Let me preface this by saying I am a man, and smoked a little too much, so I’m sitting here thinking… what is or was the original purpose of a bra? Weight support? Vanity? Covering the nips so people’s eyes met your eyes and you can have a normal conversation? Like what’s it all about?

  • xe3@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Make:

    • Bouncy things less bouncy
    • Pokey things less pokey
    • Gravity less gravit-y
    • Gingernate@programming.dev
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      4 months ago

      I’m thinking this guy has never seen real tits in real life, a teenager, or both. Or just blazed, that I can respect hahahah.

      • xe3@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        I got stoned enough to forget my age a few months ago… not like for a moment… I consciously focused on it for 15 minutes, couldn’t figure it out, kept pondering the rest of the night and couldn’t remember until the next morning…

        I am old enough to occasionally forget my age, not to literally not be able to recall it… so I can empathize if bro is just waaay too stoned to comprehend the concept of a bra haha

        • EABOD25@lemm.eeOP
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          4 months ago

          I just figured it would be an entertaining and informative topic haha

  • Pandantic [they/them]@midwest.social
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    4 months ago

    I am someone who has had very large breasts and fairly small breasts in my lifetime. When my boobs were big, wearing bras was manageability and comfort. They were heavy and hurt my back and were always in the way. In addition, it was hard to do any sports or be active without being, what I called, double strapped: having a bra with a sports bra over the top. This is how I got through high school.

    Now that I’ve both had a breast reduction and lost a lot of weight, my boobs are smaller and I don’t wear a bra often. When I do, it’s a vanity thing, I think my boobs look better under some clothes when wearing a bra, and a utility thing, like when I’m working out or doing something strenuous. Also, I wear one when I’m at work because it seems more appropriate.

  • db2@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Large breasts are heavy. Redistributing the weight helps the back.

    Also for some people seeing nipples is scary for some reason.

    • StaySquared@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      This. At least that’s my understanding. When I lived in South Florida, one of my friends said she was going to try going braless for the summer, a few weeks later she complained that going braless made the under part of her breasts chaff / irritate. Heat, humidity, and skin friction is bad mmmmkay.

      • Elevator7009@kbin.run
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        4 months ago

        This is why I feel so so lucky to be a small-breasted woman who does not live somewhere hot 24/7.

        If I ever do put on a bra it is because I expect I’ll be running (only situation I have been in where breasts hurt braless, very thankful), or because the silhouette of my nipples is visible through my clothes and I don’t want it to be. A good deal of my wardrobe won’t show nipple even if I go braless, but not all of it is like that and so I put on a bra.

  • RBWells@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    I have never needed one for support, but for the past 20, 30 years the US has had some sort of weird rule that only smooth lumps are professional, no hint of actual breast shape. That’s easing in non-professional public life, finally, so I don’t wear one a lot of the time, but at work wear something with light padding to make that weird Barbie doll lump shape.

    Sports bra for running, yes that serves a practical function - holds the boobs still so they don’t bounce and hurt. So if one is more endowed and bouncing in everyday life, I imagine that a bra with structural support would be more comfortable than nothing.

    I really wanted to answer that the point is right at the front of each cup!

    • fine_sandy_bottom@discuss.tchncs.de
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      4 months ago

      It’s definitely a me problem, not a you problem, but I do find nips distracting. I’d like to get better at not being distracted by visible nips and I’m here for that journey.

      • laughterlaughter@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        I’m okay with being distracted.

        If a woman wants to wear a short, short skirt to work, or no bras, then so be it. I will probably stare when no one is looking, but I will for sure remain professional otherwise.

        What’s the difference between this scenario and having a mesmerizing painting in the common area.

        Shit, I’m objectifying women!!!

        Let’s just say that a dude with a good pair of biceps would be equally distracting, and I wouldn’t have an issue with that.

  • Bilbo_Haggins@lemm.ee
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    4 months ago

    Advantages of bras:

    • Look nice (if you’re into that look, which many people are)

    • Keep your nipples from chafing

    • Support/containment for larger boobs

    • Keep prudish people from being mad at your nipples

    • Can be worn without a shirt for sports if they cover enough real estate

    • When breastfeeding, help catch/absorb leaks

    Disadvantages of bras:

    • Uncomfortable if not fitted right
    • Sweaty as fuck on hot days
    • Expensive
    • Many have to be hand washed if they are fancy

    I would say I wear bras about 30-50% of the time and it’s usually for either support/chafing prevention or looks. The rest of the time I can’t be bothered. I’m also lucky to not have super large breasts. I know women who do may find a good fitted bra to be more comfortable than no bra.

    When I was breastfeeding I wore them all the time though because it is super awkward to leak through your shirt in public.

    Edited to add bullet points bc I suck at lemmy formatting

      • SanguinePar@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        I think she wrote the pros and cons as a vertically stacked list, but formatting forces it into a paragraph, unless you add a double space at the end of the line.

        So this:

        Advantages of bras: Look nice (if you’re into that look, which many people are) Keep your nipples from chafing Support/containment for larger boobs Keep prudish people from being mad at your nipples Can be worn without a shirt for sports if they cover enough real estate When breastfeeding, help catch/absorb leaks

        Becomes this:

        Advantages of bras:
        Look nice (if you’re into that look, which many people are)
        Keep your nipples from chafing
        Support/containment for larger boobs
        Keep prudish people from being mad at your nipples
        Can be worn without a shirt for sports if they cover enough real estate
        When breastfeeding, help catch/absorb leaks

        Or, with the addition of bullet points:

        Advantages of bras:

        • Look nice (if you’re into that look, which many people are)
        • Keep your nipples from chafing
        • Support/containment for larger boobs
        • Keep prudish people from being mad at your nipples
        • Can be worn without a shirt for sports if they cover enough real estate
        • When breastfeeding, help catch/absorb leaks
        • Bilbo_Haggins@lemm.ee
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          4 months ago

          Aw damn thanks for fixing that! Yes I wrote it as a list and yes I forgot the double space. Still haven’t figured out bullet points in lemmy

          • SanguinePar@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            No problem at all - and bullets are just a star and a space, then your text and then the two spaces at the end, and then repeat :-)

  • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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    4 months ago

    Edit: context: a big part of it is weight support.

    I’ve got a childhood friend who got a reduction because she had back problems after she went through puberty, and it basically led to her having chronic pain for a while in college. She’s WAY happier at a C-cup than whatever size she had before.

    Edit: curious what the downvotes are for. This is absolutely a real thing. Downvoting me for sharing a thing that real people actually struggle with isn’t going to make them struggle with it less. And on the hunch that the downvotes are dudes: if you have a female partner, or a female friend who you can ask these sorts of things to, ask them to confirm that it is real, and they will be happy to.

    • ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Probably because it does nothing to answer the question and the only relating component is that you’re talking about boobs.

    • tiredofsametab@kbin.run
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      4 months ago

      You should probably tie it back into the actual question that OP had since I’m not sure everyone would make the connection between bras and what you wrote. I assume the other downvoters just hate the idea of a boob reduction.

    • EABOD25@lemm.eeOP
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      4 months ago

      Upvoted, friend. And happy your friend is doing better and is happier, but if a C is her happy place, how big were they? That sounds sucky

      • Reyali@lemm.ee
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        4 months ago

        Someone already mentioned that cup size has no meaning without band size, but also want to help dispel the myth that D is a “huge” size.

        The rule of thumb is that your cup size is the difference between the size of your rib cage and the size around your chest. Then it’s 1” per cup, with caveats and adjustments, but we’re talking basics.

        So in reality a C cup is a 3” difference between ribcage and breasts. That’s pretty modest. However in media, it’s often played up that DD is your Playboy model size, but those are more likely to be a G cup or larger, at least if they were sized correctly.

        • RBWells@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Yeah I am a certified member of the itty bitty committee and am currently in a perfectly fit 34D, and my measurements would put me in 32DD.

          Those letters just don’t really mean anything without the band size. Nobody, literally nobody, would look at me and think “D cup”.

          Bras really need more than two measurements. I need the band of a 32-34, the wire diameter dimensions of a 34D and the volume of what I think of as a 34 B. I can find this in particular models of bras but it would be nice to have it on the label.

    • ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net
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      4 months ago

      People down voting you? Do they not realize this is a serious medical condition and does create back pain?

      Horny porn brain mfers who don’t know how women’s bodies work.

  • I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    I’m a small breasted woman who does not wear a bra. The reasons of practicality and comfort are described below for bigger chested people (I didn’t see mentioned that if they are really big and you try to run without serious, sometimes two sports bras on they can fly up and hit you in the face). I do sometimes accidentally hit my nipple on something, which I don’t like.

    But in my experience, people get upset at seeing boob shaped boobs. Strangers tell me I should be wearing a bra. They want bra shaped boobs. Nipples are scary.

    I haven’t worn one since middle school when it was new and fun and made me feel “grown up” (but uncomfortable). But some years back I got shingles and apparently permanent nerve damage on the nerve group that would be right under the bra band on my back and anything irritating it makes me feel like I’m on fire so it’s just not going to happen. Certainly not in the name of sparing the general public the scandal of seeing boob shaped boobs in a loose T shirt. At the very most I will use silicone tape to hide my nipples in very formal situations.

    • Shou@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      I’m not busty either, but I hate the feeling of my chest moving around or hanging. Sport’s bra’s are the only thing I wear. Even while sleeping.

      • TheDoozer@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        I’m a man, and that’s how I feel about boxers and being nude. I don’t like that dangle feel of uncontrolled swaying on a sensitive part.

    • EABOD25@lemm.eeOP
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      4 months ago

      Ngl. I’ve hit my nipples on things and it sucks. My dogs have ran their nails across them and they burn for the rest of the day. I totally feel that pain

      However I’m a guy and have had to apologize multiple times to women because my eyes just trail down to the chest. I don’t know psychosomatics of it, but it’s not something I consciously intend to do.

      Beyond that, I don’t mind whether women do or don’t wear a bra. Breastfeed in public if needed. It all should truly be none of my business. However, I donate to breast cancer research every year for a reason. And that reason is I think about boobs. My wife has my favorite pair though.

      Anyway, I digress, I never really knew the original purpose of them and figured I could satiate my curiosity and have a conversation about boobs with people

        • EABOD25@lemm.eeOP
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          4 months ago

          Good question! She said, and I quote “I don’t know. What the fuck is going on in your head right now?”

    • 1984@lemmy.today
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      4 months ago

      It’s very sexy to see nipples through clothes. I don’t know why but it’s just much hotter than seeing bare breasts.

      Maybe people ask you to wear a bra because it’s making guys get distracted.

      • Jikiya@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        They do, but they shouldn’t. You should not ask a stranger to change their behavior because you cannot control your own. Maybe family would do it for you, but even then it’s can be a shitty thing to do.

        • 1984@lemmy.today
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          4 months ago

          You can’t ask guys to not get distracted. It’s not a choice they are making.

          • Jikiya@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            You absolutely can ask them that. Noticing it is not the same thing as getting distracted by it. Allowing your focus to be highjacked by the environment is a sign of a weak mind. If you went to work and a coworker told you the shape of your nose was distracting to them, and you need to wear a mask so they can continue to work, that is on the coworker, not you. It is absurd to put someone else in charge of what needs to be done to stop you from being distracted.

            People need to control themselves, no one else has that ability.

            • 1984@lemmy.today
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              4 months ago

              Won’t happen :) And disagree about the weak mind as well. Has nothing to do with mind, it’s hormones. Ask teenage boys to have their hands on their cover and exercise their willpower… :)

          • Adderbox76@lemmy.ca
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            4 months ago

            It’s not a choice they are making

            It is if they’re friggin’ adults. Despite the media, we’re not supposed to be just led around by our penis’; unable to avoid being distracted by bewbs.

            That’s a cop out that guys use as an excuse to not evolve.

            • 1984@lemmy.today
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              4 months ago

              Disagree, and you see the same thing in women when there is an attractive guy around.

              This political correct bullshit trying to make people think it’s wrong to be attracted to someone is just ridiculous. :)

              • Adderbox76@lemmy.ca
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                4 months ago

                No one at any point said not to be attracted to that person. But that doesn’t mean people (men or women) should be drooling rutting animals about it.

                In the adult world that (most of us) should have left behind after our bar-hopping twenties, finding someone attractive can be done without eye-fucking them like a creep.

                • 1984@lemmy.today
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                  4 months ago

                  I can also play that game. Not at any point did I say to be drooling rotting animals. You are the one using those word words along with words like eye-fucking…

                  I think you have a twisted view of sexuality my man.

  • 2ugly2live@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Can’t speak for all, but back pain and comfort. Also, large breasts can have difficulty getting air under there which can cause irritations. Sometimes it’s just to keep your breasts off your stomach. I wear sports bras and have “special” bras, but my hatred of bras has really dimished when I accepted sports bra life.

    I also just don’t like them “loose?” Like, I don’t want to bend over and have them go awol, even if I’m at home. Also, can store stuff in the bra and I have dropped my phone on the floor thinking I had a bra to catch it 😭

  • henfredemars@infosec.pub
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    4 months ago

    Every woman will be different but according to my wife it’s mainly for the support. I appreciated this more when I had a testicular injury where I needed underwear that lifts holds and prevents unnecessary movement.

  • frankspurplewings@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    I’m a 36G and wear the bra because it’s super annoying to have them sway when I walk. That’s the main reason for me. I find it more comfortable to be braless, but I really shouldn’t do it in public. It’s attracts more attention than I usually want.

    • Agent641@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Without a bra, you risk getting a harmonic resonant swing going, and toppling over like the Tacoma Narrows bridge.

    • RebekahWSD@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      This is why I prefer winter, I can wear my bulky coat and go as braless as I want, despite the 40J I’m suppose to wear

      • Bibliotectress@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        38H (UK sizing) here.

        I still don’t go braless even in winter because they hang low, and that embarrasses me. Existing at all embarrasses me, so take that with a grain of salt.

        • RebekahWSD@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Existing is agony, but I just can’t care anymore what people think about my tits. I’m the one who has to wear them, and bras hurt (well, I’m autistic and they hit a lot of my brain hurting points) so screw it, I’m going to the wawa in a winter coat and no cares.

      • frankspurplewings@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        It caused more paint when I was wearing ill fitting bras in both size and shape. I found r/abrathatfits in my mid-twenties and it changed everything for me. I mostly wear unlined mid coverage demi bra shapes now.

        I do still get back pain like just below the shoulder blades in the center of my back. But that’s been there for years and I’m used to it now

  • frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io
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    4 months ago

    My titties hurt when they bounce too much during hormone shifts. Plus the nipples are really irritating in A/C when they stiffen and feel wormy (dunno how to describe, like a small boner demanding attention) and I also accidentally scratch them without a bra to cover them. Was especially important to have some sort of coverage when I had piercings in them because I almost tore one out brushing my hair. Never healed right after that.

    • KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      4 months ago

      dunno how to describe, like a small boner demanding attention

      as a guy i would imagine it’s much like that weird stage between semi chub and flaccid where your dick is just annoyingly erect.

      Just kind of happens sometimes.

  • PhobosAnomaly@feddit.uk
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    4 months ago

    I am also reliably told that the removal of a bra - particularly a tight one - at the end of a working day is almost as wonderful as the feeling of taking your socks off when you get home.

    Bliss.

  • sentientity@lemm.ee
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    4 months ago

    So there is a fascinating historical rabbit hole here that I went down a few years ago. I think it is Nicole Rudolph who did a deep dive video into the history of bras and other shapewear. If you smoked a lot and like history I recommend it.
    Bras and similar garments give the proper ‘shape’ for the clothes and cultural norms of the moment, and give people comfort and support if they need it. Lots of people need something sturdy to keep everything in place, but it’s also still a very grey area of social acceptance to choose not wear one.