The Brassiere
My resentment for the Bra resurfaced today.
I require a few replacement ones, but I had difficulty finding the appropriate bras at the local Marks and Spencer's Department Store; the name I trust for such.
Where did my resentment come from?
Well, growing up, I was a tomboy who played football and cricket in the streets. I always wore my t-shirt tucked behind my neck with my chest exposed, just like all the little boys did.
I became a carefree and rebellious teenager of petite stature, and when I grew to 5ft 2ins, it was apparent that I'd maximized my vertical growth. However, there was a steady, continuous growth in the fatty tissues on my chest.
At the onset of the development of the upper area of my body, I was instructed by my mum that my time had come to wear an extra garment like that of hers and my elder sisters.
Me: What's the purpose?
Mother: For support.
Me: Support? What support? They are firm?
Mother: Well, they won't remain firm unless you wear a bra.
The brassiere was the most sexist-sounding thing I'd ever heard of, and I didn't like the idea of strapping down a part of me that I felt should move freely.
Anyway, I was open-minded enough to give the bra a try, but I felt constricted in them and I'd wear a bra occasionally.
Size Matters
I later discovered that the discomfort that I was experiencing was caused by wearing the incorrect bra size. Yes, the bra size matters! The number on the bra is the diameter around the body, which should be snug, not tight or lose, and the letter represents the size of the cup, that covers the breasts.
Ladies, have you ever had measurement for your correct bra size?
Most department stores, including ones like M&S, offer measurement of the bust size, to help women to have the best experience with the bra.
Some things to determine the right size of the bra are:
- the cup size, the area that the breast sits in.
- The band (diameter of the bra) that goes around the body
- The bridge of the bra, the area that meets the cups
- The straps that go over the shoulders.
There are different kinds of bras: the most common ones might be an underwired bra, as the one seen above, and the sports bra.
I quite like wearing a sports bra because there is no underwire, and they offer good support.
However, for an underwire bra, it's extremely important to wear the right cup size, so that the wire outlines the breast and does not rest on the breast.
Another kind of Bra that has a strong bridge and offers good support for the even heavier breasts. This bra is actually 2 cups size smaller than my required size, however, with guidance, I was instructed that for the shape and cut of this bra, I could wear it without harming or feeling any discomfort. It also perks the breasts up. Note that it's still different from a push up bra. I do not have any of those.
Am I now an advocate for the brassiere, you might be wondering?
I see the value in wearing a bra, but I'll never be fond of them.
As my two feet are inside my house and the door is closed, there goes my bra.
Different factors might contribute to the changing of womens breasts. Some factors might be changes in weight, breastfeeding, lack of exercise, and of course, gravity. My opinion is that the bra cannot defy gravity, and that the muscles supporting the breast can benefit from exercises, just as the other muscles in the body will. Still, the bra does offer some support to the surrounding muscles around the arms, ribs, neck, and upper back, which is most effective with the correct bra size, which offers full support.
Contrarily to what many might believe, the support of the bra does not come only from the cup that the breast sits in, but it comes especially from the support from the band, and also how well adjusted the straps of the bra are.
I must admit that for the last few years during the lockdown especially, I went many days without the bra, and I haven't noticed any changes in my bosom from doing so. This observance somehow triggered the resurfacing of my bra importance theory, hence the reason why I've been delaying sourcing replacement ones.
I think there are numerous reasons why some women might opt to go braless, and I recently saw this article in the Daily Mail: Women should swim topless in public pools to end the 'sexualisation' of their bodies and 'fight discrimination', Spanish authorities declare.
This article indeed caught my attention of course, and made me reflect on my initial feelings about the bra.
Still, my plan is to continue to wear a bra, and I decided that instead of purchasing the same size that I've done for the past 10 years, that I might be due to have a new measurement done. This is because our bodies change, and I see good bras as an investment to guard against developing back problems and avoiding neck pain. Also, the breasts are a delicate part of the female body which I believe should have tender loving care whether a woman chooses to wear a bra or not.
Ladies, how do you feel about the bra? What are some of the changes you have observed in your breasts throughout the years, and men, please feel free to voice whatever aspect of this issue that you might relate to... you never know...
Thanks for reading and being here.
I look forward to the comments, and I'm open about discussions of this kind. That's how I initially discovered that I was wearing bras way too small for my bosom...just from a casual chat with another female who got her breast measured.