This journey has been a long one, but it needs to be documented. Being a working woman in the world of professionals, not wearing a bra is a pretty bold move and I always thought the braless life was not a viable option for me. I often found myself wondering if I could get away with wearing certain clothes, if people would notice or if I would be uncomfortable. I've worked in a lot of different departments with a lot of different dress codes. In fact, it has taken me three years to get to the point; I am now.
Ultimately, bras suck. I could go on forever about why bras are the most annoying and troublesome piece of clothing on the female body. They’re straining, never fit right, the tag is always irritable, and they’re A LOT of maintenance. I think every girl can agree that taking your bra off at the end of the day is the most liberating feeling a woman could ever have. Guys, this is like the equivalent of taking your tie off, but your tie doesn’t have a wire going around your neck. I’m not here to complain though; I’m here to explain why I have fallen off the bra-wearing spectrum.
My braless lifestyle all started with my retail job. I was told to wear athletic wear. Yoga pants, tank tops, sports bras and a jacket here and there. I think it is fair for me to say the sports bras are what got me to this point. Bras with no underlining in them are a polyester blessing. This was the beginning of my underwire opt-out. Going to work and being told my uniform was to wear a sports bra was so liberating. Like yes, I'd love to be lazy and not wear my $65 bombshell bra from Victoria's Secret that squeezes the life out of my back and soul. After that, I realized how comfortable I was, and from that point on I effortlessly talked myself into why I shouldn't be wearing bras on a daily basis.
Bras are expensive. Paying anywhere from $20-$75 for a bra is just outrageous to someone who was working a part-time job, and going to school. I started buying bralettes which are like $12 as opposed to underwire money suckers. I bought two, and it spiraled from there.
I felt uncomfortable because society made me feel uncomfortable. There was always the fear of the nipple. always thought I would be exposing myself if I wore anything less than an underwired t-shirt bra being raised around the bra-wearing woman. I realized I only had those fears because society planted them into my head. We over sexualize molecular aspects, such as nipples, causing women to have to wear contraptions that are foamy, wired and uncomfortable. Once I got past the idea that someone might disapprove of my thinly lined brassiere, not wearing a bra got a WHOLE lot easier. I didn't go out bare boobs running in the street, but I made my way into the bandeau world that would make your mother ask "What is that supposed to cover?" #SorryMom
After I had realized I stopped wearing all my bras entirely and focused solely on bralettes I invested in one of those sticky bras. Yeah, the bra you saw on Instagram for a HOT minute. Bought one, tried it, loved it, took it off, and my skin was red for a week. It looked like I had broken out in a rash. It didn't hurt, but my boobs had blotches of Satan all over them. As if I wasn't ALREADY tapping out of the bra life, that sealed the deal.
In general, I stopped wearing a bra because of that's what I wanted to do. It’s not harming anyone in the process, and I am still respectful of the situation. I am not ANTI-bra, but I am a when-the-situation-calls-for-it bra. I am, overall, more comfortable and confident not wearing a bra. I wouldn’t wear one around my friends or my family, my clothing options opened up so much, and I realized how little people cared. Most don’t even notice, and it’s a fun little secret I can keep to myself. Of course, no one is laughing but me, as per usual. Now I’m living a braless, carefree, laughing-at-myself life and I couldn’t feel more unhooked from societal expectations.
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