Stitching up the chest or why we don’t feel comfortable going to work without a bra
It was when I was 25 years old when I decided to start going braless through life. And which meant that, she didn’t wear it when she went to work either.
It is true that, spending several years in a newsroom where most of my colleagues were women, I never felt that I was doing anything special. Now I realize that I had the privilege of being in a place where I had the freedom to dress as I wanted without anyone looking at me differently for it or hearing certain comments. This is not the case with many of my followers, who, after a round of questions on Instagram, told me that it was something that they would not feel comfortable putting into practice.
And of course, if you have a large chest -which is not my case-, the bra fulfills a support function, as its name suggests, which prevents back pain by resting the shoulders and spine. But I’m talking about those who, having the option of going more comfortable with nothing on, end up using it for external reasons. Mostly, people who don’t feel comfortable if they don’t wear it:
“If by not taking it with friends there is no lack of comments , I can’t imagine in the work environment.”
«The guys are going to look at you yes or yes if you go without a bra. That intimidates me.”
“Many times I go without because I feel comfortable and good with myself, but if I aspired to ascend, it would condition me.”
“When I worked in front of the 90% male public , especially in summer, I preferred a bra.”
«I have large breasts and I notice the looks» .
«Being a teacher it is difficult even to go with a bralette because it bothers me that the nipple shows something».
«I would love to go without, but I am a nurse and you can imagine the looks of the gentlemen» .
“A lot of times I feel like not wearing it, but I feel like it would be conspicuous or unprofessional and it pisses me off because I know I shouldn’t, but then I still don’t dare.”
“I work in the hospitality industry and it depends on the day, I don’t want to deal with some shit of male customers.”
These are just some of the stories that left me answering the question if they wanted to share their experiences.
The (long) shadow of sexism
Yes, I am aware that reflecting that I would like men and women to feel equally comfortable at work in their clothes is not a struggle that may seem as urgent as many that feminism faces. But when talking about equality , why not claim this too? The equality that we don’t feel obligated to wear something because, if we don’t wear it, we feel harassed or that we are taken less seriously at work. For now, professional worth is not measured in the nipples , seriously. I have acquaintances in human resources departments , in the part of recruiting new talent, and that’s not what they tell me they pay attention to.
Nor does going without a bra make you a worse team worker, take longer to perform your duties or make you more messy in Slack conversations … Read the rest
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