This might seem like an unusual post, I've not been reading Feministing for terribly long. But, on the subject of bra's: To wear them or not?
I ask because I've always been taught that you MUST wear a bra. I see them worn in outfits which clearly show them, which frankly always looks awful.
This was horribly reinforced by a girl I went to school with. When changing after PE one day, she nastily (and loudly) said "Geez, Sonja, put on a bra!".
I've never been well-endowed, so at the time, I didn't feel it was really necessary. Apparently I was wrong, so I started wearing them all the time.
I never got over the complex. I always found bras uncomfortable, not to mention hard to find in my size. It only got worse after secondary school and I gained weight everywhere else.
It all reached a head after I became engaged. I was faced with the fact that I would never be able to wear the kinds of gorgeous gowns I always wanted for my wedding as I didn't have the chest for them.
So, I decided that I would finally act on something I'd considered before and get breast implants. My (now) husband insisted I do plenty of research and make sure I was going to be happy with the choice, but never opposed the decision.
And I went through with it. I've never looked back, either.
I've got a bit off-track now, but with the help of my husband, I've been able to fairly confidently go out in public without a bra. This is in spite of comments from my mother, and what I believe other women would think based on the comment I got in highschool.
What about you? Do you think they're really as necessary as they're made out to be? Do you wear them? If so, all the time or just sometimes?
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Definitely necessary for support and comfort for some women. It's not even totally dependent on size-can jsut be a personal choice. I do think that it really helps not to have your nipples obviously showing through clothes or poking through shirts in a professional setting. Not that it should be important, in a perfect world, but it definitely is.
Yikes-sorry about the horrible typing. I meant-it should just be a personal choice.
My breasts are huge, and I need a bra for support. I would like to have breast reduction surgery in the future, but even then, I can't imagine they'd be small enough that I'd want to go braless. I'd rather have a bra strap showing than my nipples poking through a shirt any day.
I couldn't go a day without a bra, I have big breasts and the support is vital, it hurts to run or jump in a non sports bra as is, I couldn't do it without one all together.
I've been blessed with tiny, almost non-existent breast. This means I can get away with not wearing a bra for days at a time, although sometimes I still do (especially when I'm going to be doing running or something).
I think women should go with what they're comfortable with, whether they're big or small breasted or anywhere in between. If you feel more comfortable wearing a bra, find one that fits (easier said than done) and wear it. If you're more comfortable going braless, go braless.
Right now, most people see bras as something a woman MUST wear. I really think it should be looked at as an option. I have very small breasts, so the only reason I would wear a bra is to make sure nobody sees the slight shape of a nipple under my shirt. I have tried many kinds of bras and most leave red indents in my skin, and if they don’t, I just find them plain uncomfortable. I understand that some women feel comfortable in bras, but I do not, so I do not think I should be expected to wear one. I really don’t even understand why a woman’s breasts and nipples are seen as offensive.
That's rough-have you tried wearing sports bras? If they fit well, they can be great.
For me it's too uncomfortable not to wear one, especially when I'm physically active. But if a woman feels ok without a bra, it should absolutely be up to her whether she chooses to wear one or not.
I wear a bra to work or if I'm wearing white but that's all, really. I'm only a B cup though so it doesn't matter unless I'm jumping around LOL.
Do you need a bra with breast implants? I heard they held themselves up but that might be a lie, I wouldn't know. If you need support, wear a bra, if not, don't.
It's about your comfort. I wear a bra pretty much all the time, I even sleep in a sports bra, because if I left them unsupported, they start looking like a sock with a baseball stuck in the toe. They really have no internal support on their own.
I'd like to be able to not wear bras all of the time. I'd like to be able to go running without having to wear two sports bras so that I'm not in agony at the end of my run. If you can do it, by all means, leave the bra behind!
I'm not wearing a bra right now. It's not ideological, I'm just lazy and they're fiddly. I have breasts which pretty much hold themselves up, and I don't do any regular sport, so it's not an issue. I do wear one most days though, and my menstrual cycle makes a big difference. They get soo heavy when I'm on.
Like a lot of posters have said, it really depends on what is comfortable for you. If you don't feel the need, don't bother. Personally I would not even notice if a woman I saw in the street was not wearing one, and if anyone ever does, really they need to think about more important stuff. :)
Even being only a 34A, I HAVE to wear a bra. I find it SOOOO uncomfortable if I don't -- just going down a staircase hurts if I'm braless! My mother always tells me I don't need to wear one since I'm so small, but I like to, both for the support and physical attractiveness. They lift and push together (mine are quite far apart, which can be awkward with some shirts, especially shirts made for thinner girls like me), and for my body, bras are the only option. I'd wear them to bed if I could, but I don't since I only own like three and don't want them to get all sweaty overnight (lol).
I also have a nipple problem, lol. I can't go into a place that's air conditioned and not have everyone in the room see my nipply problem.
Ironically I rarely have a problem with the bra showing through a shirt, or peeking out some other way. My bras are all strange colors or patterns, and for the few times I wear a white tshirt I just wear a shirt underneath.
With that said, I more than liekly wouldn't notice someone not wearing a bra, unless she was really sagging or her shirt was see-through.
Dear Sonja
Despite people's personal experiences and often repeated statements, there is in fact no scientific evidence that supports the use of bras.
Experts on breast health merely state that it is a matter of personal choice. Even bra manufacturers, when asked, will not make any claims of benefit, which would be illegal in any case without approval from regulatory agencies. The official position of the bra industry is that it is merely a fashion accessory, and any 'benefit' (that is - change in physical appearance) ceases as soon as you remove it. Some experts go further and point to research on the harms potential and actual, and some experiments suggest the bra actually does the opposite of what most people believe - that it somehow fights the ageing process.
Michael