Since women have never worn bras for most of human history, it raises a simple question. Might there be any downsides to the practice?

• Pain — Bras can cause chronic back, rib, neck, shoulder, and breast pain, often tied to restricted breathing. Many women find relief when they take their bras off, yet they continue wearing them in public due to societal expectations.

What is remarkable about this is that most women recognize this (e.g., a survey of 3000 women found that 46% of them enjoy being able to take their bras off at the end of the day,¹⁵ while another 3000 women survey found 52% take it off within 30 minutes of getting home¹⁶). During the pandemic, many women stated they stopped wearing a bra once the lockdowns allowed them to work from home and, hence, did not “need” one.¹⁷

• Breast shape — There’s an ongoing debate about whether bras worsen breast shape over time, potentially increasing sagging. While the evidence is limited, some like this gynecologist¹⁸ suggest that not wearing a bra could be cosmetically beneficial, challenging the marketing claim that bras maintain youthful breast appearance.

• Metal allergies — An estimated 17% of women are allergic to nickel,¹⁹ commonly used in bra underwires. This can cause skin reactions, yet the industry, wishing to maximize savings, has been slow to offer nickel-free options.

Note: Nickel is found in various products like buttons, glasses, and belts, so if unusual skin symptoms appear, especially in a specific area, a nickel allergy should be considered.

• Impaired circulation — Bras compress the breasts, potentially impairing circulation and lymphatic drainage (as lymphatic circulation is very sensitive to being obstructed by external pressure). This could explain issues like headaches, indigestion, and an even higher risk of breast cancer due to lymphatic stagnation.

• Breast cancer — The most controversial topic is the potential link between bras and breast cancer. While major cancer organizations deny this connection, some holistic and even mainstream sources²¹ argue that lymphatic stagnation,²² worsened by bras, could contribute to cancer development. Though not widely accepted, the possibility remains a point of concern.

In turn, there is some evidence to support the contention that bras are linked to breast cancer. Specifically:

• A 1991 Harvard study of 9333 people²³ that found “Premenopausal women who do not wear bras had half the risk of breast cancer compared with bra users.”

• A 1991 to 1993 study of 5000 women²⁴ that found:

◦ Women who wore their bras 24 hours per day had a 3 out of 4 chance of developing breast cancer.

◦ Women who wore their bras for more than 12 hours but not to bed had a 1 in 7 risk for breast cancer.

◦ Wearing a bra less than 12 hours per day dropped breast cancer risk to 1 in 152.

◦ Women who never or rarely wore bras had a 1 in 168 risk for breast cancer.

For reference, this is 4 to 8 stronger than the association between smoking and lung cancer and is discussed further in the book “Dressed To Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras.”²⁵ Furthermore:

• A 2009 Chinese study found that avoiding sleeping in a bra lowered the risk of breast cancer by 60%.²⁶
• 2016 Brazilian study of 304 women found women who were frequent bra wearers were 2.27 times more likely to develop breast cancer.²⁷
• A detailed 2016 meta-analysis comprised of 12 studies found wearing a bra while sleeping doubled one’s risk of breast cancer.²⁸

Story

I say take them off. It will do you good and give me wood (Rodney Carrington).

Note: this is a real story that I turned into sarcasm. YMMV