Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free? - PaleoHacks.com

Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T16:58:18Z

After experiencing epic breast tenderness (Hack My Sore Boob) back in November, I decided to take the plunge and start going bra-less. I love it! And more importantly my boobs are happy. They don't even get tender during my period. Any other ladies, either large or small-chested, start giving their ta-tas the freedom to go au naturel?

Bra-Free testimonies

Why I Go Bra Free

EDIT: I'm beginning to think that all of these hang-ups about boobs are really just in our heads. If fewer women wore bras it would become more socially acceptable. Are women self-perpetuating a vicious cycle? Yikes.

EDIT2: Wanted PH'ers to discuss this as well--Are large breasts a Neolithic phenomenon?

While representations in the form of carvings and paintings of large-breasted women were common throughout the Upper Paleolithic, those seemed to be more of an ideal/fetish than based off of actual women. I'd imagine that having to forage and even join in hunts for game would not favor those with large chests. However, with the advent of a more sedentary existence brought on by farming and lots of downtime, large breasts would not pose as much of a hindrance.

Answer by Beth-WeightMaven for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T17:06:31Z

Wish I could ... the link between bras, lymph drainage and breast cancer seems at least plausible. But go braless? Umm, no, not my girls!

Answer by Sunny Beaches for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T17:09:30Z

I wish it was "socially acceptable" to go bra-less. I'd do it in a heartbeat! I barely have an A cup so it's not like a bra offers support or any benefit. As soon as I'm off of work, my bra goes OFF.

Answer by Jackie for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T17:10:00Z

I am sure there are good reasons to free the girls, but I don't want too much gravity to take its toll, whether standing or laying down, so I even sleep in tank tops with shelf bras to keep my B cups perky!

Answer by blueballoon for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T17:15:52Z

I switched to completely wire-free a few months ago, and go without whenever possible (at home, with thick/looser clothing). I'll never go back. I have a couple of CK wire-free padded bras for occasions that call for them, but otherwise wear a Shimera bralette or something similar that I got at Nordstrom Rack.

This is all anecdotal, of course, but I had a cancer scare almost two years ago at 28 (several years after my mom had cancer and died from it). Everything turned out fine, but the massively swollen lymph nodes around my breasts were worrisome. Since I went wire-free and mostly shaped-bra-free I haven't had swollen lymph nodes at all, and the inflammation has gone down considerably. Coming from a family in which at least half the women on my mom's side have had breast cancer, I'm going to keep with what's seemed to help inflammation for me. So wire-free it is!

PS- I wear a 34DD and I'm pretty comfortable unless I'm running. (Then I wear a real sports bra.)

Answer by Sarah for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T17:21:16Z

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Large chest, two years of nursing....um no. I would look like I had two tumors coming out of my belly after about a week. It hurts to even go braless at night.

Answer by A at Grain Free Diet for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T17:25:03Z

Not completely, but the thought is intriguing.

I refer to the damn thing as a "medieval torture device" and wear it as little as possible. The first thing I do when I walk in my door is rip the thing off, toss it somewhere and declare that the girls want to be free. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I'm into seeking alternatives... those shelf bra tank tops may not be a bad idea....

Answer by Firestorm for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T18:03:33Z

I hadn't worn a bra in over a decade when I accepted my current job -- unfortunately, one of the clauses of the dress code REQUIRES that women wear, specifically, a BRA and Panties -- I tried to get them to let me wear camisoles instead, but that didn't fly -- so I wear as minimal a bra as I can get away with -- really, not much more than a sleep-bra -- and I get out of it as quickly as I can get my little tuchus home.

Answer by Jessica G for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T18:30:56Z

With my paleo weight loss, my still-nursing boobs went from 38DDs to 32Cs. Not only is it near impossible to find that bra size, but when I lost the fat, I lost almost all form as well. I've tried padded bras, which feel totally fake, and heavily-seamed bras that support but make me look like there are two odd torpedoes coming out of my chest. I wear sports-like bras (if anything) when I go out and pretty much nothing when I'm at home. The restriction around my ribcage just feels too uncomfortable.

Answer by jesuisjuba - paleorepublic.com for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T18:49:02Z

It all depends for me. I'm a very happy 32C and love the American Apparel - I know.. don't kill me, triangle/lace/tube bras as they're comfortable, cute, and give a little snuggle to Le Boobies to hold them into place. I also have some really pretty lace (wire free) with a low shallow cup (no padding) for when I'm dressing up. When I CF or lift - sports bra. At home they're free to roam as they please.

On occasion I'll go adventuring without, went to a wedding in September commando style - gasp - el escandalo!!!, but more often than not I go with the snuggle.

Note: A little bralette is definitely handy in the middle of a NY summer and you see a fire hydrant to jump into.

Answer by Ali for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T19:08:38Z

I find that going without a bra, even at home, causes me to sweat from the boob overhang (I'm a 34D~DD). I even sleep in a tank that has a built-in shelf bra to keep from sweating. On the occasion that I do take my bra off immediately upon getting home, I'm either tucking my blouse up under my boobs or I change into my PJs so that there's a layer of fabric there.

Funnily enough, I have a tendency to be cold (cold hands and feet, I am almost always under a blanket at home or in a sweater at work) but I do seem to get hot flashes (always have...it's not an age/menopause thing) and I get very very hot when sleeping.

I have been toying with the idea of abandoning the underwire, especially since going paleo and dropping hormonal BC seems to have caused the girls to shrink a little (some might be sad, but I'm happy to be dropping out of DDs!). I am secretly hoping to fall back down to a size C (high school size), but I'm at what I consider my optimal weight, so I don't know if that will happen.

I imagine I will always wear a sports bra when working out. No need to sling them all over the place! 8)

Answer by Happy Now for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T19:13:42Z

I've always felt better with a little something fitted to prevent nipple chafing, but even with mondo tatas, I prefer something with minimal support like the Barely There ones that look kind of like sports bras, but are very thin. Nips shine through those loud and clear, but so effin' what? I am a female mammal with functional mammary glands, I am not a Barbie doll. I am fed up with the notion that letting one's nipples show through is unladylike, it is in its very essence the definition of ladylike. Dudes will fetishize anything that is feminine and in short supply, not so many years ago a glimpse of ankle was considered scandalous, then knees, then bellies. This is all about desensitization, so my call to arms this week is for my fellow ladies to stop fearing their nipples. If the men around you can't concentrate on their work because of it, that is their problem, not yours.

I'm also not anti-underwire, and have found few "real" bras that hold the girls like a "rose in full bloom, cradled gently in a tea cup" as once saw written as the ideal bra fit, but I I've worn each and every one of them to death, and have not found a sufficient replacement yet that is breastfeeding compatible.

Answer by JeJ for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T23:12:43Z

I have a trademark "stair run" in my household that my mother believes is very un-lady like: because I usually whip my bra off as soon as I get home, and we have a million stairs (yay for building houses into hills) I have to hang on to my chest as I run up and down. My ex-boyfriend thought it was so weird (he likened it to him running up and down grabbing his crotch, no wonder things didn't work out). All I can say is that it is the best of both worlds- no wild-flying girls and all the freedom of bra-free. Probably wouldn't fly in public however.

That being said, I find that when I am bra-free (graphic description coming) I still tuck my shirt underneath there to prevent rubbing/sweat/that weird sticky feeling. I'm a C, up from a B when I was too skinny, and wear a sports bra for most of the time (MEC has some fabulous ones), or a lacy-wireless-thing for fancy occasions.

Answer by ZombieApocalypseKitten for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T23:55:52Z

I got razzed by a drunk at a bar for being bra-less. Really obnoxious. It was entertaining when another guy at the bar razzed him about his tits.

Frankly, I go without as often as possible and I'm a D-cup. Bras are helpful with certain fabrics though.

Answer by ulcova for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-04T23:59:41Z

I'm a 34E and in my fifties and rather drop dead than go braless in public. But at home I'm usually without. Last year I discovered decentexposures.com, a group of women in Seattle who sew bras and other underwear, leisure wear, maternity stuff. Since then I've been telling every female I meet (grocery store, post office) about them. If you have a larger cup size I'd recommend the 90%cotton/10% lycra material , double lined with regular elastic band for outdoors/good support, and single lined with 2" ribbing for at home/leisure wear, both with front closure. And made in the USA by adults for good money.

Answer by Kirsten for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-05T00:05:27Z

I'm a 34D and switched over to the camisoles with the built-in shelf support. I actually base my entire wardrobe around having a plunge neck or open-front shirt on top of a brightly-colored camisole. I wear pretty heavy-duty sports bras when sprinting or jumping though because I find the jiggling very uncomfortable. I'm intrigued by some of these answers though and may try going with even less support than the camisoles when I'm at home...

Answer by Bill1102inf for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-05T02:38:16Z

I am VERY sad that there are not any photos posted to this thread.

Answer by lostgoonie for Have any other Paleo women opted to go bra-free?

2012-04-05T05:26:21Z

i <3 (free) boobs