Liberation in isolation!
I've found an unexpected, incredibly comfortable and, ironically, liberating aspect of never having to go anywhere. I haven't worn a bra since March 24. That was the last day I went out in public.
I can hear both my sisters scoffing, "What! You still torture yourself with one of those?"
Here is the truth of the matter. They got the brains and the beauty, I got the boobs.
I grew up in an era long after the "burn your bra" movement. Throughout my life I've observed the social propriety of not bouncing and sagging in public.
I've never owned a comfortable bra. I know many are advertised to be, but that aspect of the garment has eluded me throughout my life. In my research for this column I was disappointed to learn it wasn't a man behind its invention, but I certainly learned women have been subjected to worse.
Although the history of bras can be traced back to ancient Greek and Rome, the modern bra evolved from the corset. Now there was an instrument of torture. According to Wikipedia, Catherine de' Medici, wife of King Henry II of France, went on a campaign to ban thick waists at court attendance in the 1550s, forcing women to find artificial ways to tame the bulge. Unbelievably, custom forced women to wear the nasty things for 350 years.
In the early 1900s a clothing reform movement by feminists and concerns from doctors about the health impact of the corset's restraint, ultimately brought us the bra.
On Tip Hero (https://tiphero.com/benefits-of-not-wearing-a-bra) I found the article of my dreams. "7 Amazing Things That Could Happen When You Stop Wearing a Bra." Yahoo!
First of all the article says doing so will improve breast shape. Not a huge deal to me. I've always taken that aspect of my body for granted, not too big, not too small. The article says a long-running French study has shown the support of bras actually weakens the chest muscles, promoting the dreaded sag.
If you don't wear a bra to bed you will sleep better. That's a no brainer.
Another one I've always suspected is that the restricting garment, like all tight clothing, restricts circulation. Liberate and circulate, but don't forget to self-isolate.
Breast health improves with better circulation, and because sweat and dirt are no longer trapped against the skin, infections, rashes and acne are reduced.
Then there is the cost saving. Buy a cheap bra and you get what you pay for. Not having to buy one at all opens all kinds of delicious possibilities. Use your imagination, ladies.
The French study also indicates those choosing the braless, lawless life will develop healthier breast tissue.
And of course the comfort factor. Tips Hero shows a brief video clip from Friends. One of the women characters is ripping off her bra from under her tank top and tossing it in the face of her male counterpart. Oh, I've longed to do that to some man. I've just never had the opportunity.
So what about it, my fellow isolationists? We're only about 120 years into the entrapment of the bra. What's say we not wait another 230 years, like those poor corseted women of earlier centuries, and liberate!
