Bra vs. Braless (females only)
I used to as a teenager with an A-cup, go braless even in public. I'd got to school without a bra and get comments in the changing room for PE. I'm now a 36C, but the 36 part makes up for the C. They aren't very uncomfortable or saggy. I wear a bra a lot of the time now, but take it off sometimes at home.
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Mummy_of_Peanut
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I'd love to go braless, but I even wear a soft bra in bed. I take a 34F and they are very dense, so I really have no option. Sports bras are my preference, although they don't always go with certain tops (too much material in the chest area). The weight has even caused permanent strap marks on my shoulders. I like to wear a corset in the evening, to take the strain off my poor shoulders.
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I used to wear a bra all the time, but after reading that wearing bras too much can contribute to breast cancer, I've since made a habit of wearing them when I go out of the house. (Or if I exercise) I'm a 34B so I'm able to go bra-less without getting a backache. I should look into getting purely cotton bras for when I do wear them since they tend to be less toxic than some of the synthetic ones.
Albirea
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I wear a sports bra everyday. I can't stand underwire bras.
But with all kinds of bras, I find the straps irritating to the point that I even imagine the irritation on my shoulders when I'm not wearing one. "Phantom sensations", if you will.
Also, bra straps tend to slide off my shoulders a lot, since my shoulders are unfortunately rounded.
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I didn't wear a bra until I was 13, due to societal pressures. Some girls used to make fun of me wearing an undershirt so I just bit the bullet.
I am now a 36C so pretty much have to wear a bra in public. I always buy the slightly padded, wireless kind. I have 3 of the exact same bras. At home I never wear bras.
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Well for me it depends where you are, what size your boobs are and what kind of clothes you're wearing. I don't see a reason to wear a bra if you're completely flat, like children, just a small size or a late bloomer. If you have saggy breasts and they're flying everywhere then you should probably wear a bra if you're in public because nobody wants to see that. If you're in your own house and you don't have company and by all means take off the bra, it's your house. For me it's as long as you don't see the nipples poking out and your boobs aren't flapping everywhere then it's all good. I don't wear a bra to bed, why should I?
as it stands now i go about 50% of the time without a bra. i don't conform to societies "vanity" standards. i don't wear make up, i rarely shave my pits and legs and i go braless quite often.
ayla,
I read through the entire faq page. i think i will go even more often then i already do without a bra, since i can't stand wearing one anyway, allow my breasts support themselves and live a healthier life without a bra. i recommend you all look at this page, search for the brafree organization. there is no medical support that wearing a bra is healthy. there is no medical support that our breasts NEED support. they can support themselves without the extra help. it will take some time for them to readjust to not having the support and may cause some pain until that happens but by supporting them you are actually weaking the muscles that support them. please just read the bra faq page. some very interesting information.
here are a few points extracted from the website:
I have never seen a manufacturer cite any health benefit from wearing bras. Searching medical literature, I find nothing supporting a health benefit from wearing bras. (In fact, if any manufacturer will provide a list of proven health benefits from wearing bras, I'll publish it on this web site)
Those same manufacturers say that 80% of women wear bras that are too tight. But women choose bras that are tight because they think their breasts need "support."
As late as a few decades ago, physicians told women they needed to wear girdles to "hold their organs in place" - advice no more sound than the claim today that women need bras to "support" their breasts.
One study, done by Singer and Grismaijer, suggested that women who wear bras 24 hours a day may have more than a 100-fold greater incidence of breast cancer, compared to those who don't wear bras.
Medical research connects fibrocystic cysts with increased rates of breast cancer
I base my concerns on personal observation of patients with fibrocystic disease, who obtained dramatic improvement without surgery - simply by taking my advice to get rid of their bras. There are at least 30 peer-reviewed articles making the connection between cysts and increased rates of breast cancer. If not wearing a bra reduces fibrocystic disease, this is a no-brainer.
It could be a combination of genes, toxins, poor nutrition and bras
Bear in mind, that during the same period when women have worn bras, they've also been exposed to thousands of previously-unknown toxins in our environment.
I advise all women with fibrocystic breast disease to get out of their bras, because tight bras interfere with the breasts' natural way of getting rid of toxins.
If a patient continues to have tenderness, I prescribe natural progesterone, because she is estrogen dominant and has inadequate progesterone. Many of my patients don't have to go this far, once they get out of their bras.
Within three months of being bra free, most women will notice that their cysts are getting smaller, softer and less painful. Few develop new cysts.
"But I wear a bra so my breasts won't sag......"
Sorry, bras might make your breasts sag more.
You have ligaments in your breasts. They are designed to hold your breasts up. If you wear a bra for years - or, worse yet, wear a bra 24 hours a day for years - these ligaments will atrophy (get weaker and smaller).
The good news: If you stop wearing a bra these ligaments should get stronger and you should find your breasts perkier within about about three months.
Even if you have huge breasts, you should see significant improvement.
But, you say, someone told you that breasts don't have ligaments. Not so.
In nearly a quarter-century of watching patients free their breasts from artificial supports, I've personally seen the results. Try it.
If you stop wearing a bra, you may have temporary breast pain
My cup size is not very large so with an undershirt I can get away with not wearing one when I do not want to, and trust me I often do NOT want to. I only use sports bras, too because I have a wide back and small breasts and regular bras are like double D's for my back size and I am barely a b cup.
and really wish that all women felt totally free to NOT wear one, at any time, at any place, at any event.
I think it's a real shame that women feel such "social pressure" that they sometimes make decisions that they would prefer to do otherwise. Don't women have enough problems without stupid societal expectations??
Why must not wearing a bra under clothes in public be considered by some to be taboo? I really wish that
we could get over, or get past, such narrow "thinking". This includes eliminating breast size as a consideration.
Claude
i like this post. i have never been one to give into "social pressure" the only time i ever really wore make up was to my proms. like 98% of the time my legs and armpits are NOT shaved even if i have shorts and a tank top on and if i don't feel like wearing a bra i surely won't have one on. God made us perfectly. he put hair on our bodies for a reason. he designed us to not need bras. do you really actually think that woman always wore bras? why is everyone stuck on nipples showing? they are not a sex organ. they nourish babies. why should any one care if your breasts are flopping around. ancient cultures didn't care.
I hit puberty early and have worn a bra since I was about 10yrs old.. I feel weird not wearing one now, I even sleep in my bra. I'm a 32E so I feel uncomfy with my boobs leaping about!
Cos I'm fairly small with big boobs, I have a vest top with a kinda built in bra thing, and my boobs are so squished that it's pretty supportive.. That's my treat top that I wear when I wanna be mega comfy!
But then I"m an evil braless hippie, meself.
Same here. When I did wear them, they were nothing but a struggle so I gave up towards the end of last year.
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I wear a bra because I feel self-conscious in public without one. As soon as I come home the bra comes off though. After I've had a minor operation on my feet I'll finally be able to start a proper exercise routine and I'm kind of hoping that my breasts will shrink along with the rest of me. They're not huge or anything (I'm a 42C in UK sizing) but because I'm really overweight and they're mostly just excess fat, they droop a lot more than my friends' breasts do. I'd love to have small breasts and be able to wear a vest under my clothes instead of a bra.