Note that I've known about and have appreciated her choice since I've been with her. It goes well beyond a simple novelty -- she's pushing against culture and speaks her mind to anyone who pushes back. Why is a bra needed? It's not, in most cases. I know a couple of guys that go without underwear, because it's not really needed either. (I'm considering this as well.) Anyway, onward to her story...
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Women being forced to wear bra’s in the 21st century.
Has anyone ever noticed how men and women treat other women who choose not to wear a bra? Well I have because I never wear a bra unless I am required to wear one.
What do I normally get from complete strangers? Here are some the reactions:
Men normally come up to me and start to flirt. They act like I'm easy just because of the clothing that I wear. Generally I wear low cut or thin shirts where it's easy to tell if I am wearing a bra or not. In my past of dating men Doug is the only one that didn't care whether I wore a bra or not.
Now for the woman, so men don’t feel that they're being targeted. I have a story for you. I was at a bridal shop trying on my bride’s maid dress that my friend had picked out. When I came out of the dressing room wearing the dress, the seamstress said to me "Should I get your bra for you?" I asked "why?" She said, "Well aren’t you going to wear a bra on her wedding day?"
I looked at her and said, "no why should I?" I have never seen a face like that before until I looked at the seamstress. She had the look of disgust and surprise at the same time. I of course had to ask her, "is there something wrong?" The woman looked at me like I was the most horrible person in the world for saying that I don’t want to wear a bra.
She paused and realized that I was serious and said "Well it’s more appropriate if you wear a bra. So should I go and get your bra?" I replied, "No you shall not because I choose not to wear a bra." Is it such a horrible thing that a woman should have the ability to choose between wearing a bra and not wearing a bra?
According to the Wikipeida:
Some have questioned the practical need for the bra given that some women prefer to go without a bra on a regular basis. The bra has become charged with political and cultural meanings that overlay its practical purpose. Traditionally it is viewed as symbolic of a young girl's coming of age. It can also be interpreted as a feminine icon. On the other hand, some feminists consider the brassiere a symbol of the repression of women's bodies. It was originally developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
I work in a nursing home and I sort of understand their reasoning for staff to wear bras. Because the breasts are pieces of skin that attract men to the woman. The other reason is for women's safety with dangerous residents, which they like to grab on to available parts of skin. Sure I guess I could understand that is it’s a safety issue. I just wish people would be more accepting of my decision, and treat me the same as a bra-wearing woman. For the only difference between a woman who wears a bra and a woman who doesn't wear a bra is the bra.
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10 comments:
Certainly I "support" your decision not to wear a bra. There is no scientific proof that a bra prevents sagging over time - in fact, wearing a bra might actually weaken the muscles. The only practical use for a bra is during vigorous workouts, like running.
The bra was invented by men, and basically only serves the interests of men.
I came of age in the early 70s, and no women I dated wore bras. The halter top and cut-off jeans were the fashion. You can blame Madonna and Victoria's Secret for bringing back the bra, probably about the time you were born. Also, in the Reagan era, everyone got a lot more conservative, which affected fashion.
There should be one day a year when men have to wear bras, panty hose and high heels. That will straighten out a lot of attitudes.
Bravo to you for bralessness! If, and that's an argumentable if, your boobs sag when you're 60, so what? Do true nudists care? Will Doug love you less?
Yeah, braless women are sexy (whether that's their intention or not, guys are guys) but that's not your problem, it's somebody else's.
Hey, they sell plastic nipples to wear to accentuate those parts. Go figure.
I had a girlfriend in the 70's that was not only braless but totally unshaved. Kind of a shock but I adapted and found it to be just fine.
Angie spends all her time naked and puts clothes and a bra on to get the mail, or when the kids come over. Habit. Beats me. They've seen our website.
Personally, I see bras (brassieres, ugh!) as something sexy to take off. Hey, I'm a guy.
I can't imagine feeling obligated to wear them everyday just to be socially correct.
Personally, I wear as little as possible all the time, that includes underwear. More comfortable, less laundry.
Oh yeah, about that one day a year. Hmm, that might be fun...
-Steve
Great post.
I do wear a bra to work, but when I get home, it's the first piece of clothing I ditch. I am well endowed, and I do get looks when I sway braless through the grocery store on the weekends.
p
Bras should be optional not manditory. I wear one when the outfit calls for one to be appropriate, and I go without any other chance I can do it without being too obvious.
Karen K
Thanks for the interesting post.
I agree that bras are not helpful or necessary and can in fact be harmful. Studies have shown links between bra wearing and breast pain as well as cysts.
On the other hand, I think it's practical to dress in a way that doesn't attract unwanted attention. I'm currently seeking solutions, such as sweater vests, layers, and lily padz.
I've heard lily padz are great, but I haven't found any yet!
Thanks again & best wishes.
Great post. Good on you for standing up for your rights! The pressure to wear a bra is now probably equal to what it was before the 1970s - during that decade and even the 1980s it seemed that it was much more acceptable for women to go bra-less at that that item of clothing was becoming less and less relevant. Nowadays, girls often start wearing a bra years before they need to and many women treat them like fashion accessories... so what happened? Why did we go backwards?
Im all for women going without bras. Im a man & I dont wear underwear. Women should however have the right as a man & go topless in public.
I hardly ever wear a bra. My breasts are pretty small, 32 B if I have to buy one, and I can never find one for less than $30-40 bucks that fits right. I Ali love the shape of my natural breasts and can't find a bra that doesn't alter the shape somehow. I have had comments from people like my mother and my grandmother, mostly asking me to at least wear one to church. I do out of respect. I also had a comment from my ex's dad. He said "your like a modern day hippie" and I said "how's that?", to which he replied "well you have burned all your bras". Lol. Thanks for noticing, old man. I sometimes wear one to work (as a waitress), but I usually don't and nobody seems to notice, but the other day an old work friend told me my figure was looking better, which was nice because I had worn a bra to work for like a week straight. I say we should burn our bras again. Why is it unacceptable to not wear a bra when men can run around without shirts on at all?
Great article. I think bras should be left to the discretion of the wearer. If the outfit makes bralessness too obvious in certain scenerios (office, church) then it's probably appropriate that we wear a bra. However if it's less obvious, or not in such an environment, I think the choice should be mine. I don't need society to dictate when and where I should wear a bra. I use my own judgement. My preference is to go without whenever possible, and to harness up when it's appropriate.
I don't wear a bra. I have done in the past but for many years now I just don't. I just don't want to, or need to. I suppose I'm quite lucky that mostly it doesn't seem to bother anyone, and tbh anyone who would be bothered is shallow. Only my dad wanted me to wear one for a family wedding, so I did, but I really don't see why anyone would have cared. Also at the end of the day all womens breasts change when they get a bit older and also depends on the size, I honestly don't think a woman's would be worse off for choosing not to wear a man made invention. If anything isn't it to hide the nipples? Although having said that a lot of times they don't really show, if they do it isn't offensive really. So its sexist... Men don't have to hide theirs. I suppose I'm a feminist without intentionally being one just because I see myself and women in general as equal to men. I want to be natural in a lot of ways, and I am more masculine than the stereotypical woman, but that doesn't matter either. Anyway hooray for women who don't do things just because society would have you believe you "have to"!
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