Last year in lockdown I like many women embraced not wearing a bra for most of the day. I was at home and there was no real reason for me to wear one. As the months went past and lockdown ended I started venturing out – not too far, mind – perhaps to the local shops and café without a bra. But when it came to meeting people, I still put one on. The pull of societal demands still strong inside of me.
And then I met a friend for dinner one night and she told me she wasn’t wearing a bra. In fact, she said she was planning to ditch bras for good. “I just don’t see the point,” she said. Her words were echoed by the actress Gillian Anderson recently who on a on an Instagram Live said, “I don’t wear a bra anymore. I can’t wear a bra. I’m sorry”. And the reason why she had stopped was relatable for many women: “It’s just too f***ing uncomfortable.”
As much as many bra manufacturers will have you believe otherwise, there’s not much that’s comfortable about wearing a bra. No matter the material, the presence or absence of a wire, the cut, nothing can compare to the feeling and freedom of going bra-less.
But for many women there is the belief that not wearing a bra will lead to sagging. Anderson herself mentioned it, when she said: “I don’t care if I reach my belly button... my breasts reach my belly button. I’m not wearing a bra anymore.”
A found that wearing a bra maybe a “false necessity”. "Medically, physiologically, anatomically, the breast does not benefit from being deprived of gravity," Jean-Denis Rouillon, a professor at the University of Franche-Comté said.
"A bra is an article of clothing, not a medical device," Dr Amanda Newman from the Jean Hailes Women's Health Organisation . "There has been some suggestion that your breasts will become less droopy if you wear a bra, but I don't think there's any good evidence for that,” she went on to say.
This has been confirmed by a number of specialists including bra expert Laura Tempesta who : “Contrary to popular belief, there is no scientific evidence whatsoever that wearing a bra keeps breasts from sagging, [a condition known as] breast ptosis.”
However women wear bras or ditch them, for reasons other than medical advice. Our breasts have been hypersexualised from when we are young. While some women ditch the bra for comfort others are doing it to bring attention to the hypocrisy of women not being allowed to wear what they want in public. And then there are those who wear bras because of societal expectations.
“Women’s bodies are seen as contested terrain in public space,” Deborah J Cohan, an associate professor of sociology told Teen Vogue. Cohan went on to say, “everything related to women’s bodies seems like fair game for waging war on women and on advancements made by feminism, as well as for shaming women.”
When I spoke to my friend further about her decision to ditch the bra, it turned out she did it not only for comfort but because after reaching 40 it was a way for her to gain control of her own femininity and appearance as a woman.
Especially as she was now at a point in her life where she didn’t care if that made some people uncomfortable or not. Meanwhile for me I’m still not at a point where I’m comfortable about not wearing a bra around other people. In time I may ditch the bra altogether but if I don’t it doesn’t matter either. What’s most important is having the choice to do what feels right for you and what suits your body best.
Gillian Anderson talking about ditching the bra allowed many women to speak about how they too were doing the same, or at least considering it. And the more it becomes common to not wear a bra out in public, the less likely many women will be uncomfortable for making the most comfortable choice.
Saman Shad is a freelance writer.
