“I can’t wait to take this thing off.”
That sentence is the first thing I think the minute I walk in my apartment after a long day of work and classes. Listen, girls have it rough. Not only do we have to go through monthly menstrual cycles or the constant up-keeping of our appearance to please society, but we also have to wear BRAS. I know what you’re thinking…”A bra is a norm for females! It’s nothing to complain about.” Wrong. It’s definitely something I’m allowed to complain about.
A bra’s job is to hold our *girls* in place all day and to make us feel and look a bit more presentable; but why is it almost required by society to wear a bra all of the time? I understand that sometimes, it looks unacceptable or even inappropriate, depending on where you’re headed, but I really think people shouldn’t give it a second look if women choose to go to the grocery store without wearing a bra.
Growing up, my mom would sometimes call bras “over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders,” which I always found hilarious. I started wearing a bra when I was about nine or ten. I remember going to softball picture day in fourth grade wearing a sparkly blue bra under my jersey (because apparently, I didn’t know what sports bras were). That sparkly blue bra was the first thing you saw in my photo of me holding up my baseball bat. Ahh, good times.
When girls hit puberty, it’s almost a mother’s job to declare to their daughter that it’s time to start wearing a bra. But, why? Like I said, I understand that bras hold everything in place and most of the time are able to cover up body parts that we definitely don’t want the world to see. But what I don’t understand is why it is weird for girls to not wear bras in places that they feel comfortable doing so. For example, a gal may want to make a stop for ice cream in her t-shirt and shorts, and says “Screw wearing a bra! No one will care.” Oh, but they do. For some reason, people take it upon themselves to give dirty looks or to stare at you like you just showed up naked.
Side note: Why are people even looking in that region of my body?
Take a look at these pictures of Selena Gomez not wearing a bra. She owns it. She doesn’t care. (This may or may not be due to the fact that she’s a celebrity and can basically get away with anything she wants. REGARDLESS!)
So, it’s not like girls don’t have a choice and are forced to wear bras because I know there is already a lot of women who choose not to and live their lives as freely as they want to. Bras can be essential, don’t get me wrong. There are times to strap on a bra and times where it might just not be needed. The point I’m trying to get at here is women should not feel obligated or feel embarrassed of the way they look without an “over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder.” The public shouldn’t care what a woman chooses to wear or look like. If not wearing a bra is something you feel comfortable doing, do it! And if not wearing a bra makes you feel yucky, then strap one on, sister! Either way, there’s no need for women to be ashamed.