No, I’m not pregnant...

Alana Rose wrote:Throughout this ‘pandemic’ year, I heard many people talk about the quarantine 15. I really couldn’t relate to their experiences. Due to living internationally in a small community, I really didn’t see/feel a majority of the pandemic effects. I am really thankful for that. I don’t at all mean to sound like I don’t have compassion for anyone’s painful or devastating experiences that they have experienced this year. I am no stranger to loss and I understand the trauma, fear, and suffering it can bring to a person.

Nicole Alderman wrote: I don't want to mess around with buying bra after bra, only to find they're uncomfortable. I'm just going to stick with these. I should probably buy a bunch more of them, in case the company stops making them!

Paul Fookes wrote:
When you get a bit of a stash it will need protection from moths, silverfish, heat and light.  Clothes being eaten and elastic failing  due to heat exposure is never a good thing.  A camphor wood box at the back of the wardrobe is a great way forward to keep the trove safe from the beasties, heat and light.  My mother in law had a camphor wood chest in the hall to hold her linen.  It was not only decorative but functional. No matter whether it is bought, home made or a family heirloom, it is a crying shame if it is spoiled because of avoidable damage.

Paul Fookes wrote:
Specifically with Bras... Inspite of advertising and what mothers tell their teen daughters, there is no scientific evidence that a bra actually prevents gravity taking its course over years.  The worst effect on breasts is from cigarette smoking - weakening of connective tissues and increased risk of cancer.  Natural resistance to droop is achieved by Cooper's ligaments that are connective tissue in the breast to help maintain structural integrity. They are named for Astley Cooper, who first described them in 1840. Like all ligaments, they stretch and weaken over time irrespective of any supporting garment.  Thus gravity always wins!!

So to the question at hand, do we wear what we wear for comfort, style or to look good because we are in competition? What we wear is often dictated by what we think others expect.  When the real truth is that they don't give a damn because they are self absorbed worrying about what others think. My wife has taken to not wearing bras 90+% of the time, even when out.  No one, to our knowledge, actually notices or cares.  Can I add, that she is a little bit cuddly - what I call value for money :-)  Be comfortable first, consider safety, and then if necessary be on trend. But be true to yourself and your god.

Alana Rose wrote:Has anyone read his book? Any other females going bra free out there 90+% of the time?

Alana Rose wrote:Any other females going bra free out there 90+% of the time?

Rebecca Blake wrote:

"Of course I reverted back to my comfortable, wireless nursing bras but I still don’t feel great. Idk, maybe it’s because I finally weaned the kiddo and for some reason my milk won’t go away even though it’s been a month."

Rebecca, fyi, you can still get mastitis / breast infection after weaning.  Underwired bras themselves can also cause breast tenderness and infection.  I speak both from personal experience, as well as a (former) postpartum doula. May I suggest that you apply warm  compresses while massaging the tender areas in a circular motion, pushing towards the nipple? Also, try a few drops of (organic, therapeutic grade) oregano oil in a capsule, filled the rest of the way with olive oil, twice a day for a few days, or 24 hours after the tenderness has dissipated.

"I’m amazed some of y’all are willing to do it in permies..."

During the winter, I wear undershirts, beneath shirts beneath sweaters.  Under all those layers, no one notices!  Now that the weather is warming up, that doesn't work 😟.   I had some all-cotton bras made for me last year, and at least I can wear those without feeling wrapped in plastic wrap!

If one is quite well-endowed, not wearing something to hold the girls from swinging back and forth can get uncomfortable.  So I'm told, not being in that category myself 😉

If one is quite well-endowed, not wearing something to hold the girls from swinging back and forth can get uncomfortable.

K Kaba wrote:

If one is quite well-endowed, not wearing something to hold the girls from swinging back and forth can get uncomfortable.

As someone who's slammed herself in the chin before... yes, yes it can.

K Kaba wrote: As someone who's slammed herself in the chin before... yes, yes it can.

Nicole Alderman wrote: Or when you jump and your body makes a clapping sound, but your hands were not involved.

Rebecca Blake wrote:

Alana Rose wrote:Has anyone read his book? Any other females going bra free out there 90+% of the time?

I’ve never actually considered going bra free... until this week because I started feeling tender and I think it may be because I wore a wired bra (Twice) for the first time in 3 years!

And a short commentary on them dropping over time, might I remind everyone that simply having a child does that to you? Forget gravity lol!

Paul Fookes wrote:
The biggest issue for women in getting bras is that there are over 40 breast types described in the literature, including that for some percent, the attachments for each breast are not symmetrical so a normal bra is never going to fit no matter the brand or style.  Most are made in places such as India, Bangladesh and Indonesia where the western mammary as described here is an alien concept.  Of note, the costumers are still rolling out 12 -14 B as a standard size but the current standard in most developed countries is now 14 - 16 C - D because of better standards of living and obesity.  Often the fitters get the sizing wrong because with an under wire, the wire should start just central to the natural lie of the breast and finish mid auxilla (the midline of the armpit) and there should be no folding or bulging of the breast in the cup and it should contour to the top side of the breast with no gaps.  The band should sit firmly but not so that there are back bulges. One way of checking for comfort is to put the bra on and have the cups at the back.  Check that the band is not tight when done up on the last hook (s) This allows for the band to tighten as it stretches over time. There is no excess pressure around the sides and when you breath in it stays put.  For a lot of women, an active wear bra with wide bands and shoulder straps are the best most of the time because they are generic for a size and provide the level of comfort required for most activity.  Also remember that there is some research suggesting that ill fitting bras contribute to shoulder, neck and back pain as well as causing trauma.  As a keen observer of the human kind and a nurse, it is unbelievable what some people try to squeeze into for fashion.  My take home for fashions is that if they don't like how I am dressed, they are free to put their hand in their pocket and buy my clothes.  Comfort and safety first.

If you are going to make your own under garments, a commercially manufactured bra has 22 +/- bits to it. so anything less is a saving.  I did know a lady who used to go to an op shop to buy second hand bras and then redesign them to her needs.  Just a thought: Life = droop :-)

Barbra Goody wrote:

Alana Rose wrote:Any other females going bra free out there 90+% of the time?

I was pretty self-conscious about it at first and, truth be told, I'm not entirely over it because my girls aren't the same size anymore because of having breast cancer several years ago.  Now, with all of that being said

Paul Fookes wrote:...  I did know a lady who used to go to an op shop to buy second hand bras and then redesign them to her needs.  Just a thought: Life = droop :-)

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:
Some years ago I started making some bras for myself. Not only because then I can make them exactly my size, but in the first place to make bras of natural materials and without wires in them. The hardest thing is to make a bra fit, I have not yet succeeded in that. But my bras feel OK because they are made out of cotton and linen.

Alana Rose wrote:Has anyone read his book? Any other females going bra free out there 90+% of the time?

Marie Abell wrote:1. Nobody notices as much as you do. My husband of course noticed that I changed, but he was just glad that there was more to grab. He said it was warmer at night and cushier to cuddle with. And I swear that I never got catcalled on south american streets as often as I did when I was...curvy.
2. Weight standards are cultural, period. When I felt so awful about myself and my weight gain, I started researching this. I found victorian porn, and the girls looked like me! Full thighs, round bellies, and sagging ample bosoms. They were gorgeous, and the height of sexual attractiveness at that time. It's not our fault that stick-thin has been shoved in our faces ever since we were babies, and even more so now with social media and easily-accessible editing software.
3. Every woman envies another woman for something. When I was looking at other girls, envying their flat bellies and thin arms, they were looking at me and wishing they had a big booty like mine. And when I was admiring the effortless loose flowing tunic dresses of my bigger friends, they were looking at me wishing they were "brave enough" to squeeze into jeans. So I finally figured, we're all sitting here wasting these mean small-minded thoughts when we should just be glad for what we've got.
4. Health doesn't always have everything to do with weight. I was far unhealthier as a bone-skinny vegetarian teen with chronic IBS, than I was as a slightly overweight mom with a good diet and a paunchy belly.
5. As a good friend told me years ago (sometime the best advice takes years to sink in), "you're never gonna be able to keep up with current fashion, so why try? Wear what you like and feel good in." I have really learned to lean into this philosophy since dealing with weight fluctuations. If I feel comfy, who's to tell me otherwise??

Marie Abell wrote:Hi Alana, I can totally relate to you with the weight fluctuation confusion. My story is a bit complex, I was ingesting synthetic estrogen for years without my knowledge (long story, our ex-neighbor belongs in a looney bin). To give some background: I eat a healthy balanced diet, zero refined sugars, not a heavy drinker, always been very fit and active, lean body type runs in both sides of my family; but at some point about 3 years ago, I started gaining weight and couldn't stop. I gave up grains entirely at one point, started intermittent fasting, obsessively doing pilates, getting more sleep, but nothing helped and it continued to get worse. I was the biggest I've ever been in my life, at the worst I think I had gained 30 pounds. I was sure sometimes that there were indeed rumors in our small community that I was pregnant

Nicole Alderman wrote:I hate being braless, because everything sticks together. I HATE skin sticking together and getting damp and chaffed from rubbing. Maybe you have solutions for this? Or maybe I'm just larger and saggier (thanks to previous pregnancies!) and so have issues you don't?

nancy sutton wrote:Nicole, what is the name/sizse of your nursing bra?  I have a small rib cage and large cups... it's a challenge!  TIA

Emilie McVey wrote:Try powdering your skin that chafes.

Alana Rose wrote:...
I’m looking forward to the day where nipples and bralessness can be normalized and is not considered immodest or unprofessional (it’s just healthy and natural.)

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:

Alana Rose wrote:...
I’m looking forward to the day where nipples and bralessness can be normalized and is not considered immodest or unprofessional (it’s just healthy and natural.)

Probably we ourselves have to start that 'day', by showing there's nothing wrong with not wearing a bra. Maybe it's only in our minds, we think others see our nipples and have thoughts about it ... And because we think so we buy a new bra ...

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote: Maybe it's only in our minds, we think others see our nipples and have thoughts about it ...

Alex Freedman wrote:
Go check them out, you may find your dream-wear.

They collaborate with you to make your personal clothing your real size.