WOMAN: MY HEALTH, MY BRA AND I

According to recent research, it was revealed that bras reduces the shelf life of the proverbial twins and are more likely to add to their flabbiness than otherwise, there is also a fear of cancer associated with the continuous wearing of breast fetters.

In the 1960s when the feminist movement became universal, women taking off their bras and setting them on fire were purportedly the major symbol of freedom and liberation from the social fetters of gender inequity.

Bra Burning

  

                                                                                                      

Women wearing stays were said to be a male idea purportedly to control women’s virility and needed to eliminate it. And though recent reports indicate that bra burning in the era was more of mythology rather than a reality, it still remains the symbol of women political emancipation of the era.

Meanwhile, women are now taking off their bras for a completely different reason i.e. their health. Because researchers have shown that apart from reduction of the shelf life of the proverbial twins and contribution to their droopiness, there is also a fear of cancer associated with the continuous or persistent wearing of breast fetters.

On the other hand, a new politics has surfaced contemporaneously concerning the right of nursing women to nurse in public as well as the social effects. Activists have lashed out on this global debates and it is likely to become a subject of political campaigns in the days to come.

“But perhaps the most important conversation we ought to be having concerning breasts ought to be economical. In Nigeria, we have mastered the art of selling products with breasts, from Nollywood to the car industry. Beyond that, their potential in the fashion industry remains untapped. Victoria’s Secrets did $7.2 billion worth of business in 2015, and that is instructive”.                                                                                                                                           Vanguard

Tracing back to the early 20th century when modern bra (brassiere), with its two separate cups, was made from the stays in an attempt to manufacture a more comfortable underwear, the bra, has transmogrified from being a mere undergarment designed to buttress a woman’s breasts to an actual sexual garment.

According to statistics, at least over 80% of women today wear bra, while the rest either prefer underbodies or go bare. In this part of the globe especially, not wearing one is wholly awkward-and even unacceptable. Hence, it’s progressively becoming a self-imposed obligation on mothers to buy their daughters one as soon as they hit puberty.

However, should every woman wear a bra?

According to Funmi, a lady in her late 20s said, “I wouldn’t be wearing a bra if not for my mum because my breasts are on the small side. She tells me I must wear one as a woman. For me, any tight underwear that can help conceal my nipples is cool. But she wouldn’t let me.”

 

Nonetheless, whether a woman must wear a bra, according to style experts, would depend, first of all, on the breasts size, and secondly, on the woman’s habits. Very large and heavy-breasted women usually need to wear bras for bearing the weight, and they feel pain and discomfort if they don’t.

Meanwhile, those with small-to-medium size breasts, if they are used to wearing bras, perhaps feel a little bit bumpy or awkward without them. However, this is believed to be more of an emotional issue and a question of habit.

Women therefore identified the following as the major reasons for wearing bras. The reasons range from ensuring support for the breasts to dealing with the immoral or indecent feeling that comes with going bra-less in public, and even to hiding their nipples.

Also, some simply wear bras because the unspoken rules of society so dictate, while others do so simply to prevent their breasts from drooping.

Health Repercussions 

Researchers had it that, wearing a bra, especially a contracting one with underwires, and particularly to bed, prevents normal lymphatic flow and would possibly lead to anoxia (lower than normal oxygen content), which has been connected to fibrosis and has been linked to increased cancer risk. Women who go bra-free have also reported no more lumpiness before monthly period, no hardiness and no pain.