I Didn't Put A Bra On For Seven Days, and No One Noticed

So, friends, most of you know that I'm the type of person who would take every opportunity to forgo wearing a bra. I'd like to think of them as contraptions created by the patriarchy to constrict the movement of women because, obviously, women are meant to stay still and civil and serve these patriarchs gratuitously. Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but considering that the modern bra's only function is to create support from over the shoulder instead of from the waist up (which is what the preceded 'corset' did) in order to "prevent sagging", I decided to take a hands-on look to see if they actually served a significant purpose in my life.

According to a French study conducted over a period of 15 years, researchers found that "medically, physiologically, (and) anatomically, the breast does not benefit from being deprived of gravity." In fact, they found that there is a restriction of breast tissue growth involving bras, in addition to weakening breast muscles.

This is exactly why I believe bras are an unnecessary evil, so I decided to go an entire week without putting one on.

Day 1: Out to the Beach with My Buddies

 

If there's something to admit, I've always wanted to wear this outfit without a bra on. My friends know how much I complain about wearing bras, so they weren't surprised at all when I told them about not giving enough of a damn to put one on today. They were actually pretty encouraging about it, and that's when I decided that I'd try and do this for an entire week. Also, my dad made me wear silly bike shorts under this dress. Okay, dad, it might be a little too short, I'll give you that.

Freedom rating: 8/10

Day 2: English Test & Tea Party With My Main Baes

 





I woke up ridiculously early for an English test for a university application. I often feel cold in the mornings, so I decided to put on this oversized jumper. Things felt right in there, it was too loose for anyone to notice my unsupported boobs.

Freedom rating: 9/10. It would have been 10/10 but I knew I was intentionally wearing something loose as heck to downplay myself.

Day 3: The Cheat Day

 

After what I considered a hefty amount of social interaction, I decided to stay in and bake some good ole American pumpkin pie. I've been craving these ever since I first tasted them in October of last year, so I decided to keep my monkey-jammies (also known as my sexiest lingerie) on and peacefully roll out some pie crust dough.

Freedom rating: 1/10 (I mean I stayed at home but I kept the no-bra rule)

Day 4: What Happens When You Really Really Need Support

[Old photo from my Nike+ account]

 


I went for a combat class that I usually go to once or twice a week, and I chose not to break my clavicles. Here's a fun fact for you: ever since the invention of the sports bra in 1977, scientists have done a whole bunch of research on the up and down movement of breasts while exercising, and they've found that the force and speed of these movements were enough to break out collarbones. Nope. Not for me.

What I did, however, was leave the gym in this cute little grey tshirt-dress thing. This was definitely the outfit I was most anxious about because it's probably the one in which you could see the outline of my bobbies most in. I did discover, though, that no one stared at me in particular or made any faces at me.

Freedom rating: 10/10 (for courage, mostly)

Day 5: The Formal Event

 

After a substantial amount of laying in bed at night and thinking about to wear the night before, I picked out one of my favourite dresses. I know that this dress must be worn braless because you can see the edges of literally whatever bra you wear through the sides of the dress. It wasn't something I did out of spontaneity, though. I've worn this a couple times before.

I wore this dress to two pre-departure seminars for the different universities I've applied to, as well as a semi-fancy restaurant.

Freedom rating: 4/10 (just because it was a formal event)

Day 6: Date Night

 

Okay, maybe this was a bit of a cheat as well. I wore this bustier under a blazer to a rooftop restaurant. At this point, forgoing a bra had lost much of its novelty, and I was just glad to wear this cute top. I'm not sure if it was the fact that it practically had a "built-in" bra, or that I had just been going braless for a few days now that made me feel this way.

Freedom rating: 3/10

Day 7: Home Family Meet-up



At this point, I just got pretty fed up of this entire challenge. I put on a t-shirt, but swapped it out for another oversized sweater just because I knew my family would ask me what's up. I really couldn't be bothered to answer their silly questions, or rebel and say that I dislike social norms with a passion. I will admit that wearing this felt pretty toasty after a nice warm shower, though.

Freedom rating: 1/10


Conclusion:

I'd say that this week taught me a lot of things. For one, a lot of people don't give a damn about the way you look, and they especially wouldn't have their eyes wonder at your milk bags unless they have ulterior motives, if you catch my drift. I'd like to note that I received some skepticism about this since I live in Indonesia, and these more "progressive" lines of thought are just quieted down for the comfort of other people. Although, I must say that I subconsciously adhered to these constrictive norms by crafting my outfits in such a way that one wouldn't know that I'm not wearing a bra.

What I hoped this experiment would do was to lift the stigma surrounding the conversational topic of breasts. They are a part of our biology, and shaming or over-sexualising them restricts the freedom of women. If there's one thing I'd like to share with whoever hates bras as much as I do, it's to just ditch them. It's better for your lil bobbies anyway!




Sources:

• Castillo, Michelle. "French Study Suggests Younger Women Should Stop Wearing Bras." CBSNEWS.COM. N.p., 11 Apr. 2013. Web. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/french-study-suggests-younger-women-should-stop-wearing-bras/>.
• Cristen. "The Science of Bras." Youtube.com. N.p., 19 Apr. 2013. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxhVM_ZVXz0>.