Bras — Who Needs ‘Em?
Bras are something almost all women wear but why? We don’t need them!
Opinion piece: Nanette Jackson
Photo illustration: Zoe Deal
Why do women wear bras? Is it because of the support or is it because it’s a piece of clothing we’ve been taught to think is essential?
Caresse Crosby, a poet and founder of the Black Sun Press, invented the modern bra in 1914. She wanted to go to a ball one day and instead of submitting to the suffocation of the corset, she decided to create something new. She tied two small pieces of fabric together and fastened them with a strap that went around her neck. Other women were shocked at first but came around to the idea. At the time, people enjoyed the freedom of bras compared to corsets because they allowed more breathing room. The bra became the replacement of the widely-used corset, although major production of bras didn’t start until the 1930s.
Women were first accepted into the lower ranks of the war during World War II in the 1940s. Once enlisted, women were fitted for bras, leading military designers to create the “bullet bra” in order to accentuate women’s breasts. Outside of the war, Frederick Mellinger had opened a lingerie shop called the Hollywood Chain in 1947. In his store, he introduced black lingerie and the first push-up bra.
In the 1960s when women were fighting for equal rights, a movement referred to as “bra burning” spread throughout the nation. Women would publicly burn their bras and continue life without bras to symbolize independence. My question is — why did we bring back the bra after this revolution?
Did we bring them back because people tell us that our boobs will start to sag if you don’t wear them? Well, a 15-year French study of women ages 18 to 35 suggests bras don’t actually support our breasts as much as we’re told. They found that women who didn’t wear a bra over women who did, noticed a seven-millimeter lift in their breasts because their chest muscles were no longer relying on the bra to prop them up. The study also suggests wearing a bra does not help with back pain related to larger breasts.
What really gets me is that there’s a statistic stating the annual bra market in Europe and North America is worth $11 billion, according to the Global Market Review of Lingerie in 2016. Yikes.
Western alumna Dana Hasert gave a TED talk on the politics surrounding bras and that’s where I found my passion about this topic. She recounted walking around a young women’s bra and underwear section and seeing padded training bras with their expensive price tags.
I remember thinking, “Why the hell do little kids need padded bras?” Hasert talked about how she noticed all the padded bras in sections for young girls whose breasts had barely developed and about the flack she received for not wearing a bra from friends, family, and co-workers. She shared enough to make me think, ‘no more.’ I have been regularly braless for more than a year.
Now that I’m braless, I get questions everyday about why I don’t wear bras. Does it make me a hippy or does it just make me a normal human being? I’m just wearing my body the way it was given to me. When we were all swimming in the womb, we all started off with the same parts. Is it really that crazy of a concept?
As a woman with smaller breasts, I can get away with wearing more revealing shirts because I don’t have that much to show. But for my friend Kate, she can’t wear a revealing shirt with her 34DD breasts without feeling like she is being judged or oversexualized by men. It’s not as simple to say women shouldn’t wear revealing clothing. It’s important that people feel comfortable to express themselves as long as they’re not hurting themselves or anyone else. Feeling this comfort as a woman or a man is something we can all give each other. If someone wants to flaunt what they have and be proud of their body, empower them!
I would argue that few things are more attractive than naked breasts, not even a lacy bra. If men can walk around without shirts, then women should be able to walk around braless — no matter how big their breasts are. Women rip off their bras when they go home anyways. Why not exercise those muscles and embrace the beauty of naked breasts all day, everyday? Don’t let anyone make you feel ashamed of your body.
There is something to be said about the natural beauty of unsupported breasts and being part of a movement to normalize this free way of living for all women, and not to mention, it’s cheaper. Going braless isn’t just about “fighting the system.” It’s about normalizing what we all have: nipples. Society has told us that women’s nipples are sexual and we should have a radar out for them.
So, will you join me in trying to normalize this idea? Try going braless for a day or changing your perspective on the taboo of going braless.