American actress and social activist Gillian Anderson, one of the most acclaimed and diverse actors in film, television, and on stage, made front-page news around the world last week when she revealed on Instagram Live Tuesday, “I don’t wear a bra anymore. I don’t wear a bra. I can’t wear a bra. I can’t, no. I can’t.
Gillian Anderson
I’m sorry, but I don’t care if my breasts reach my belly button. I’m not wearing a bra anymore. It’s just too f—- uncomfortable.”
“BRA-vo!” exclaimed the British tabloid, The Sun. Emma Thompson, one of England’s most prolific, versatile, and popular actresses concurs. “I don’t like underwear, full stop,” the star of said in a recent interview. “I stopped wearing underwear a long time ago. It’s not my scene. I find comfortable underwear uncomfortable.”
Actually, it’s no secret that many of us put our bras away during COVID—and they’re still in the drawer. No, this is not a Sixties protest. It’s a fact that pandemic not only changed the style of clothing we wear but changed what we wear underneath. In the colder/cooler months, a plushy sweatshirt felt so nice against the skin. But then spring came, and summer and those of us who elected to go braless could no longer hide the, ummm…truth. And, if you really want to know the truth, bra manufacturers and retailers may be keeping it from you.
The results of a 15-year study performed by Professor Jean-Denis Rouillan of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besancon in France revealed not only are there no anatomical, medical, or physiological benefits to wearing a bra, but that bras actually prevent breasts from growing or achieving their natural lift. In the study of 330 volunteers ages 18 to 35, women who did not wear a bra registered a 7-mm lift in their nipples each, were firmer, and showed fewer stretch marks than women who regularly wore bras.
Emma Thompson
Though these findings contradict the Law of Gravity, there is, in fact, an explanation. According to the study, not wearing a bra actually protects your breasts from gravity by forcing women to have better posture which, in turn, develops the muscles that support and lift the breast from underneath.
That is not to say if you suddenly dispose of your bras having worn them since puberty that it won’t take some getting used to, especially when you go to the grocery store for the first time. What you will appreciate is how good it feels. No more straps cutting into your shoulders. No underwires gauging into your rib cage and sides. No welts, no back and shoulder pain, no being corseted to the point of Emma Thompson’s strangulation.
Gals, if Gillian can come clean, so can I. I stopped wearing a bra 18 months ago—and I’ve never looked back. My breasts are firmer, my posture’s better, I’m comfortable, and so much happier (so is my husband.) I never wore tight clothing but even a loose-fitting boyfriend shirt or a long sleeveless tank top doesn’t hide the unrestricted movement of my breasts. There’s no bra to stop them from dancing to the rhythm of my step. But you may stop traffic.