Love or hate them, bras have been a staple in people’s wardrobes since the 1800s to both help support and cover breasts. Brands like Skims have taken the underwear item and run with it, creating up to 30 variations of one bra, while Victoria’s Secret hit the jackpot with the launch of their push-up ‘wonder bra.’.
But with Gen Z’s favourite stars like Charli XCX going 24/7 braless, is it time young people follow suit? Has wearing a bra just become a bit of a fad?
Turns out, there are numerous benefits to bidding farewell to underwire and tight straps for good. A French study even revealed that those who did not wear bras had a 7 millimetre lift each year, according to CBS News.
A 15-year study, conducted by Denis Rouillon, a sports science expert from the University of Besançon, France, involved 330 volunteers and uncovered some truths behind the bra. It revealed that not only did ditching their bras help to lift their breasts, but they were also firmer, with faded stretch marks.
Another key finding showed that there was no evidence of bras helping to get rid of back pain—a reason lots of people choose to wear them. The researchers believed that wearing bras prevented the growth of breast tissue, which then led to deterioration of the muscle that supports the breast. Not wearing a bra, the study showed, meant that the muscles were used more.
One volunteer involved in the study was a 28-year-old woman who shared that she didn’t wear a bra for two years and that not wearing one helped her to breathe better, stand straighter, and have less back pain. However, while the sports science expert believes this study proved bras to be “unnecessary,” not everyone should eschew from wearing them, reports CBS .
Roullion explained that a 45-year-old mother who has worn a bra her whole life may not see any benefits to ditching bras because the study did not involve anyone older than 35 years old. He went on to say that the women involved were not a “representative sample of the population.”
In a Reddit post, asking the question “Why do women have to wear bras?” People are also questioning the reasoning behind the underwear’s use. Most responses share that it’s not for health benefits they chose to wear one, but for “societal reasons.”.
One user wrote, “I’m a larger-breasted person, and I cannot get away with not wearing a bra, or it’s super noticeable, and I feel uncomfortable, but only for social reasons. I would happily not wear a bra if I didn’t feel so self-conscious without one. Another added, “I feel uncomfortable when people stare at my nipples,” and one person shared that bras can be “annoying and uncomfortable,” explaining that they think there’s a “big element of social pressure there.”
In an interview with France Info, the expert summarised his findings, saying: “Medically, physiologically, anatomically—breasts gain no benefit from being denied gravity. On the contrary, they get saggier with a bra.” To wear or not to wear, that is the big question, but while it’s a personal choice that differs depending on how active you are, your size, and comfortability, it’s clear there are plenty of benefits to going braless.