been musing, about breasts and underwear.

[NeverKnowinglyUnderstood]

why do we wear bra's?
is there genuine personal benefit for a woman's welbeing to have them strapped in?
I was thinking about the lesser clothes peoples of the world and they seem to be totally at ease with breastshape and shape change over the life of a woman.]

Now, I have huge boobs, I strap them down so I don't knock out passing motorists when walkign down the street. Hwoever it is more comfortable for me to not be strapped in. It is only for other people that I wear one.

Looking young and pert would be great if I was young and pert but wouldn't that just genuinely look wierd on an 80 year old?

don't really know where I am going with this, just musing if anyone wants to chip in.

And me too SP. But really the problem isn't that nipples show through the tops we wear but that them showing is considered a bad thing, distracting or overtly sexy. It isn't when a man's nipples show through their top.

I just don't like nipples and if I see a woman or man with their nipples visible through tops I can't help but look! Don't know why. It's like friends, they never wore bras on that show!

I've been thinking about the childhood aspects of bra use e.g. training bras.

Should training bras be encouraged or discouraged or are they "neutral"? When is the right time to start wearing bras? Should girls be influenced to wear bras only after their breasts have started to enlarge, when breast support and comfort need to be addressed? What about bras for pre-pubescent girls as a fashion choice or role model aspiration (trying to imitate their mother)? For many girls, their first bra is a memorable milestone on the path to womanhood.

According to some feminists, bra use by pre-pubescent girls is about socialising girls, because the bras are not performing a breast support function. This socialisation causes many girls to internalise a connection between a woman's breasts and sexual attractiveness.

I wear a tshirt type bra so that people can't see my nipples! Wearing a bra is about not feeling that people can see every detail of my body.

For those asking about why women weren't wearing bras for 'comfort' before the 20th century, i'd suggest that women who did active 'manly' things in pre-20th century times would 'bind' their breasts with strips of material to stop them jiggling around.

I am a 'functional' bra wearer.. but with my 36DD i do wear a bra all day and swap to a sports bra for everything active including hiking (because the straps don't fall down under my rucksack straps) and yoga (because my boobs don't fall out when i'm upside down).

I will acknowledge that nipple hiding is due to society pressures.... but the rest of bra wearing is down to comfort and giving me the ability to run around and function like a man (i also don't wear high heels, long nails, dangly jewellery or restrictive skirts).

The majority of women wear underwired bras which are very uncomfortable but make breasts look youthful. The point of this is too look at why we feel the need and encourage our children to wear underwear that does this. So yes soft cup, wireless bra wearing women may be wearing them for comfort if they have large breasts but that is irrelevant. We are talking about bras that make the breast look 'sexier' and the social pressures that mean the majority or women feel is unquestionable that they need to wear them.

"We are talking about bras that make the breast look 'sexier'"

The OP makes no mention of only being about "sexy" bras, and asks instead about bras in general. You may be talking only about non-functional bras, but that doesn't mean everyone else is.

I personally find underwire bras much more comfortable than non-underwire...

Same here math I tried wearing non-underwired after giving birth to DS, but they just weren't that comfortable!

Especially when breastfeeding, the support from the underwiring and the fact they were more cushioned than the non-underwired, so much better for my aching boobs (and back)!

What is comfortable isn't universal, it's personal. I know some people find flip flops highly comfy, I personally feel like I may as well have cheese wire between my toes.

And, right or wrong, I rate my own physical comfort above making any kind of political statement.

Of course you are right to put your own personal comfort first. But feminism is about exploring the choices we make and questioning whether they are real choices or as a result of patriarchy and societal pressures.

Krum - I am sure underwired bras are the most popular amongst young woman. But I thought the most popular bras in the UK were soft comfortable bras that most women as they get older tend to wear?

I also find underwired bras more comfortable. I'm a 30GG and I find it bloody uncomfortable not wearing a bra. I don't sleep in one but I do put one on as soon as I get up.

If I had much smaller breasts then I probably wouldn't bother if I was comfortable (physically) without one, because bras are expensive and to me they are more of an essential item (like shoes) than a 'fun' thing to buy. This is a personal thing for me and I don't think women should feel obliged to wear a bra if they are more comfortable without one. I hate it when you see celebrities- shock, horror- going braless in the tabloids- why should they have to wear one if they don't want to?

When I'm bra shopping I always choose comfort over appearance. The whole reason I'm buying a bra is because of comfort so I don't give a monkeys how they look really. I find lacy ones scratchy. I'm not a huge fan of plunge bras but they do make breastfeeding easier and because of my shape a lot of the time that's all I can get to fit me comfortably.

I suppose all the lacy 'sexy' styles are available because of the way our society has fetishised (is that a word?) breasts. Something that should be a functional item of clothing has become something sexy and impractical and in some cases, totally unnecessary.

Bras have could have been something that is for women but instead they are something that is for men. Why can't we just have something for us?