Are bras really needed? page 10

[kenn]

I've seen some major saggies in need of support lately

[MamaGrok]

I have so many thoughts about this, and I don't know what my final conclusion is. After nursing for 13 years, I don't think pregnancy and bf'ing have done much, if anything, to necessitate a bra as far as size or sagging. Rapid weight gain (stretch marks) certainly did its damage and slow but substantial weight gain did the most. Breast size changes seem to have the most to do with body fat percentage for me, and most, I think.

The biggest reason I don't care to go braless is being nipply, and I think that *may* have to do with breastfeeding. It's hard to conceal, even through a bra & sweater, unless the bra is pretty thick.

As far as comfort, I hate doing anything other than walking w/o a bra. Can't bound up the stairs or jump up quickly or anything. But I don't know how much that would change if you never wore one. I saw a video from the series Meet the Natives where the people of Vanuatu were all bouncing in unison for a long time. It was hard to tell, but the it looked like the (topless) women were supporting their breasts with one hand. No, their breasts didn't hit their knees. They didn't stand out like porn stars or rocket ladies from the 50s, but they probably didn't even come anywhere close to the navel. http://www.galen-frysinger.com/graphics/vanuatu2.jpg

That said, I feel bitter at times that (so far as I know), female human beings are the only animal which has breasts all the time. Doesn't seem quite fair.

I do wear dancer's tanks that have a "bra" in them, which is what the site above recommends if feel you need a little more support.

I think this works for small breasts, but for larger, the monoboob is inevitable with a shelf bra, and that is just SO unflattering in my eyes. Can't go there.

[MamaGrok]

Yaohnanen Yam Dance
Pictures of dancing Vanuatuans. The younger women just run; the (presumably older) ones use one hand for support when running or bouncing, it seems.

Is a bra a help or a hindrance, compared to that? I prefer not bouncing or needing a hand to avoid it, frankly. BUt I also hate the constraint of bras. So whatdya do?

[Katherine]

Of course bras are the basic need of every women it is the basic part of women,s dressing and women,s love to wear fashion bras and theses bras which are matching with her dresses .Women,s really like and enjoyed bras shopping and like different designs of bras .

[zoebird]

yes, naturally *eye roll*

personally, i went bra free (just tank with built in simple cami-type) for about two years here after breastfeeding 3 years. and, i'm back to bras.

Now, to be sure, I do not wear them all the time. Usually a few days a week. The support (and look) is preferable to me ("naturally?" LOL). But, I also don't wear them longer than 8 hrs.

There is a doctor who writes about it on the interwebs, and she's smart. She says that your breast will become "perkier" without a bra. Mine didn't. They weren't less perky, really, either. It was sort of. . . neither here nor there.

I went and got nice, fancy bras ("loves to wear fashion bras. . . naturally?") because i thought that if I was going to wear them, I'd wear ones I liked, not functional ones which I'd bought in the past. So now, all I own is fancy lingerie ones that DO NOT match my dresses. LOL

I find them to be comfortable for most things, btu sometimes they do inhibit my teaching because, quite honestly, with how I can expand my rib cage while breathing (and teahcing that technique), I've come close. Buying fancy, expensive bras and then ripping them in yoga is not a good idea. So, i do get inhibited -- but otherwise they aren't uncomfortable.

[PHaselow]

Just pondering whether bra wearing is CW? Beyond corraling the jigglers for exercise, I wonder if there is any real difference in what happens to breasts of women in developed vs undeveloped cultures. Especially since wearing bras is fairly recent in historical terms.

If a bra prevents me from looking like a woman in a National Geographic photo, I'll wear one!

I really don't need one, being a 34B at best. At 47, though, I look better with a bra. Beyond esthetics, I'm not sure.

I kind of dig the look of a small boobed woman without a bra in a tank and jeans.

[fresa]

For me, bras are a must. I don't know how much I believe about whether they cause or prevent sag, since every women develops differently over her lifetime so there is no real control group. I used to not wear them around the house, but I recently felt like I was starting to sag so I started wearing them all the time again. I'm fairly young so I'm still in avoidance mode! Also, I find that if I don't wear them my boobs start to hurt. Mind you, I'm a 36F in US sizes, so I really can't get away with not wearing one in public even with a sweatshirt on

[Dirlot]

Probably more aesthetic and part of the cultural norm. I understand they can restrict the flow of lymphatic fluid so there may be a case for limiting wearing one, but for sports I would think it is a must.

[Kymma]

COOBIE BRAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After I had a precancerous breast mass and had read some stuff about giving up cheese and I googled about it and came across this great blog that I can't find. It linked wearing an underwire with increased sagging and also with breast cancer and recommended a coobie. Having put on a bunch of weight, I couldn't find a good bra, so I ordered one.

OMG! Life changing. First, it really holds you up. Second, it has an insert if you need to cover nipples. Third, it is the most comfortable bra ever! My husband loves the way it holds the girls. It is cheap ($22-24), you can't mess up the sizing bc there are only 2 sizes, regular and full size (plus). I don't wear other bras unless needed for an outfit.

[Bosnic]

I'm with Drain - a bra is a must for me.
That being said, I do wonder if this was an issue for our ancestors. I have two daughters and it seems girls these days develop at a much larger and faster rate than girls used to. I wonder if it is all the hormones in our food? We used to joke it was something in the chicken nuggets...but I'm starting to think it really is something in the chicken nuggets.

It's the BPA and other xenoestrogens from plastic that's in our foods.

It causes girls to develop and more so than they would have, but also causes a lot of problems for men's development. Testosterone levels are abysmal in developed countries.