Time to burn our bras?

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Before having kids I always wore a bra. I was a B cup and it hurt to go down stairs, run, and such without one. After breastfeeding two kids, I can't stand to wear a bra. The main problem I have with one is that it only covers part of the breast, and creates a false end-line on the side of a woman's chest. The pressure from the bra material can actually clog milk ducts because of these, even in women that are not lactating (although it's more rare in those cases). Ever since my breast became functional for feeding an infant, strapping them into some false early pubescent state seems silly to me.

I wear a cami-thing when I leave the house, but for the most part I don't wear bras at all anymore. I'm a C cup, but was a DD while nursing. After about a month of going braless I stopped feeling any soreness going up and down stairs, when running, or during other activities.

When my first baby was born I was horrified to discover my nipples had started to point slightly downward instead of slightly upward. This change happened even though I had faithfully worn a bra throughout pregnancy. I later read that this is actually a helpful adaptation for breastfeeding, because it make the nipple easier to position for the baby to gain access. If the nipples were still upturned like before pregnancy it would take considerable contortions to get the baby in place

When I weaned my baby though, it was awful. They flattened. Like empty balloons. I was really upset about it, and blamed giving up bras a few months into breastfeeding for this. But after about two months my breasts went back to close to what they were pre-pregnancy, just slightly larger and with the nipple pointing a little lower. Apparently fat deposits in the breasts decrease while breastfeeding to make room for the increase in milk ducts, and then when they shrink back down after weaning, the body redeposits the fat.

I haven't noticed any additional sagging from the last few years of going mostly braless. I'm 100% ok with the changes that happened from pregnancy because they occurred while my breasts were doing what they are there for in the first place--feeding infants.

Quotes from men like Rouillion, saying "An overweight, 45-year-old woman with three kids has no business not wearing a bra," make me absolutely ill. As if a the sole reason women choose clothing is to please men, and that the changes from creating three children (as well as from aging!) are something to be hidden away in shame, lest they offend some man that isn't even capable of bearing and feeding a child. As far as being overweight, that is a health problem, and the lack of sympathy toward such is disgusting on his part. That's like saying teens with acne should wear bags on their heads.

I apologize that I'm getting ranty. I live in an area where women are still treated very second class much of the time, and this kind of thing gets to me. I don't have anything against the male sex, but I really, really dislike the culture that encourages women to be viewed as rewards, decorations, and useless outside of their role as a potential sex partner.

I don't like the youth-worship aspects of my culture either, because I feel like the world view of peaking and then fading away needlessly depressing. Really, what do I have to look forward to if now is the "best part of my life"? I also don't like when women feel compelled to do things that are bad for them (like smearing their faces with toxic substances that just deplete the acid mantle and make their skin worse, damaging their feet with high heels, or historically causing uterine prolapses with corsets) just because they feel like their body isn't acceptable the way it is.

Also most men rarely even notice most of the appearance stuff women do. From what I can tell, they don't notice eye makeup at all. They like lipstick/gloss, long hair, confidence, and clothes that are red, tight, or shiny. Everything else is negotiable beyond those things. This isn't all men of course, nor do I think all women should go around trying to lure as many men in as possible. I just wish we would stop letting people, male or female, get away with saying negative things about older people, people with health problems, and postpartum bodies. People need to stop raising the bar for unhealthy standards of appearance, and instead raise it for treating each other with compassion and dignity.

I am seriously ranting too much here. I feel like Twilight Sparkle on a soap box. I was only irritated by what the man said in the quote, and not by any of the comments in this thread. I don't expect other people to have my same opinions, and I apologize if I come across that way.

I think eye makeup isn’t really supposed to be noticed very much. It’s one of the many pieces of a woman’s attire which work by sending men subliminally the message that she is aroused, when, in fact, she most likely isn’t.

I don't do many things that are generally expected of women in my culture. I never wear any make-up and I don't shave.

Is it just me, or does the woman in the pic seem to be wearing a mask, one she may be about to take off with her hand?

Find it rather useful and liberating; keeping it around for the time being, tyvm.

I think bras are awful & try to schedule all my errands for the same day, so I can be comfortable on the other days. :) Also, for workouts I do prefer to wear an effective sports bra.

The Body By Victoria bras are less horrifying than most of the other kinds I've tried. They kind of shape themselves to you better, which helps.

I used to not wear them out, and sometimes I still just forget. Sometimes, I pile on extra clothing in the hopes no one will notice. ;)

The reason I wanted to comment, though, is, to me, it seems like a safety issue. I don't care if people think I am attractive or not, but men I don't even know staring at my chest makes the already difficult experience of shopping much, much worse.

Men, in general, seem pretty forward & aggressive, & I've noticed some take the lack of a bra as a green light. It's no joke. Calling too much attention to yourself &/or your sexuality (which apparently you do, if anyone sees your nipples, which is why the writer of the article seems like such a creepnut), can put you in danger sometimes.

I hate bras. They're almost the sensory equivalent of florescent lighting. But, I have fewer scary incidents with them. Although safety shouldn't have to be a factor in this decision, it is one. Strange men aren't predictable.

As far as the study goes, it doesn't sound like good science. lol

I would love to go braless.
At my age and size though, I'd end up with black eyes if I started running!

Strange that you all think that, as I recall that weight loss contributes to having implants removed or refitted with better enhancements.


My breasts have had changes that would make a grown woman cry. or man..
If you think im gonna be posting any of that on here, you are breast mad.

I am a busty girl. Without my bra, I wouldn't be able to use stairs or run comfortably.

No, just no. I can't take mine off. The consequences would be horrifying.