About two years ago, I confronted one of the big questions of my life: why, when I loathe, detest, indeed despise, wearing bras, do I continue to spend stupid amounts of money trying to find one that fits right, that feels comfortable, that looks just right? Why am I wearing this boob-cage that is invariably the first thing that comes off when I get home (often even before the shirt I’m wearing)?
I had always just accepted that bras were a necessary part of life, having had my mother tell me repeatedly that if I didn’t wear them, my boobs would sag, and… Wait, no, that was pretty much the main reason. There was the insistence that if I wasn’t wearing a bra, I was not completely dressed, and therefore somehow indecent, but ultimately, the reason for wearing a bra was the same — boob saggage.
So I got to thinking, and then, after asking myself this all important question, I got to reading. The more I read, the less there seemed to be any kind of information supporting the idea that wearing a bra would prevent one’s breasts from sagging, or indeed have any kind of benefit. Almost everything I read said the main causes of that were weight loss, pregnancy and breast feeding, and since I’m pretty fit and healthy, and my partner and I are not planning on having kids, neither of those causes seemed too concerning. So, after some deliberation, I took the plunge (ha…) and ditched the boulder holders.
“But what about running?” I hear people cry, “Doesn’t it hurt? What about them wobbling, and the nipple factor, and white shirts, and and and…”
There were adjustments to be made, certainly. And the girls ached for about, oh, two weeks. And after that… nothing. No pain, no aching, in fact, I was more comfortable than I ever had been. It made sense — my pectorals were not being worked to hold up the weight of my breasts while I was wearing a bra, and suddenly they had to hold up these considerable lumps all day (full disclosure: I’m a 14D (AU)/36D (US)/36DD (UK), so I’m not particularly small).
What do I do with all my old bras?
I'm going to need a new wardrobe and I'm sure I'll be dropping off a lot of stuff at charity shops. But... can I do... Read more
The natural movement of my breasts was definitely something to get used to, and mostly it just came with time and confidence. Ditto with the potential of nipple protrusion, but I have both my nipples pierced, so that was something to get over quick — even when it’s not cold, I still show some, ahem, perkiness.
I still have a couple of bras for the odd transparent shirts, or special occasions (like my wedding, which I actually had to go and buy a bra specifically for), but in general I don’t really wear anything light coloured or awkwardly see through.
On the whole, I am so much happier two years on from ditching the bra. I get the occasional odd look, and friends do ask a bit about how I’m getting on, but I can honestly say going bra-less has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for my personal comfort.
I was completely bra-free for a few years. I loved the feeling. However, for the past 5 or so years, I’ve really struggled with fashion and style, and last year, when I was starting to feel horrible about my looks, I decided that I wanted to start wearing a bra again. When I was feeling so awful about how I looked, I found it helpful to have a slightly more socially conforming shape. (Pert, round boobs). It made me feel better about how I looked (sometimes) so I got some underwire free bras. I wear bras most days right now, although I’m not wedded to it, and I ONLY wear underwire free bras, which are often challenging to find in a 34D. Most stores sell at most 1 wire-free bra that big (and if I go up 1 more cup size when I have kids someday, I have no idea where I’ll find them.)
Thanks for reminding me what I liked about being bra free though.
I am a 38DDD(US) and my boobs are not perky. I can only imagine how much much further south they’re going to travel after I have a couple of kids and breastfeed them. I’m pretty sure I’ll never go without a bra in public, just from an aesthetic standpoint. However, I also hate having my boobs touch my torso…hate it. Boobsweat..ick. I pretty much exclusively wear Lane Bryant bras. I have two styles I really like that don’t give me dreaded “cone-boob”, and they very often have buy one get one free sales that make it worth the price-tag.
42DDD here, and I second the Lane Bryant (Cacique) sentiment. Their T-Shirt bra defies gravity. They also do free fittings. Today I’m wearing a tank with a shelf bra, under a button down shirt. My look varies from shelf bra comfort to TITS FOR DAYS, depending on my mood and outfit.
You both have given me much needed info. i can honestly say my boobs are a love hate relationship. They are big and as far as the size i’ve gone through C’s to E’s i’m tired of trying to find a bra that lifts and doesn’t give me boobie sweat and can make them at least seem like they are somewhat perky. Most bras for “bigger sizes are cloth cone boob back to the 80’s oh god why me styles. They never give me any confidence. Otherwise i feel like i’d have to go online and spend 50 bucks for something that “might” fit. oh if i go to Lane Bryant and find a good one you both deserve awards.lol 🙂
I’m a UK 32DD, so within the average part of the spectrum, and I have never, ever felt comfortable without a bra on. There are a few things that could be contributing to that (fairly unchangable things), but the result is the same. I really detest the feeling of not having a bra on, though I love my tits (the look is fine, it’s just the sensation). I would never want to be shamed for feeling that way, and I would get massively pissed off with anyone who tried to do so.
So equally, telling women who feel the opposite that they are wrong and making up spurious reasons for it being ok to tell them what to put on their bodies is totally unacceptable too. I wouldn’t tell someone how much bra and what kind they should wear any more than I’d tell them what kind of menstrual protection they should use. It’s ridiculous.
Rant over.
I want to say that, speaking as a bra-lover, women who prefer to go bra-free have my full support, but, y’know. Sometimes jokes just write themselves.
Absolutely, that was one of my biggest things when I made the choice to stop wearing bras, was I didn’t want someone else to dictate how I lived and how I treated my body. I think we are honestly so lucky that we have that freedom of choice. 🙂
Question – how does this relate to your work world? Are you self employed? If not, how on earth did you find an employer that lets you go braless? Or do you wear something a little more snug for work?
I’m a manager of a Lush store, so everyone’s pretty free and easy, and we wear black as our uniform (anything we want, basically, as long as it’s black) so there hasn’t really been any issue, which is really nice. I usually just wear tshirts or dresses, and I honestly don’t put too much thought into it. I think, in Australia, any employer would be pretty hard pressed legally to be able to tell us what we had to wear insofar as undergarments, as it would fall under our harassment and discrimination laws.
Ah see, I think in the US they would tell you to wear a bra because it could “cause a problem” if you didn’t.
This has happened to people I know. This is a real concern in the U.S.
But legally they can’t, right? I’ve been bra-free for years and work for a large corporation with a casual dress code in an office 9-5. But I have an A cup. 7 days a week I wear a stretchy tank top. Under every single thing I wear, except for one dress with a support top built in. You can’t tell I don’t wear bras, but I see women who obviously don’t wear bras at work and I’m pretty sure you can’t ask them to wear bras.
My friend who is in her 50s has never worn a bra and how she gets away with it at her job here in good old Pennsylvania is she puts cloth bandaid over her nipples. Because those are the “distracting” part according to her boss.
I LOVE LUSH!!! I am so jealous of your job!
Also, in Australia, I think most people wouldn’t even notice if you were wearing a bra or not.
I clearly need to move to Australia. I wonder if the market for letterpress printers has already been saturated there…
Just wanted to high-five you for being connected to Lush. 😀
So, I know you spoke about this but didn’t really cover it, how do you run/exercise or are you not really the exercising type? Are you just used to the movement even when exercising? I wear an AU 12E and I’m pretty sure I’d give myself a black eye if I ran unconstrained. And I know I’d get major chaff and sweat rash, but I do live in the tropics so I know not evryone has that issue.
I think full on running can definitely be tricky, but I have some cardio issues, so I don’t run for fitness. When I do run, it’s usually in short bursts, like sprinting to the bus stop, and at this point now, I don’t think it really even occurs to me. Sometimes, depending on what I’m wearing, I’ll think, holy crap the girls are making a break for it, but it doesn’t really bother me personally. The trick when I began was really focussing on pectoral strength, and I was training for roller derby a lot at the time. Push ups, face down planks and such were really helpful for building up that strength, and I honestly think it made the going much smoother for me. I now roller skate for fun, which is a much less jarring motion than running, and I do aerial silks, which I wear a crop top for. And Canberra is super dry too, so I find I actually sweat less than when I lived in Sydney/Central Coast. 🙂
I could probably go braless in Canberra but Nth QLD is just to sticky! Thanks
I did some machine rowing this morning and didn’t bother with a bra, it didn’t cause me any issues.
I imagine it’s exercise with a distinct up-down motion that could be more problematic.
I remember reading that going without can cause tissue damage, but I don’t recall any real science to back it up.
Personally I like a good fitting bra. It wasn’t until I stopped using the +4 method that I found any.
I also like going bra-less. It depends on the day, the activity and the occasion. Though I go braless a lot more since my daughter was born because while I don’t breastfeed I went up a cup and band size so most of my bras don’t fit anymore.
For bra-less professionals I’ve heard that layering a thick tank top or a vest can work well to keep everything “acceptable.”
Sounds exactly like something someone with financial interest would make up — like bra manufacturers? I’ve heard the opposite actually — that wearing a bra can cause tissue damage (because it’s constricting the normal shape of the body, putting pressure where it’s not supposed to be.) I’m always suspicious of anything that says, “evolution/nature/God made a mistake, buy our product to make it right!” A lot of people have made a lot of money by convincing people that the human body is inherently flawed.
i’m a 36DD and would NEVER go without a bra outside the house – even to water daisies. I really wouldn’t like to see other people out and about without theirs. To me it’s like manners. We already have people wearing pajamas to buy groceries. This is too far in my book. No offense to the author. I just feel like people wearing pj’s to work is a sign that the person considers their own comfort superior to etiquette. Just imagine – in the 50s’ no one would go downtown without a dress gloves and a hat. This is too much. Sorry to be not on board with the concept.
“Just imagine – in the 50s’ no one would go downtown without a dress gloves and a hat.”
I think is the point really. Society changes – including ideas about acceptable clothing!
Women’s clothing has traditionally been designed (primarily) by men, and has often been very constrictive. At one time, it would have been very shocking for women not to wear a corset, or not to wear a long, unwieldy skirt. As we gain more freedoms, and have less shame about our bodies, women’s clothing has become less restrictive. I see giving women more choice about their own comfort as regards underwear as part of this general change.
If you like bras – that’s great! Me too, in fact. But I think the thread so far has shown that there are a lot of false messages around bras – e.g. that we *have to* wear them for our health, or to look “right” or whatever. I think it’s good that we are questioning those messages here.
It is interesting that you equate not wearing a bra to wearing pajamas. How are they the same?
I’m generally in favour of retro formality. I belong to a profession where the men still wear tailcoats, and they are considering relaxing that requirement at our workplace. I just finished writing a vehement email opposing that.
But explain to me again why not wearing a bra is disrespectful to other people at a grocery store?
Because your comfort trumps your appearance in public.
There is no sound reason to wear a bra, it actually evolved as a way for women to stop wearing corsets it was less shocking than them going completely free, but was still frowned on for some time until society wised up. Many overweight men walk around with boobs bigger than mine, but no one thinks that their appearance is inappropriate. The only reason people think women should wear a bra is because our breasts have been over-sexualized. I can dress very smart without a bra and very slovenly with one on. I find bras uncomfortable, why should your opinion be more important than my comfort in my body?
I find it hard to accept the idea that breasts without bras equate to bad manners.
I love shopping in pajamas. Sometimes I even wear them to restaurants. They’re not cartoon pants and oversized T-shirts, but so what if they were? They’re yoga pants and long, layered tanks, but frankly, what I wear has nothing to do with manners. What I DO does. I don’t run over people with my shopping cart. I don’t stand in the middle of the aisle. You get into really dangerous territory when you equate clothing and modesty with other people’s comfort level. How I cover my body is no one’s business but my own.
My own comfort *is* superior to etiquette. As is my health and mental well-being. And bras, for me, interfere with that. So etiquette shmetiquette. “Etiquette” is just what a certain segment of society has decided they like, and that’s fine, but it’s high arrogance to imply that it’s somehow intrinsically and universally correct, or that someone is not a good person (i.e. immoral) for doing something their own way. Personally, I regard that arrogance and judgment as the *opposite* of good manners.
I haven’t worn a bra since I was 12 years old. My aunt, who I lived with, HATED it. She’d go out and buy these expensive $75 bras that I never used, or if I did, I’d spend the entire time reaching up my shirt and pulling it away from me. One time it got so bad I cut the band so it wouldn’t be so tight. It ended up being like I was wearing a cutoff tee and it still bothered me. I just can’t stand anything touching the area under my boobs, ever. Especially if it’s constricting like bras are. And don’t even get me started on restrictive things touching my back, or being too close to my armpit. I can’t wear those tank tops with the built in bras, I can’t wear underbust corsets, I can’t wear tight tees, or anything that touches that area. I don’t have any sagging, either. I just wear a t shirt, or wear an extra layer under my clothes if I’m wearing something other than my normal t shirt/jeans combo. Really, my boobs are so small(34AA) it’s just not worth the hassle.
I’m a 36D US and I definitely can’t go without a bra during the day, it kills. When I was in college I was insanely skinny and my boobs were tiny and I could go without a bra, easily…but once I started to gain weight again…let’s just say that I went from a 34B to a 36D in 2 years. I’ve since lost 30 lbs from my heaviest and they’re still a 36D and I have found the best bra for me. I buy the BodyByVictoria Push-Up bras…and man, as soon as I put it on–I’m like, “Now THAT…that is sexy.” The material is really soft and I don’t fall out the top if I lean over and they have great support. Totally worth the money and they come in all sorts of faboosh colors. A tip for those of you whose bras are getting stretched out…buy one or two new ones and never wear the same one for more than one day in a row…it gives the elastic time to shrink back up and they’ll last a lot longer. I have about 15 VS bras and I love them all…biggest investment in clothes, hands down. All in all, go for what makes you feel comfy and sexy for yourself. 🙂
I’ve had a long history of bra hate involving lots of terrible comments from my mom and years and years of not wanting to accept being a girl and all the stuff that came with it. I have no idea where it came from, but the thought of giving in to wearing a bra (and all of the other things that start to happen to you at puberty) always felt like I was giving in to admitting that I was in fact a girl. I can’t really explain it. So this lead to many years of many jackets and sweatshirts.
I’ve finally mostly gotten over my distaste for admitting that I do in fact think purses can be nifty and I can even kinda get into shoes and clothes. I still hate bras. A lot of that now comes down to really weird size and inability to find anything that fits. I am a big girl with very small boobs (44a…which dosen’t exsist so I normally go 44b). There are solutions for big girls with big boobs but none for me. Every so often I decide to try and order a bunch more and get fed up when none of them fit right. Ideally, I need 44a but those just don’t exist. Right now I have 1 that I wear everyday, shed it as soon as I get home and wash every Saturday. The only reason it is acceptable is that it’s old as shit and stretched out and marginally comfortable. I’ve tried undershirts, but can’t find any that are long enough and still have the shelf bra. I’ve tried going without, but my brain has morphed from ‘no bra ever’ to ‘I can’t be out in public like this’. I’ve tried so many differnt stores and brands and it’s either band fits and won’t drive me up a wall, but it looks like i am smuggling water balloons or cups fit but all circulation is being cut off just under my boobs and you get those angry red marks around your chest. End of venting 🙂
This is me. Totally. I’ve settled for tanks. Get the maternity ones. Gap has shelf bra maternity ones. I actually cut the bands in several places to make them fit. And the Liz Lang Maternity ones from Target are super long and don’t have bands around the chest so they fit great. I wear them daily.
I am female-bodied genderqueer, and I can NEVER find bras that are comfortable. I actually only wear sports bras now, and even then, if they have an underwire, within a few weeks the underwire is stabbing me and has to be removed. I have one C cup breast and one D cup breast. I fluctuate between a 38 and 40 band size. I always have the red marks, and I always feel weird going out without a bra, but my guy loves it. It’s something that he enjoys, knowing that I’m “Freeballing” while we’re at the store, etc. He’s funny like that.
But if you don’t want to “show” your boobs, they have binders for that, to minimize the breast.
I have a few bras and wear them when needed for my outfits. The aren’t particularly uncomfortable and I don’t hate them at all. I have nothing against bras.
Still, I don’t wear them every day. I’m not wearing a bra today, for example. Why not? Because I’m just wearing a t-shirt and I don’t wear one if I don’t need one.
Love me some Bralettes – just enough to keep from bonus nip’ under the shirts, but not so much that you’re being choked by the boobage that is attempting to crawl up your throat and smother you. I’ve always had what I’ve affectionately dubbed pancakeboobs, and a teeny bit of support goes a long way – plus my skin is super fragile and if I let everything go I would truly have some interesting shoulderboulders and stretchmarks to boot (i’m a 36C).
Also Men’s Tanks/Camis? Yes please!
This is awesome, props to you. I love going braless in the evenings at home.
For women who find bras uncomfortable, it’s often because you are wearing the wrong size. Seriously, even if you think it’s right, it might not be. I thought mine was perfect and then I remeasured using this guide: http://bustyresources.wikia.com/wiki/How-to_determine_bra_size and it changed everything. Completely different size, whole new level of comfort. A lot of lingerie stores, particularly in the UK, will measure completely wrong. Read the link, and the Reddit post it links to, and check your size yourself. It might just change the way you think about your boobs!
Or just don’t wear one. That works too 😀
I’ve started a major undertaking getting my FULL back tattoo finished. Ink now rests on my skin from shoulders to low hips, and as more work is completed I am restricted to sleeping on my face and going without any kind of bra. I don’t even wear a shirt around the house if I can help it, and I frequently maneuver my clothing in public to let the freshly inked areas get some air.
This project has brought up a few issues with being braless and I’d like to share my solutions.
1) Find a braless mama or crone to look up to. I feel blessed that my mother is a powerhouse bra-free supporter. She was a 34AA after breastfeeding two children and only became a B-cup after hitting peri-menopause. Her response? “I’ve gone without a bra my whole life. I’m not starting now. Every human being on the planet has two nipples — and if they don’t, THEN it’s something to stare at!”
2) If you’ve got distractingly dark areolas or puffy perma-hi-beam nipples like me, these help and don’t irritate my crazy sensitive skin: http://www.wearcommando.com/collections/accessories/products/low-beams
3) I can’t wear them now, but in the outrageously hot Texas summers, if I need a little support, I wear sheer lace bralettes. And you know those little “modesty inserts” they slip into bikinis? Slip those into your bralette for more coverage without any extra weight or air-flow restriction.
4) Support the women in your life having bra dilemmas by singing the praises of breasts in their natural state. Good self-esteem is WAY more vital than a good underwire. Breastfeeding mama frustrated that bikinis don’t fit? “You mean to tell me that two tiny scraps of spandex can’t contain the awesome range of motion of your life-sustaining wonder breasts? No power in the ‘verse should!” Can’t find an affordable, well-made bra in the right size/silhouette? (I’m a 30C, I feel ya.) “You refuse to fit into some industrial mold — why should your breasts be any different? Your boobs are already the ideal!”
5) Boob sweat? Dust them with corn starch or baby powder (or slick your underboob with a deodorock!).
6) Sore? Massage them. Seriously. Stimulates your muscles and lymphatic system. Helps with PMS and pregnancy soreness, too.
7) Love you breasts!
Two different sizes? Variety pack!
Flat as deflated balloons? Going bra-free is so comfy!
Tennis balls in tube socks? Amazing range of motion! Get dancing!
Big as your head? Ask any toddler — boobs in the face make everything better. Give out big hugs to your loved ones and make someone’s day!
“Every human being on the planet has two nipples — and if they don’t, THEN it’s something to stare at!”
Love this. Want it on a t-shirt.
Awesome that this works for you.
I’m a 38DD, and for years I hated bras. I only wore the flimsy cotton ones without underwires, cause I had never met an underwire bra that didn’t pinch or chafe or otherwise hurt.
Recently, I discovered that there is a particular kind of yuppie boutique in the downtown district of many northern California towns (think Sebastopol, Grass Valley, Arcata, Eureka. I’ve tried Redding and Fresno with no luck) that sell AMAZING bras for large breasted women. Really Comfortable, pretty, etc. It went from “I hate bras cause they don’t fit right” to bras are awesome and I get to chose the prettiest, cause they all fit, overnight.
The brands that I have gotten this way are Wacoal, Jezebell, and a couple of others. I would order a bra from wacoal’s website without trying it on, they fit so well.
OMG, please please PLEASE tell me what this miracle boutique is called, ’cause I live there and I’m desperate to find a decent bra. *puppy-dog eyes*
Not that I haven’t considered going bra-less, but my Titzillas just get in the way too much if they’re not corralled.
I’m 29 and have worn bras for about a combined total of five minutes in my life. All of them because my mother occasionally tries to get me to wear one by pretending it’s something other than a bra. One of those times being after I moved out. “Try on this little camisole thing. I’ll take it back if it doesn’t fit.” *tries on* *takes off* “It’s really uncomfortable. Take it back.”) Not counting the little sticky “strapless, backless” thing I wore under my wedding dress to make sure my nipples didn’t show because it wasn’t really structured anything like a bra except for the fact that it went on my boobs. I’m about a 34AA (can’t really be sure because I’ve never needed to know, but I know my strap size is 34 because I’ve needed to know for the occasional corset purchase, and I know when I tried on a proper A cup even my bigger boob didn’t fill it). I am too small to bounce. If I’m wearing something that might result in nipples showing, I add a camisole to put an extra layer in between them and the world.
I was always a small A cup until my 40’s and then I grew to a ‘big’ B cup. It took me a couple years to get used to having ‘big’ boobage. I hate bras, I have nerve problems in my left shoulder muscles so they can hurt fiercely, even with my not really big boobs. I embraced men’s style undershirts instead of bras. And now that I have started having many many many hot flashes, I find myself having to rethink the undershirt thing and find some thin sports bra tops.
From what people tell me there is a much better selection of bras in the US than in Canada, a cross-border trip may be needed soon.
My mom is in her late 70’s and she hates bras as well, she goes ‘commando’ at home all the time and wears layers when she leaves the house because as she says “who is she trying to impress”. I love my mom.
I am a medical anthropologist and breast cancer researcher. I am also co-author of the book, Dressed To Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras.
Constriction from bras interferes with the lymphatic drainage from the breasts, causing pain, cysts, and, ultimately, cancer.
Fibrocystic breast disease is caused by tight bras. Get rid of the bra, and the cysts and pain go away, including pre-menstrual breast pain.
There are several studies that show bra wearing is the leading cause of breast cancer, but bra wearing is such a part of our current culture that challenging this fatal fashion is resisted by the multi-billion dollar bra industry, the multi-billion dollar cancer detection and treatment industry, and even by some women, who have been conditioned from childhood into believing they need to wear a bra.
Fact is, bra-free women have about the same incidence of breast cancer as a man. The tighter and longer she wears a bra each day, the higher her chances of developing breast cancer. And throughout the world, the only cultures which have breast cancer as a problem are those in which women wear bras.
Keep in mind how corsets were killing women for centuries because of constriction. The corset was broken down into the girdle and bra. Essentially, the bra is a breast corset.
Any garment that changes the shape of the body interferes with circulation.
Are you sure it’s not because women who wear bras are likely to be heavier and therefore more likely to get breast cancer anyway?
I read all the comments to date and you’re the only one that mentioned this. Read about it a couple months ago.
I’m glad to read this post, thank you! I’ve gone bra-less 3 years ago.
3 years ago, we had this incredibly hot summer where I live and I ditched my bra to remove one layer of clothing and try and get as cool as possible. When fall came, I had grown accustomed to being bra-less, and I couldn’t bear feeling constricted anymore (though I have micro-boobs, I still felt hindered). I work from home, I must say this factor has certainly helped me take the plunge. If you work in an office, what your coworkers may think might be an issue.
It took a while to get use to the actual shape of my body, as I used to wear Wonderbra-type bras. It wasn’t until recently that I donated my entire stock of bras to a charity, but I can’t think of anything that could convince me to wear a bra again.
What charity did you donate the bras to? I know a lot of people are squeamish about buying bras at, say, a thrift store; are there organizations that do things with the bras that don’t involve wearing them? I feel like I heard of an organization once that made a chain of bras to raise awareness for breast cancer; something like that?
My boobs hurt way too much to go bra-less.
The only time I don’t wear a bra is in bed (well and in the shower – not a never-nude, no cut-offs for me thanks). Even on the weekends I get out of bed, put on my bra and then put my pj’s back on.
I’ve been like this since puberty. I remember riding on the bus to school and having to have my arms folded under my boobs so that the bumps wouldn’t hurt so much (I have since discovered full support, full coverage bras).
It’s all about comfort and every woman is different. For me, the less my boobs move, the more comfortable I am.
Yeah, I have size 36 GG boobs. Going braless out of my home is not an option. However, I do often wear bralettes (hard to find in large sizes) when I’m just hanging out at home. I prefer to not wear a bra, and if I had small breasts I wouldn’t, but the size I am not it just would not work for me.
For the nips, just do reusable pasties. Super easy and help avoid awkwardness.
Am I the only one who thinks this sounds amazingly terrific, ballsy, and revolutionary?
Yes, I know there were “bra-burnings” in the 60s but man, in today’s world it seems just as revolutionary, maybe more.
Rock on!
Love this! I’ve never particularly enjoyed wearing bras and as a small 36B I can easily get away with shelf bras and just little cotton sports bras that have basically no support. They’re nipple covers, and that’s all. I don’t like going without anything at all because I find even shirts that seem soft enough might chafe after awhile, and chafed nipples are nobodies friend.
My sister used to razz me about not wearing a bra because it might make my boobs sag, but honestly, when I was a teenager, my boobs were shaped like Madonna’s cone bra. They stood straight out. A little sagging has made them a more pleasant shape.
Well. I’m your basic B cup, and I’ ve been pretty much braless since the 60’s. Yes, that era, of the burn the bras fame. I had never liked them and decided that was as good a reason as any to do without. Now, at 58, being overweight, and having four kids, things are a tiny bit saggy. I did a lot of heavy lifting as a younger woman and that’s the best way to keep the muscles that support everything in good shape. The biggest problem with going braless is learning how to walk so the girls don’t stop traffic or do the the flight of the bumble bee! The models old fashioned glide walk is the best way to combat those issues. It isn’t hard to learn and it gives you great posture. Just walk like you’ve got a rod up your back and bucket of water on your head you don’t want to spill. If I feel like I might be in a situation where I will attract undue attention, lightweight shirts with pockets are great for camoflage. I had several men tell me way back they didn’t realize I was going braless until they knew it for sure, so I must have been doing something right.
A great post and I admire your approach. As a lingerie specialist though, I wouldn’t advocate it. I think it’s great for living in the moment but it is more likely that your breasts will droop sooner than your bra-wearing compadres. But, if you’re happy and you feel great, well that counts for a lot.