suit my bosom anyway), I was indignant. I was incandescent. I was full of fury at their ignorance of what they are selling. How dare they expect to sell me their overpriced wares when they decorate their walls with motivational action shots of sweaty female athletes and fail to stock the basic necessary items for any form of rigorous exercise.

Argh.

But then when I checked a random sporting goods outlet store in Deira, and reduced the middle-aged, amply-moustached Indian store attendant to hysterical giggles with my explanation of what a sports bra is… well, I guess that was pretty funny.

But still, really, I need a new sports bra.