Why I Stopped Wearing a Bra and Why It’s So Freeing October 12, 2019 by Katie Tastrom Leave a Comment 176Share with your friendsYour NameYour EmailRecipient EmailEnter a MessageI read this article and found it very interesting, thought it might be something for you. The article is called Why I Stopped Wearing a Bra and Why It’s So Freeing and is located at https://thebodyisnotanapology.com/magazine/fuk-bras-im-tired-of-men-ruining-my-life/.CaptchaSubmitLike many people who wear bras, I hate them. The best part of every day is when I get home and can take off my bra. I abandoned lacy and pretty bras awhile ago, then underwire had to go, and now for the last few years I’ve been wearing cheap sports bras. But no more. I realized the only reason I still wore bras at all is because of being sexually objectified by men. So I am now officially done with bras. I won’t keep torturing myself just because some men don’t know how to behave around boobs. Before I go much further, I want to make clear that I’m not one of those people who can “get away” (whatever that means) with not wearing a bra. My boobs are around a D cup the last I checked, and I am 35 and have given birth. You can tell when I’m not wearing a bra. So while I’ve hated wearing bras, I was scared I would have even more men staring at my boobs and more women silently judging me and glaring. This was also compounded by the fact that I live in a small depressed city in an especially Catholic and conservative area, which causes me to already deal with silent and not so silent judgment about how I look and talk. I was particularly worried about my nipples getting hard and showing, but it has happened and the world didn’t end. Since I was a teenager I’ve been worried about giving the “wrong signals” to men. As if I could magically avoid being sexually assaulted by not flirting with guys (spoiler alert: it didn’t work). I have also dressed much more “modestly” than I would have liked for most of my life for the same reason. But I’m sick of thinking about hypothetical men’s responses to my body and what I’m wearing or not wearing. More Radical Reads: Undoing Childhood Body Shame: On Loving Your Body Enough To Listen To It As a woman I have accepted that we are never safe from sexual assault, harassment, or other patriarchal unpleasantness, and since there is no way to save myself from it, I may as well be comfortable. Photo of three people walking down the street. The one on the left has green hair, a blue necklace, gold stickers on their nipples, and a blue skirt. They are also carrying a multi-colored umbrella. The second person is carrying a blue umbrella. They have bright red hair. The third person to the right has pink long hair, a tiara, and is wearing gold tassels on their nipples. They are wearing a black skirt with fishnet on top of it to resemble a mermaid tail. Source: drpavloff Of course, I know I’m not the first feminist to reject wearing a bra. Though I wasn’t around, I’ve heard that used to be a thing during second-wave feminism. (Of course, refusing to believe trans women are “real” women is also a thing associated with a lot of feminists influenced by certain types of second-wave feminism, so I think it makes sense to try to distance myself a bit from them.) And anyway, bras were not even burned in the 60s. “Bra burner” was basically like this era’s “misandrist”: a word that bitter and insecure men and the women who supported them called feminists. Here are some questions and answers to those questions when it comes to discussing my bralessness and its feminist implications as well as practicalities. These are answers to questions I’ve both asked myself or have been asked by others about my bralessness.” “Well, I like to wear bras!” Cool! Do whatever you want! “What about running?” I am disabled and don’t/can’t run. “Won’t your nipples show?” Sometimes! (Especially in the cold.) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ “What about boob sweat?” I think I probably have the same amount of boob sweat either way, but I do like to tuck my clothes under my boobs to mop up the sweat. “What about job interviews or other things like that?” I will wear bras when I feel like I need to for (bullshit classist, racist, ableist, and other oppressive things we call) “professionalism”. More Radical Reads: Long Live Yoga Pants, Leggings, Nipples, and Camel Toes Refusing to wear a bra may seem like a small, ridiculous thing to a lot of people, most likely those who haven’t felt obligated to wear a bra. I have gotten less reaction from strangers than I thought I would, but I still have to give myself a little pep talk every time I get dressed to remind myself that I am not responsible for other people’s reactions to my body. Just like I should not have to constrain my thoughts and opinions, I should not have to arbitrarily constrain parts of my body to make other people more comfortable. Feature Image: A photo of a storefront’s window. There are multiple grey mannequins in the window wearing various types of beige full-body and single-piece underwear. Source: Liliana Amundaraín] TBINAA is an independent, queer, Black woman run digital media and education organization promoting radical self love as the foundation for a more just, equitable and compassionate world. If you believe in our mission, please contribute to this necessary work at PRESSPATRON.com/TBINAA We can’t do this work without you! As a thank you gift, supporters who contribute $10+ (monthly) will receive a copy of our ebook, Shed Every Lie: Black and Brown Femmes on Healing As Liberation. Supporters contributing $20+ (monthly) will receive a copy of founder Sonya Renee Taylor’s book, The Body is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self Love delivered to your home. Need some help growing into your own self love? Sign up for our 10 Tools for Radical Self Love Intensive! 176