The Benefits of Going Braless
From now on, I’m letting loose
I got conflicting messages about bras from the moment I started thinking about them.
I was only 10 years old when my mother looked at my chest, furrowed her brow, and said “I think it’s time you get a training bra.”
Her tone seemed almost judgmental. I got the message that my breasts were a problem, even though I wasn’t even able to fill an A cup yet.
The way she said it made me self-conscious, so it felt extra awkward when she asked me to step out of the fitting room so she could see what I looked like when I had it on.
Later that day, we visited my aunt, and I got a completely different reaction. When she found out about the purchase, she congratulated me and told me I had just taken my first step into womanhood.
She asked me to lift my shirt so she could see my training bra.
“Is this what you do when you wear a bra?” I wondered. “Lift your shirt up for everyone?”
I was confused. Was I supposed to be embarrassed by my breasts and ashamed of having to encase them in a bra? Or was I meant to be proud, walking around everywhere with my chest sticking out and flashing my bra as a show of empowerment?
Either way, one thing was clear: bras were a big deal.
My Life in Bras
Ever since then, I’ve worn bras religiously.
Most of the things I heard about bras lined up with my aunt’s enthusiasm for them. I learned over and over that they served one very important purpose: to make your breasts look great.
A bra lifts your breasts up, keeps them positioned, and makes sure they stay in an attractive shape. With a bra, you don’t have to worry about your tits sagging, wobbling, or flattening out when you lay on your back.
I took that message to heart. I wore one at all times. I slept with a bra on every night.
And unless the person I was with took the initiative to unclasp it, I often left the bra on during sex. Somehow, I figured bras were so essential to keeping your breasts attractive that even the people I was fucking would prefer to see the bra than my bare tits.
If I could have showered with them on, I would have been a never-nude from the waist up.
I also thought that having big breasts sealed my fate. I thought of going bra-free as a thing you can do if you’re on the smaller side. But for women like me, who have more than a handful, breasts were something you had to control and contain.
Setting My Breasts Free
So, after twenty years of non-stop bra-wearing, why did I suddenly embrace going braless?
Laundry.
Laundry and I have never been on good terms, but lately, it’s been a struggle. Like most households, we only have one washer and now it’s working overtime trying to keep up with laundry for six people.
That wouldn’t be such a big problem if I had a drawer full of bras of every conceivable fabric and color. But as it so happens, I have only two.
It’s not because I’m a minimalist or because I just Kondo’d my underwear drawer. It’s mostly because I’ve been losing weight lately, so I’m transitioning to a new size. I could buy some new bras, but they don’t come cheap so I’d rather see where my weight settles before I buy my breasts a new wardrobe.
So, here I am with only two bras that fit and a laundry schedule that never seems to fall in my favor.
And to my surprise, it’s been quite enjoyable having to go without a bra.
The thing with bras is they were always a given for me. I’ve never really stopped and asked myself whether I should wear one or not. To me, that would have been like wondering if I should wear a shirt before leaving the house.
But now that I’ve had a taste of braless living, I’ve been doing it deliberately. It took a little while to get used to it, but now I’ll tug my bra off early in the evening. As soon as it’s too late for someone to show up unannounced, off it comes.
A few times, I’ve even taken it off as soon as I get home from an outing. Grocery shopping or taking a trip to the library with a gaggle of kids is exhausting, and it feels downright liberating to get to just sit and pull my bra out from under my shirt.
The Perks of Going Braless
Once I’ve experienced going braless for reasons other than jumping in a pool or hopping into the shower, I was surprised at how many benefits there are to doing it.
Here are the ones that stand out to me:
Less Pain: I’ve heard that some women experience aches and pains from wearing bras, and that certainly seems to have been the case for me. Going without has been a relief for my back and neck.
Sleeping Better: Like I mentioned above, I’ve been sleeping with a bra for more than 20 years. Little did I know, it was probably affecting the quality of my sleep. It’s hard to tell for sure because so many things affect my sleep - the baby crying at 3am, my husband snoring at all hours of the night, grabbing my phone to write down new blog post ideas - but I do feel like I’ve had an easier time falling asleep and staying asleep since I went bra-free at night.
Saves Money: I’m a writer. My husband’s a writer. These aren’t side-hustles; they’re just plain hustles. So, I’m always looking for ways to be a little more frugal. Having to buy and replace fewer bras is a definite win.
Might Make My Breasts Perkier: Apparently, I had it all backwards. Going braless wasn’t going to stop my breasts from looking perky - it might just be what keeps them that way.
Easier Access: I like feeling myself up from time to time. It’s not always sexual, sometimes it’s just something fun to do with my hands when I’m re-watching The Office. Bras never kept me from doing it, but having easier access has made it a lot less awkward.
But maybe the biggest benefit is just that I’ve come to appreciate and love my breasts more than before.
Now that they’re just out there, without all that extra fabric in front of them, I see them and touch them more often. Instead of wondering whether I’m giving them enough lift, enough shape, I started looking at them for what they are instead of approaching them as a problem. And it feels great to let loose.
If you liked this article, you should totally check out the Ew (The Ick, Instant Turn-Offs, and Milk Drinkers) episode of my dirty and intimate sex podcast, Pillow Talk With Emma Austin!
