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Braless

Kristine

Veteran

With all of the talk about bra fitting I was wondering if anyone has decided to go without. I experimented with it a few years ago and honestly it felt great! I wore camisoles instead. I'm fairly thin so I'm not extremely well endowed (I'm currently wearing a 36B, but the recent info on sizing makes me think I'm actually a 32-34C), so I'm sure that makes a difference.

Bras always tend to hurt and I typically only wear one in public. I'm going to try a fitting this week and see if that will make a difference. But honestly I've always found bras bearable never comfortable.

One reason I've heard is to prevent sagging, but Dr. Susan Love says "A mistaken popular belief maintains that wearing a bra strengthens your breasts and prevents their eventual sagging. But you sag because of the proportion of fat and tissue in your breasts, and no bra changes that."

So if you do wear a bra, what are your reasons? Is it aesthetic, more comfortable, for modesty, cultural? I'm just curious as I work through this for myself. I went back to bras, but I don't know why exactly. I guess I'm getting older and felt it gave me more lift.

I'm sure I'll be roasted but why not put it all out there (pun intended)?

Dressing

62 replies

Latest reply was from stringy

crazyone

Veteran

waiting for Maya's reaction to this thread...

Rosie

Veteran

I wear a bra for all the reasons you've asked. It actually is more comfortable to me (given the bra fits right) than not. I would never go out in punlic without one (except with certain dresses) because it would be indecent. Personally, I prefer everyone, no matter what size, with some kind of support on. Breasts are very intimate pieces of our anatomy that I think should really only be shown to people we are close with (gym changing situations excepted.) When I can see someone else's form below a shirt, I feel I've invaded something private, even if the person is clearly comfortable.

Anonymous

I'm with you Kristine, I have struggled with bra comfort all my adult life. If I were wealthy, or lived where custom made clothing was more common, I would have them custom made because I don't think I fit into anyone's fit model pattern.
I cannot wear a bra on a long drive because sitting down with that strap around me drives me crazy.
I often do not wear a bra while alone at home. I wear some kind of cami under my clothing for comfort and to be descreet.
Just today I got this in the mail.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/30.....earchtype=
I'm hoping that because it doesn't have a band to dig into my ribs, I will find it more comfortable and it will do the job of a bra.
Time will tell.

Maya

Veteran

Thank you Rosie.

No, a bra doesn't PREVENT sagging, but it will delay it. Quite a bit, actually. It's not that hard to see why. No bra = boobs are at the mercy of gravity. Basic physics.

If a bra is uncomfortable, it is the wrong size and style for you.

Kristine

Veteran

Rosie, my honest first reaction was "really??". But then I had to admit I kind of feel the same way. It's so ingrained. But really, if seeing the form beneath the shirt is indecent, don't bras accentuate breasts even more?

Itari

(website)

Comfort is the main concern for me. Believe me, with my 100% natural FF cup I can't even walk braless without breast jumping and jiggling - and my boobs are quite perky. I don't want to think how would I look if they weren't.

And I just happen to like beautiful lingerie. All these bras, corsets... mmm. Love. A woman wearing gorgeous underwear is twice as sexy.

Maya

Veteran

No. If I went braless all you would see are my breasts. I would have no torso whatsoever. I cropped my picture in my other post about the sandals for a reason: I was on my way to take a shower and was not wearing a bra, and you could tell. It looks awful. Also, breasts in motion are very different...

I see women go braless all the time and it doesn't matter what they are wearing or how comfortable they seem to be, they do not look good, nor do they look classy. Women with smaller breasts can somewhat get away with it if they are very young, but it still isn't the most flattering look.

Obviously I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I am telling you what I think since you posed the question. It's like wearing too-short pants. I'm non-negotiable on it.

Rosie

Veteran

Kristine - sorry, "indecent" was only to refer to me/my breasts in public without a bra, not anyone else's. They are too big not to be supported.

Seeing the shape/outline of the breasts in a bra is much, much different than seeing the actual outline of the breasts, the nipples, etc. To me that is something personal. It is also all I seem to notice, no matter what the size of the person. I don't see the clothes at all, just the boobs! To add to the debate, I don't mind seeing people's chests if I am at a topless beach in Europe. I have made the choice to go there, they are to be expected.

When I get home, I almost always change into a cami or something with a little support that isn't a bra. But, I'm at home!

I'm definitely with Maya on this one. I just don't think clothes look that great over braless girls.

Lisa

Veteran

I'm not a fan of bra-less looks. Mostly because sooner or later, you see hard nipples. That's my main reason for wearing a bra, to prevent that. And since I'm small, it helps add some shape to them. But I admit, the minute I walk through the door, it's one of the first things to come off.

Queen Mum

Veteran

ummm, nobody wants to see me running around without a bra. trust me.....

Kristine

Veteran

It's interesting to contrast bras to the heels/flats discussion. Maybe if we all went without bras for six months our eyes would adjust! It seems that the expectation that women should wear bras is even more culturally ingrained than heels (at least in American society).

Rosie, Maya and Itari, I absolutely respect what you're saying. I'm just exploring the issue at the moment and I appreciate your honest responses.

Thanks for the "support" San. Maybe we can meet by the bonfire later!

Rosie

Veteran

Kristine, I've been thinking more about whether it bothers me as much when I'm in Europe or I know the women are European. I can't explain it, but I don't think it does!

It is likely that those of us with large chests bring a lot of our personal experiences/comforts to the table with something like this.

Maybe you'd be more comfy in camis or tanks? Although I may have my views on this, I always think that doing what is most comfortable for you is most important!

Maya

Veteran

I think for anyone over a C cup bras have a functional application that heels do not. C cup and below I can live with going braless, even though it isn't my preference. But D cups and up will not only suffer in appearance but in comfort. It is not comfortable to have your boobs lying against your body, with sweat gathering in the crease.

marianna

Veteran

I could go braless if I wanted to... but I don't want to! My breasts are relatively small so it's not painful for me, but everything looks SOOO much better with proper support. A cami really isn't enough.

Itari

(website)

Eh, I live in Europe and while complete nakedness in commercials, on a beach, sauna and so on doesn't really shock anyone, walking in clothes and without a bra is viewed as somewhat indecent. In fact, you can see naked breasts in TV about noon, but women wearing a top over hard nipples is nowhere to be seen. Probably too provocative I hope it makes sense...

Maya

Veteran

I'm not offended by nudity, btw. I'd much rather see nudity in commercials and everyday life than not. I just think it's healthier. But it's obvious that the braless women aren't intending to look naked or show off their breasts (most of the time), which makes it more uncomfortable than intentional nudity in a weird way.

Rosie

Veteran

I agree with that, Maya. Interesting, Itari.

April

Veteran

I have to agree that braless works for almost no one. A cami alone may do something to prevent your breasts from moving around, but in terms of how it looks, it just flattens you out a little.

I spend a fair amount of time in a community where many women feel just fine about going braless or just wearing a cami and let me tell you -- it's not a good look.

What you do for comfort in your own home is, of course, nobody's business.

Rose

Uhh, I am probably gonna get banned from YLF for my geeky response here but please keep in mind that I am a well endowed *scientist* (and serious runner).. read further only if you want a geeky scientific response to this.. after the bra fitting thread- especially the stuff on the sports bras and the potential damage to breast issue from wearing the wrong bra-- I did some research because I have been wearing a compression bra for marathon training for about 10 years, so I was concerned.
I was skeptical that there is actual science linking compression bras as cause of breast damage... so I searched the peer-reveiwed scientific literature and did not find any article showing a link, which didn't surprise me because women probably haven't been doing high impact activities long enough to show a clear cause and effect relationship.
It looks like Dr. J. Scurr is leading the field in this area (http://www.port.ac.uk/research.....hresearch/ ) but none of their work -or anyone else's that I could find in peer reviewed lit.- showed a link between compression bras and damage. But,they did publish an article arguing that wearing the wrong bra can have a negative impact on sports performance!! That in and of itself is reason enough for me to try a different bra!! I want to run better and faster ..
So as to bra vs no bra vs compression bra for sports, it seems like based only on my short and not extensive lit. search, more science needs to be done in order to really know what the consequences are for sagging, damage, etc but it seems like no bra/wrong bra can be bad for physical activity and maybe bad for posture, etc which seems like a darn good idea to wear the right bra!! (to to mention comfort and aesthetics..!)
gosh I sure hope I am not the only geeky person on this forum.. !!

Itari

(website)

Rose - I can assure you that you're not the only one. I'm a future computer programmer, which is probably the geekiest job possible

The breast shape is about three things: skin, glandular (mammary) vs adipose (fatty) tissue and Cooper's ligaments. As far as I know, wearing a wrong size bra can stretch or damage all three. You can't do much about skin or breast density, but Cooper's ligaments can regenerate if you wear a good bra (I didn't discover it, it's a loose translation of a Polish bra-fitting webpage). And I believe that wearing a bra can't stop boobs from sagging, but at least it will happen later. My breasts are heavy. If I didn't wear a bra, I'd look awful in few years just because of gravity.

Here's an article from another blog (in English): http://stanikomania.blox.pl/st.....kgood.html

Dashrashi

Veteran

I wear a bra (and schmancy bras from Intimacy (well, and ebay)) because I look way thinner when my boobs are only halfway between shoulder and elbow rather than hovering around my elbow. I am not 16 anymore, but a good bra can make you think I am. Other reasons are basically secondary (comfort/the bounce factor/no one needs to be acquainted with the camisole-covered details of my bosom/etc.).

On the other hand, I have no problems with walking around in bikini bottoms only on an appropriate (read: European "naturalist") beach. Does very wonderful things for your body image, IMO. (But oh my god, sunscreen. Often.)

Beth

Veteran

Funny, I just bought a strapless bra this afternoon. I have several new halter tops that I tried without a bra, but definitely a no-go. Even DH looked and just said "Uh. No." Actually with a full-C/small D, I knew it wouldn't work. Just too much bobbling going on.

Besides, I also prefer the smoother look under clothes and I definitely draw the line at nipples. No one needs to register the temperature of a room by my chest. :O

LuAnn

I always wear a bra except for sleeping. I just think it looks better if the girls are supported and my clothes fit better w/ a bra on. I also wear a sports bra when I do yoga or run otherwise I wear an underwire bra w/ excellent support. Saggy boobs tend to age a woman.

Kristine

Veteran

An interesting article (and even more interesting comments) from Australia. Apparently France's first lady Carla Bruni went to the state dinner braless!

http://blogs.theage.com.au/lif.....is_go.html

Rose

BethW, I am with you on the temperature issue..
but I have always been envious of people who could go braless.. I think I would if I could..

crazyone

Veteran

I'm pretty small chested, but not so small that a bra offers no shaping/support (I don't believe that *every* woman needs a bra--there are some women who have almost no protruding breast tissue, just nipples, they don't have anything to support). So I haven't gone braless for a long time, but I find that shelf bras and all non-padded seamless bras prominently show my nipples, all the freaking time (I'm not even a temperature sensor). And for the most part that was what I grew up wearing because that's what my mom introduced to me (some of them are actually decently shaping, some of them not...of course they're not premium lingerie, but neither are the padded bras I wear...yes yes I'll get around to it sometime)...to a certain extent I don't mind as much as some of you, but yeah, it's not a good look to have all the time. So I mostly wear padded bras these days, I also appreciate filling out my clothing a bit.

MNsara

Veteran

I'm with you, Kristine!

In fact, being a child of the 60s and 70s, I did spend most of my 20's braless AND in the corporate world! But no one ever knew

Professional clothes back then were NOT clingy nor form fitting. When I absolutely had to wear a bra, I would wear a thin cotton Jockey one. When I jogged I could wear any old sports bra. When you are barely endowed - you have options others don't really have.

It was the move to clingier clothing and more knits that pushed me into always wearing a t-shirt bra. Like bethw said -- No one needs to register the temperature of a room by my chest. Plus the right bra does improve my overall shape and I was finally willing to do it for that reason too.

I also was recently told by a physical therapist that I was a 'chest breather' (not properly breathing with my diaphragm) and I wonder if that's part of why bras feel so restrictive and they are often the first thing I ditch when I change into comfy lounge wear.

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

You know before I had my first proper bra fitting last year, I was one of those gals who always wore a bra out, but at home i rarely ever did.

But, since that bra fitting, I now LOVE the look and shape of my girls so I wear one every day!! There has been 1 day in the last few months that I can actually remember not wearing a bra... Oh, and New Years Eve I didn't wear one cos there was seriously no bra available to work with my dress - but even then, I had some stick-on things that I sports taped on to give just a hint of lift LOL

Of course, I'm very small chested girl - I'm a 10B, which I think is a 30-32B - so not a whole lot there LOL

And, since that bra fitting, I have become VERY discerning about what I like on other people - I used to think whatever goes, but now, I see a woman out without a bra or a proper fitting bra, and I kind of want to go and tell them (of course I never ever would say that to someone LOL). But, again, this is always on bigger girls - I only just found out one of my friends never wears a bra - yes, she is smaller than me and knows how to dress appropriately though.

elpgal

Veteran

Kristine, I wore one almost constantly for a several years but my breasts became extremely saggy by the time I was in my mid-20s (thanks mom!).

Now I wear one only when I am going out. Even at 32E/30F, being braless is more comfortable than wearing one. I guess it is because my bras are extra-strength to hold up my breasts.

I am in the minority but the sight of unencumbered breasts and nipples does not bother me. I am far more judgmental about heels (not to say that I am not tempted by them).

*ducks*

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