Bra ha ha

 I don't wear a bra unless I have to and have been that way since puberty. I hate the things. And I recently read an article that supported my choice with, apparently, scientific evidence that bras cause all kinds of physical problems and don't prevent anything.

The study by a French sports scientist named Jean-Denis Rouillon followed 330 women who stopped wearing brass, ages 18 to 35,  over a span of 15 years, comparing them to a control group of women who continued to wear bras.  The results: For those who did not wear bras, breast tissue became firmer, not looser. Nipple position lifted, on average, by 7 millimeters per year. The internal supporting structures of the chest — Cooper’s ligaments, the pectoral muscles, the connective tissue — became measurably more active and more effective at holding tissue in position. 

The study was done in the early 2000s and there have been no follow-ups that I found, but it does seem to, um, uphold my impression.  Bras are necessary sometimes  — vigorous movements are uncomfortable without them. Guys may like looking at boobs bouncing up and down under your blouse or shirt but it is annoying (the bouncing, and sometimes the looking) and can even be a bit painful. Another reason is to be polite in public and not attract attention when it's inappropriate.

But otherwise I like to let the girls breathe free.  And that's not just a phrase.  Bras cause sweating, chaffing and other discomfort.  The sweat that can't evaporate causes rashes, even  back acne where the bra strap wraps around behind you. When I do wear a bra, it's such a relief to take the darn thing off. 

My breasts are naturally firm and don't sag. That seems to run in the women of my family.  My mom still has a nice rack and she rarely bothers with a bra, too.  I think I got the aversion to them from her.  She tells me her mother, my grandmother, also had firm breasts.  I remember her but honestly never paid any attention to her boobs.  I only mention my mother's breasts because we've talked about this, concluding some women need the support of a good bra and others, such as we, do not.  But we all need to wear a bra in public situations for the sake of decorum and social expectations.   

These days I only wear a bra when I go into town or have a business meeting. People assume certain things about you if you don't wear a bra, especially if you are on the large size, and who needs that when you are just running errands, and you certainly don't want any attention to your physical endowments when you are talking important matters and expect to be taken seriously.

But around the ranch on normal days, I almost never wear a bra. If I'm meeting people about ranch business, of course I do.

I wonder if bras will eventually become out of style, like girdles. Who wears a girdle anymore?  They used to be a common undergarment but I don't think I've ever seen one for sale when I've been out shopping. Maybe they are, but I just haven't noticed.  If I did, I would think they were some sort of prosthetic device or something. 

Hosiery is another item of wear that seems to be almost gone.  In my grandmother's day, nylon stockings were a must, held up by garter belts that you lashed on over your underpants. What a pain. In my mother's day that gave way to panty hose and now most people don't bother with stockings at all. Supposedly, they are making a come-back, but I wonder. I enjoy wearing thigh-highs and knee socks; I do it because it's a style I like.  But among the women I know, stockings are just one more thing not to have to bother with.  I can see a day when bras will be considered the same way.

If you watch old movies, especially pre-code ones, it's obvious the women aren't wearing bras. Or if they are, they are very flimsy. The modern support bra doesn't seem to have become common until the 1940s sweater girl era when bras were used to emphasize the shape of the breasts under the sweater.  Then came the Fifties with the nose-cone pointy bras. Ridiculous. But with the Sixties came the topless bathing suit, which turned out to be a, um, flop. Still, it was a sign the times were a-changing. Then came Carol Doda, who I think was the first topless dancer in 1964. A rock formation in Yosemite is named Doda Dome in honor of her.  (I just looked that up!)

Then in the Seventies came bra-burning in the name of women's liberation.  Guys may wonder what the connection was, but that one of the first things women did to express their "liberation" was torch their stupid bras tells you how much the things are hated.

Of course, men were baffled because they just think of breasts as sex objects -- sweater puppies, whoopie cushions. So letting them free seemed like some form of provocativeness, which it wasn't.

I especially hate to wear a bra when I am nursing and my breasts are leaking, swelling with milk, contracting after feeding. Clogged milk ducts, mastitis, thrush, even reduced milk production...gawd. All that goes away for me when I don't wear a bra. Okay, guys, if you want to look at my stupid boobs, look. Like you've never seen tits before. I don't care.  Of course, as I said, if I must go out in public, I have to bra up and strap on a nursing bra for the duration.  But I hate it. I think I said that.  Haha. 

Anyway, what a relief it is not to have to armor-up before going out the way women did back in the day, with granny panties, bullet-bra, girdle, stockings and garter belt. These days that's all history.  I have run down to the post office wearing just a sun dress and nothing more. There would have been a time not all that long ago when, had I done so, I would have been arrested.  These days the only thing that might happen is that one of the loafers lounging in front of the general store next door will say, "Oh, honey, you just made my day!"