Going Braless: Benefits and Drawbacks

Some of us have heard that going braless is healthier than wearing a bra. Others are convinced that bras are essential – and a few even wear a bra to bed. What’s the truth?

There are numerous myths relating to the wear or non-wear of a bra. We all know how much better we generally look wearing one, but also how good it feels to take almost any bra off at the end of a long day...

Myth: Bras Can Cause Cancer

Fact: While some of these claims may seem to have some possible merit, to date there is no scientific evidence to support that bras in any way contribute to the development of breast cancer. There is no proof that bras are in any way good for us, but there is similarly no proof that wearing a bra is bad for our health and wellbeing either.

Myth:            Bras Prevent Sagging      

Fact: Bras only prevent sagging while they are actually on. They give a much nicer and uplifted shape, and support, but as soon as the bra is off, the breast sits where it would whether the bra was ever worn or not. A French university study actually suggests that, over time, wearing a bra may actually cause breast sag. When no bra is ever worn, muscle tissue development in the chest wall may actually be enhanced – equating to natural support resulting in more natural breast life and higher positioning of the nipple. But be warned – discarding one’s bra, unless very young, will not lead to better natural support for women who have been wearing bras for decades...

Myth: One Should Sleep in a Bra

Fact: Some believe that wearing a bra to bed will keep breasts pert and perky. There is no evidence to suggest that this is the case. If anything, sleeping in a bra can be uncomfortable. It won’t hurt your health – but it won’t help, either.

Myth: Bras Make Our Breasts Look Normal.

Fact: Here’s the thing: “normal” is a misnomer. We assume “normal” is what we get when we wear a bra because we almost all wear bras. And while it is aesthetically pleasing, nobody can deny, what we consider to be “normal” is actually not. “Normal” breasts are asymmetrical. One is usually smaller than the other. One usually sits higher than the other. In some women, this is a subtle difference – in others, the difference is obvious and marked. Some women have large and prominent nipples. Up to ten percent of women have flat or even inverted nipples – and this, if lifelong, is quite normal. Some women have natural breasts; others have had enhancement or reduction surgery. Some women have had lumpectomy or mastectomy surgery. A normal breast is as individual as each of us is.

Japan’s “Boob Goddess”

We all love our beautiful bras, and as such we should all want to look after what goes into our bras. We all know this involves wearing well-fitted, supportive bras and regularly checking the breasts for anything abnormal. But what about breast massage?

A novel invention has recently come out of Japan (where else?). Invented by Japanese midwife and founder of the Wellness Life Institute, Takiko Shindo, aka the “Boob Goddess”, this is a modified “rake” which is claimed to firm a woman’s breasts – and to even make them bigger by up to three centimetres.

Called the Oppai Taisou Hand (which translates as “Boob exercise massage”), it is a pink hand-shaped plastic rake which is used to stroke and brush the breasts. Modelled on Shindo’s own hand, it looks a little like a blunt back scratcher. Shindo claims breast massage to be not only effective for enhancement of breast size and shape, but also to improve shoulder stiffness, menstrual cramping, menopausal symptoms, and overall breast health.

There are claims that there is “science” behind this strange invention. According to Shindo, the breast’s supporting ligaments need to move so that the naturally occurring breast fats don’t settle amongst the chest wall musculature, hence causing the breasts to sag.

Modern medicine and cosmetic surgeons tend to disagree with this theory. The fact is that ligaments do stretch over time – but unlike muscles, they never bounce back. Once they are stretched, they are stretched forever.

It’s not all bad news for this invention, though. Using the “rake” to massage and lift the opposite breast, the pectoral muscles are being massaged and exercised. These muscles lie under the breast tissues, and with exercise, they can be tightened and enlarged – providing better shape to the upper torso. It is also scientifically considered that stimulating the breasts mechanically can encourage breast growth. And better circulation is encouraged, which promotes better overall breast health.

Does it work? Who knows? But it has to be a cheaper, healthier option than getting breast implants!

The Joys of Bra Shopping – the Teen Perspective

As a teenager, I have mixed feelings about bras. Most of those feelings are negative. As an example, when the only bra I have left is that one bra which is visible through my shirt. As I walk around, I’m perfectly aware that every single person in my vicinity knows the colour of one half of my underwear. And I begin to wonder, why did I buy this bra? Ah, yes, bra shopping. I love shopping for myself, but bra shopping is something I could very easily do without.

Firstly, since I cannot drive, and when I’m starting out with bra shopping require some … assistance, I have to go with my mother. Which would normally be fine, if we were shopping for something like clothes or presents for friends. But bra shopping is a bit more perilous in this situation. It begins with the moment I walk into the bra section, and I am bombarded with the sight of neon pink and bright green bras, and I think “how do people even wear those without the aforementioned see-through shirt disaster?” With a quick glance over my shoulder to make sure there is no one I know within a 50 metre radius, I reluctantly press on further into the shopping section of doom.

It turns out, while I was busy contemplating the issue of bumping into school peers and neon bras, my mother has already picked out a selection for me to try on. And since I’ve already managed to get separated from her, she is forced to hold it up in the air and call out to me. At this moment, I have one of two choices: walk towards the bra being suspended in the air and reveal that it is beckoning for me; or I can hide, and no doubt succumb myself to more calling out and eventual anger from my mother. Let’s face it, angry mothers are scary. So, I make my way towards her, once again hoping that no one I know is nearby.

After a hasty discussion involving my mother holding the bra up to me and asking me whether I think it will fit (if I say yes, does that mean we can leave early?), I have to go try it on anyway. Now, I don’t know about you, but stripping down in a change room is hellishly awkward. They don’t have CCTV cameras in there, right? Not to mention the straps on this bra probably won’t be set right, and the band will be stubborn and not want to attach, and basically it will just be a disaster. Still, it’s a bra, and it fit eventually, so I’m done here, and I’m ready to leave this shop as soon as possible.

Okay, so maybe I’m being a bit harsh on the bra shopping experience. It is important, and when you learn you’ve gone up a bra size, well, that’s always a bit exciting (as a teen it is, anyway). There are definitely aspects which are less than desirable, and when you’re a teenager, the bad tends to outweigh the good. Thank goodness for online shopping at Undiewarehouse!

The Humble Bra – Part 3

In the 1950s, in a post-war society, women wanted glamour – and lots of it. After years of deprivation due to World War II, fashionable women emulated Hollywood stars who wore uplifting bras that seemed to achieve the impossible. Berlei, Triumph and Maidenform were big players in the manufacture and sale of quality bras that were not only functional but beautiful as well. The style of the time was for a pointed, circular, conical shape.  “Sweater Girls” like Lana Turner, and clever advertising inspired everyday women to pay close attention to the appearance of their breasts under clothing.

In the 1960s, bras were well designed to look good under knitted dresses. Rubber parts were eliminated and Lycra fittings became the norm.  Then when Yves Saint Laurent showcased a sheer blouse worn with no bra, feminists responded with ire and demanded women burn their bras. In reality, bras were not actually burned (except as publicity stunts) and most women did not abandon their bras, though attitudes to their wear did relax somewhat. Bras became less structured and from 1965, transparent sheer fabrics were sometimes used for their construction. Women who had worn bras to bed now slept braless for the first time in many years.

The pointed shape of the 1950s made way for a more natural look. Then in 1968 the first Wonderbra was produced by Gossard, to lift and enhance cleavage like never before.

Bra slips were also popular in the 1960s: an all-in-one underwired cleavage bra and short mini slip, worn with panties and tights under a mini dress. This was the least women had ever worn!

The 1970s saw bras made seamlessly and in fabrics with colour, prints, and nude tones. The braless, natural look was in vogue. The eighth season of TV show Bewitched, for example, saw Elizabeth Montgomery create a stir as Samantha when she was obviously braless in certain scenes and outfits.  

Women in the 1980s became very body conscious and erotic lingerie a la Dynasty and Dallas inspired camisoles, bodysuits and teddies.

Cleavage and shape were again popular in the 1990s and the Wonderbra made a comeback. Bras were at times worn as outerwear by celebrities such as Madonna and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Today there are bras for every circumstance, look, and occasion: sports, maternity, training, strapless, T-shirt, sexy, convertible, plunge, push-up, everyday, novelty, bridal... who knows what the future will bring in bra styling?

The Humble Bra – Part One

The bra, like other garments, has a long, long history, dating back as far as at least 2700BC when the Greeks had the concept to restrain a woman’s breasts. Wall art from the time depicts women wearing outer garments which laced and seemed to partially restrain, and partially push up and expose the breasts. In Ancient Egypt’s New Kingdom, around 1570BC, women’s fashion was that they were generally bare breasted.

In Classical Greece, about 750BC, women wore a belt-like garment under the bust,  loosely draped and often with one breast exposed. A band of cloth known as an apodesmos, or mastodeton was also worn to bind down the breasts for exercise in places like Sparta, where women were allowed to participate in sports.  When the apodesmos was worn under the breasts, it highlighted them. Another word for a breast-band or belt was strophion.

Mosaics from Rome circa 300BC depict women wearing bikini-style tops while undertaking exercise.

In China during the Ming dynasty, about 1368,  a form of primitive “bra” was worn,  complete with cups and straps drawn over shoulders and tied to the seam at the lower back. Popular amongst the rich, this was called a Dudou. According to Chinese legend,  the beautiful concubine of the Emperor of Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 907), Yang Yuhuan,  invented Dudou. Art from the time is the first depiction we have of sexy lingerie.

In the Middle Ages women did not generally restrict or support their breasts in any way; if they did, a cloth binder was used. An edict of Strasbourg in the Holy Roman Empire, dated 1370 states, "No woman will support the bust by the disposition of a blouse or by tightened dress." In the France of Charles VII (1403-1461), a gauze drape was used over the bust. Breasts were minimised with straight bodices and full skirts; corsetry was designed for function rather than aesthetics. Contrary to this, the ideal female form of this time was large breasted and full figured.

By the mid 1500s, corsetry was used for fashion and the hourglass shape was desired. Breasts were compressed by corsets so they overflowed from the top of dresses, giving a voluptuous (and one must suspect, uncomfortable) result.

The bra’s history runs in tandem with that of the corset: the Regency fashion for empire-waisted dresses liberated women, for a time, from corsets as well as any restraint of the breasts. This was in part thanks to French Empress Josephine, who during pregnancy dressed for comfort and the trend took hold.

The Victorian era of the 1800s saw women's clothing designed to emphasize both the breast and hips by severely tight-lacing the waist. Victorian women wore many layers of clothing: a chemise with a drawstring neckline, drawers, corset and corset cover, the under petticoat, the hoop skirt, the over petticoat, and finally the dress. They must have felt warm!

By 1889, the bra made its first tentative appearance...

Stay Tuned!