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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCT chapter.

In the first societies in ancient history, such as ancient Egypt, bras were solely used to ensure that women’s breasts did not ‘sag’ when the women reached old age. The use of bras has become a fashion statement with celebrities in Hollywood influencing women into buying them. Over the years, the development of bras has been complemented with advanced technology and incredible designs to make creative bras. The thing that still needs improvement, as far as bras are concerned, is the comfort. Here are the 10 things people who wear bras know:

1. The clip-on saga. I’ve struggled with this for years. To some, clipping the bra is easy. To me, it isn’t. My mother advised me to always clip the bra while wearing it back-to-front and then shift the bra around my stomach to its correct position and only then can I wear it.

2. Straps breaking off or unclipping. Often when someone wears a bra and the straps break off, it is either two reasons: the straps have been worn out or the straps are too small to fit the arm in. I’ve had wrestling matches with my bra straps all my life. Until I finally accepted defeat and understood that I needed to either adjust the bra straps or buy a new bra.

3. The equilibrium of the bra straps. Let’s be honest, some of us have had trouble adjusting the straps of our bras to be at an equal level. This happened to me and I have ended up with one breast looking higher than the other.

4. The famous relief women get when the bra is taken off. After I have had a long day on campus – nothing beats getting home and taking off the bra and just relaxing. It feels like I’ve found freedom!

5. Some bras do not see the daylight. I do not remember the last time I ever hung my bra outside to dry. I only hang it in the bathroom or even in the living room. Why? I see no need to hang it outside. It dries quickly. C’mon, admit it, you’ve done this too.

6. Wires poking out of the bra. When the wires start poking out, this is usually a sign you need to throw the bra away! I’ve had an experience where I didn’t notice the wire was poking out until I took the bra off and discovered some marks on my skin because of them.

7. The master of deception. I’m not going to lie, I’m guilty of this. I have worn the same bra for an entire week, without washing it, and I see no shame in it. Not only that, but I’m good at keeping it clean so it looks like I’m wearing a new one every day.

8. Itchy nipples. Sometimes the bra fabric irritates my nipples. While I’m in public don’t give a flying fish, I just scratch my boobs for relief. I don’t care who is watching. My boobs, my rules.

9. Skin marks. It is proven that wearing bras for a long time eventually creates marks on the person wearing it due to the bra being tight. That’s when I decided I would seek advice on finding the right size bra that works for my body.

10. Sports bra. I’ve never played any sport in my life. Nor do I care for exercise, but I wear sports bras like it’s nobody’s business. They are easy to move in and comfy compared to the fancy wire ones. Besides, when I wear a sports bra I feel and pretend that I’m active in sports like Serena William or something. Don’t judge me. It feels good.

A devout Christian. Multimedia Production / Broadcast Journalism student at University of Cape Town (UCT). Activist for people with disabilities. Writer. Poet. Blog: www.nolithangamlana.wordpress.com Twitter: @nolitha_july In a love-hate relationship with KPOP