When younger I had no problem going without, after children and increased size, I wouldn't dream of it. And I know I am in the majority and some will think a little nuts....I even sleep in bras.....I began that because I am the mother of sons and I began feeling like I had to wear a robe which to me was worse. I am so use to it now and DH swears its an advantage to aging. Empty nest in another view years and everything could change...

36B here. My strategy is to be as bra-free as possible. I primarily wear a bra out of the house because of how I want the girls to appear in clothing -- basically, perky without headlights. I'm just not comfortable with the amount of ogling that unfettered boobs and nipple action seem to garner.

So if the clothes call for a t-shirt bra, that's what I wear. If I can get away with a cami-bra or no bra, that's what I wear (or don't wear). At home, no bra all the way.

Rabbit, I agree - I spent the whole movie fascinated by Amy Adams' chestage.

I am Team Bra.

Dh brought up the theory that gking braless makes you more perky once... Half jokingly wanting me braless for his own benefit. But we kept talking about it that the ladies in those old school National Geographic shoots were not particularly perky, so then he decided he no longer wanted me to chance it.

With my size (34DD) I wear a bra pretty much except for sleeping. For me, it's a comfort (sometimes a pain), but I in no way feel comfortable going out in public not wearing one. Even with the best sports bra I've found, I don't feel comfortable running. The right bra totally changes how an outfit looks or even fits (minimizers can help).

Always. Even sleeping. I don't like pain. I feel warmer. My first professional job, it was part of the formal dress code...

I always wear one when I go out and about. I'm a 30DD/E but have a very hard time finding bras that fit my shape. That you get my size almost nowhere in Germany doesn't make it easier. They're small enough not to bother me walking around braless, but big enough for people to notice when I do. I have a summer dress that gives enough support to leave the bra off, but I wear one with all other clothes. I don't wear one at home. In my age group all women wear a bra, at least where I'm coming from. And mostly the wrong size, bra fitting is something most women know nothing about.

I am a full fledge member of the Over the Shoulder Boluder Holders. Otherwise known as team Bra all the way. If the Urban Night Warrior went into the land without reinging in the Girls. Who knows what chaos would be released into the land. Devastation and Destruction. This contraception known as a Bra is as essential as bread.

V v rarely braless here. Part Victorian hangover. Having been 34b at age 6, with a mum who thought saying 'bra' instead of brasseiere was incredibly racy will leave a mark... deepened by PT teacher at age 8 sending a note home that I needed support... when I was in fact wearing one daily!

Would love to go braless at times. Strapless and backless makes me long for less heavy and jiggly boobage. Done it a few times but not comfy really due to swear and chafing.

Did sleep unfettered till baby though. Then first needed thing to hold breast pads and then something to stop cosleeping infant from being permanently attached to chest.

Speaking of, now have pretty awful backache as seems one chooses between comfort and convenience vs actual significant support with nursing bras available here. The Mothercare ones are nutso... like moving a bossed shield away to feed. Anyone with a nursing newborn sure to give up at some point on those. The rest are prickly lace and suffocating synthetics in the name of being feminine ... or a glorified stretchy bustier.

Also related rant... why so few larger size bras (pre baby 36F) that are simple no-frills and lace and ribbon designs.? The word 'lingerie' has started to get my hackles up for the implied aesthetic... short of moulded foam cups you can't pack in a suitcase, nada!

Manidipa, I hear you on the design woes! When I wore German sized bras before my fitting (a 75A, equivalent to a 34A) most of the bras in my size were padded push up styles, because someone with my size should want it to look like more, right? Now that I'm ordering UK brands there have been some more options, but the only style that I found so far that really fits my shape perfectly is a slightly padded super lacy style that I don't like at all from an aesthetic point of view. I really wish there were more options out there.

ETA

To come back to going braless or not - my fifteen year old sister has been going without bra (only wearing a bralette) so far. I went with her shopping for bras last fall and we bought two, but she doesn't wear them regularly. She hasn't that much yet and even so she's been getting comments from other girls in her class that she should get a bra because seeing the natural shape of her breast would be 'disgusting'. Now, saying a thing like that is something that I find disgusting. I remember being under the same pressure. I got my first bra with thirteen or fourteen when it really wasn't necessary. There's quite a bit of body shaming going on. This is an all girls school btw.

I never wore a bra until I had my son. Even though my mom took me for professional ftittings they were uncomfortable and they had so much padding - which I did not want!! So I ditched bras early on. I didn't even get the "pencil sign" I would have needed duct tape to keep a pencil in place. When I was nursing I went from a 32AA to a 34DDD. I was stymied how to dress that chest. I was happy to be such a good dairy maid for my son, but I prayed each night that when he was weaned they would go back to "travel sized for my convenience" (Okay, so I love Mulan!!) Fortunately they reverted to their usual droop free form but with a baby/toddler etc I started wearing the gaps cotton bralettes. The advantage, side step the highbeams but relatively comfortable and never worry about being taken to the ER etc without appropriate underwear on. When I get home from work, I change into a tank, leggings and sweatshirt and am bra free. But I do prefer a high compression sports bra for athletics. I don't like movement at all. I do want to go for a fitting to get a nice tee shirt like bra for under dress clothes but have not made this a priority. Another one who is happy with their petite size. I like the minimal straight look, I had no idea how to dress a curvy figure.

Small 36A and almost always wear a bra. Now it's such a habit that I feel sort of naked without it, which is really odd. But I'm 50 and even as small as I am gravity has taken effect and a bra just helps with shaping. I wear bras with no padding at all or just the smallest amount, so I'm not creating cleavage -- but I am trying to pull together what flesh there is into a shape. I admit it.

Back in my early 20s I enjoyed a period of time when I wore muscle shirts without a bra and I loved the freedom and androgyny of it all. It felt great. I had a different body then, though. Everything -- I mean, everything -- was firmer.

I'm 34D but a pencil will drop. Even when I wore a smaller size, I've always needed a bra for modesty. I've never felt comfortable when my nipples are visible through my clothes.

Bras - I see them as a necessary evil. With a weight gain since my early 30s, I went from mosquito bites to now a 34 DD. When I was younger, I would often go without a bra and loved it. Now, I never go without a bra when out. I also spend ALOT of money on bras and hate it but hate more uncomfortable bras! As soon as I get home those bad boys come off and I wear a stretchy tank under my loungewear - still have to hold the girls when running up and down the stairs

Braless is *so* uncomfortable. I vote bra all the way.

I wear a bra whenever I'm out in public because I'm endowed enough that it's pretty clear if I'm not. But I don't find it hugely comfortable and it's usually the first thing to come off when I'm home. I actually sometimes call bras "waistbands for the chest" because that's basically what they feel like to me. It's sort of weird because I feel like I should be uncomfortable without the support at my DDD size, but hanging around the house braless feels perfectly fine to me.

I'd love to be small and perky and have the option of going braless in things like easy summer dresses, but I think that ship has long since sailed. I do sometimes wear shelf-bra tanks instead of real bras under sundresses so I don't have to worry about finding dresses that can hide bra straps. I probably shouldn't because they're clearly designed for someone who doesn't need much in the way of support, but they're so convenient that I can't help it.

I'm one of those people who don't "need" to wear a bra, and when I was Young and daring, I didn't. But honestly, it was pretty scandalous. Having super perky nipples can be distracting for everyone from fast food workers to bankers--and the latter you'd want to take you seriously, and nipples popping out don't help! The other reason I choose to usually wear one today is because even though they are small, they will drop a tiny bit. It's just a matter of support and having my b's be healthy and light-feeling. Also, in the situation of running, that would still hurt to go braless, even though I am an A cup.

Not many gals can go without, in my observation. A few might, but gravity can do unkind things even to the small ones, especially if you have had children. My cousin is an A cup, and she said that what little she had before has all gone deflated now, after having borne two children, and now they are like "sad little dog's ears". And she DIDN'T breastfeed!

I'm not in the "everyone MUST wear a bra" club because I think if you truly can go without, they why not -- but I tell ya, mine have always needed support. I dislike jiggling.

ETA I think breast sagging has a lot to do with genetics. I don't wear a bra to sleep, although I did when I was pregnant and breastfeeding because they got so huge and heavy, and I thought good grief, these are going to be down to my knees by the time I'm finished. Well, they're not. I have hormone-sensitive breast tissue, which means it responds to cyclic progesterone surges by plumping up (somewhat painfully, I might add) -- but the upside is that even though I do not have a tiny bosom, it's still pretty perky, and I am no longer young.

Torontogirl, high five! Two babies in this house, too.

A friend of mine just had a reduction and she can go unsupported now.

I shouldn't even be here...I'm so in awe of you braless ladies! Rock on with your jiggle free selves!

I on the other hand have been wearing one since 13, underwire since about 16, and always, always ALWAYS sleep in a bra (usually an underwire that I've deemed sleep-worthy). I can't have a wild night of sleep contribute to a bad case of the saggies later on in life.

I've been dedicated to the cause for a great many years, and I can honestly say at nearly 40, and size ranging from Es-Gs, I'm still perky and pointing straight forward -- even still, gotta wear a bra, can't get with the jiggle nor the nipple chafe! I'm a runner and I'm wrapped, strapped, and pancaked as much as a bra can do on my runs -- no bouncing here. I always heard that the heavier they are (large or small), the more likely gravity is to tear your connective tissues, and when that happens, you can't really reverse it. I've made sure to not traumatize my tissues w/no bra on (I'm a bit of a freak...I know!). In addition, I hit the bench press and weights pretty hard to make sure my muscles underneath look good, so if things go south, I've at least got some shapely pecs to work with for a while. (LOL!!!)

I feel obligated to wear them - as much as I hate them, probably don't really need them, and can't really find a "size" for myself that isn't a bralette. Recently, after losing just a few pounds, I noticed that I had been carrying some weight there (not just in my belly). Anyway, I won't wear padded ones unless I'm dressing formal. I can't stand synthetic fabric and I'm not so sure it's "healthier" to wear nylon and polyester right up against your very delicate skin all day. (We do absorb this stuff) BUT, I still do it (mostly) because of society's expectations. The comments on this thread support those expectations. No pun intended.

For me, bras all the way. I pay top dollar for well made, properly fitting bras...one of the smartest moves I've ever made, fashion wise. The comfort factor is huge, and I finally found some that put the girls where the darts are. And, after a total of 4 years nursing, I'm sure the general public appreciates the girls being corralled. If I could go braless, I probable would at times.

Gigi - I just want to jump in and say there are no ligaments or
muscles in the breast: it's just soft tissue that stretches. There
*are* muscles underneath the bosom, which can be strengthened, but that
has to do with where the breast is moored, not the breast tissue itself.
I would not count on your bazongas to self- perk. Even my 50-year-old friend with the gloriously firm "long-term-investment tits" (as she calls them) routinely wears a bra to keep the money in the bank, so to speak. if you're worried about lymph circulation, just be wary of how your underwire fits or use a soft cup.

If only men had this issue in the jock strap. I would never dare to suggest my man was looking a little runny around the edges.

I have had to wear one since 4th grade. *sigh* Really hard to be a specialty size when my mom was a 34A after 2 kids. (Got them from my dad's side).

I wear one because it is socially acceptable for them to look a certain way, and at a 7D, there is no choice but to wear one to achieve this look.

I would totally be on board if we, as a society, decided they were no longer required. After all, the look we are all trying to achieve with a bra is the same look as a young woman who has never had children (forward facing, perky, etc). Sort of reinforces the societal norm that women must look young or lose social acceptablity and societal worth.

Well, maybe. I can NOT imagine jogging on the elliptical without one. Ouch!!

Are most people trying to achieve a look, or to be comfortable (whether by lifting up or covering nipple cripple)?

"I would never dare to suggest my man was looking a little runny around the edges".
Totally funny.
I always wear a bra unless I am lounging at home and even that is sometimes not comfortable after having a kid. A whole lot more swinging going on. I was just thinking about bras the other night (as I took mine off with a sigh of relief before bed). I wonder if women will look back on bras 50 years from now like we look back on corsets and wonder why we tortured ourselves. I wear one for both the comfort and to make my clothes look better.

I am primarily trying to get comfy. But ever since I started buying ready-to-wear (as opposed to tailormade) woven garments, I have found things just don't fall into place in many garments sans bra.

This thread is hilarious!
Team bra (all 30C of me). For me it's a combination of appearance and comfort as well as modesty. If society as a whole were to move toward braless, I think casual would drop to a whole new level. We've all witnessed and most of us have experienced, what an ill fitting bra does to our overall appearance.
Whether or not that's balked at or accepted does not change how it looks in reality.

I'd say modesty for me, and to enhance/balance my figure, like Anne mentioned. So that's why at home those issues don't matter and I often don't wear one. I'm also between sizes and so the comfort is an issue.