It’s October 13th, which means its National No Bra Day. This national holiday is meant to promote breast cancer awareness and help raise money for breast cancer research. Additionally, this day can be liberating for many woman and a topic of conversation for our society.
Arriving within Breast Cancer Awareness month, National No Bra Day continues the ongoing open conversation about breast cancer awareness. About 1 and 8 women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. Breast cancer could have less of an effect when detected early; therefore much encouragement has been put on women to check themselves through physical examination and mammograms. To learn how to give yourself a breast self-exam, click here.
Bras are loved by some women, and despised by others. Being a naturally busty woman, I’ve always struggled to find a bra with the right fit. That one fits weird, this one pinches my back and those are too itchy… so on and so forth. Developing throughout the years was also a nightmare of an experience – it felt like I was purchasing a new bra every six months, and my wallet definitely felt the loss.
What many women are now realizing is that bras, scientifically speaking, don’t do them much good – especially in their younger years. Researcher Jean-Denis Rouillon led a team that conducted a 15-year study of the effect of bras on women aged 18 to 35 which found that wearing a bra from an early age did nothing to help support the chest, reduce back pain or prevent the breasts from sagging.
Rouillon and her fellow researchers believe that young women would actually gain more tone and supporting breast tissue if no bra were used. All this time, young women were doing it all wrong. Bras, they claim, could hamper circulation and reduce breast tone over time. The women in the study who stopped wearing bras had a 0.3-inch lift in their nipples when compared with regular bra users.
So, the real question is what are bras doing for us women?
The only answer I can conjure up is that they are protecting us from society. Women’s bodies are constantly being sexualized – our breasts, behinds, and beyond. Our breasts are apart of our natural anatomy, yet we are told to encase them in a bra because if seen through a shirt, or if the bounce is too noticeable, we are exposing our private parts. As a woman, have you ever been told you can’t wear a shirt because of the way your breasts look in it? Has your mother or father ever told you to change before you leave the house? Have you ever been fearful to purchase a clothing item because of your chest, or in many women’s cases, your lack of chest? I know many women who have. The stigma on breasts and how they should and shouldn’t look is ever-so-present in our society.
Going bra-free is something I would encourage all young women to try. Fortunately it is becoming more accepted, as celebrities such as Rihanna and Kendall Jenner often sport no-bra looks in their personal lives and on the red carpet. Going braless this October not only continues the support for Breast Cancer Awareness, but it is also liberating and healthy!