These Women Stopped Wearing Bras, Here's What Changed
In recent years, more and more women have chosen to eliminate the bra from their daily lives. Métro asked three of them what it had changed for them to let their chests breathe all day.
Amélie, 31, MP, 26, and Janice, 32, have all stopped wearing a bra every day.
As for Amélie, this decision was made in 2017. “I had friends who had stopped wearing bras, she explains. Me, I had never asked myself the question of whether I wanted to wear it or not. I was like everyone else. But I don't have a very large chest, so I didn't need this support. At that time, I was also hanging out with feminist friends and people from the LGBTQIA2S+ community who weren't wearing them.”
It’s the combination of these factors and the desire to assert herself that came this choice, but it was by being isolated during the pandemic that she had the confirmation that she didn't want to wear a bra anymore, at least most of the time.
“When I have conventions for work, I will no longer ask myself the question of whether I should wear them or not […]. I still feel like in order to look professional, you have to pay attention to that. But when I push my thinking, I say to myself again “what can it do to others”. Besides during these meetings for work and her sports sessions, she leaves her chest free under her sweaters.
What has changed
< p>“I feel freer and it's more comfortable. Now I find myself more beautiful without a bra. […] I think I influenced some friends to dare not wear them anymore, too.”
MP also gave herself permission to live her daily life with her breasts free, about five years ago.
“It happened gradually. With some clothes, I didn't wear them because I didn't think it made a big difference. After that, I got more and more comfortable not wearing it at all, even in clothes where it looked like it. […] I was standing in these circles of people who wore none or little, so that helped the process.” She mentions that the queer and feminist communities have helped her to assert herself in this choice.
Although MP is comfortable with the idea of seeing the shape of her breasts, she is less so when her nipples stick out. Her choice of fabric when buying clothes is therefore made accordingly.
What it changed
“It’s less complicated in the morning when I get dressed. I feel freer, less tight. I haven't really seen a downside.” MP mentions having received comments and questions from those around him who were surprised by this choice, but not judgment.
Janice hasn't worn a bra for about three years, also influenced by the pandemic. She already allowed herself not to wear one when she traveled, since she felt “more comfortable and free” to do so elsewhere.
At work, with men, she felt she had no choice but to wear a bra. But now she “doesn’t care.” “If they're offended by my puffy boobs, that's their problem, not mine.”
“There is a claiming side. Yes, I feel more free without a bra, but it's mainly to connect with my values. I am aware that I have the privilege of not being able to wear one, since I have small breasts. This notion of privilege was also mentioned by the two other women who spoke about their experience at Metro.
What has changed
< p>“It's so much easier on a daily basis. I just have to put on my sweater and that's it. There is also a cost reduction when you don't wear it, because it's very expensive, lingerie.”
