I guess it depends on the woman in question, but I find them to be more comfortable than being bra-less in the summer. without one you sweat and your skin sticks to itself…ewww.
From another guy’s point of view (no pun intended), I enjoy braless women, especially in a cold room. But geography and gravity have something to do with how much I may enjoy it. If the nipples point from the equator to a little into the Tropic of Cancer, I can really enjoy it. Tropic of Capricorn pointers are less interesting, and, frankly, neither pole gets positive attention from me. North Pole pointers are probably illegal, and South Pole pointers are old enough to be my mother.
Gawd! Did I actually say that. An extra user name in a sock would sure come in handy in a spot like this. Now people are gonna know… um…THINK, that I’m some kind of pervert. 
Welcome to the SDMB, ivebeenabadboy. I have just read some distrubing threads in GD, and you’ve added a welcome bit of levity.
I have to chime in and say that I wholly ‘support’ these two views.
Not taking a peek is like not slowing down when you drive past a car wreck: it’s what we all should do, but few of us manage it.
Western guys (like me, and most of the rest of you, if you’ll admit it) have been conditioned to respond to exposed breasts, it’s ‘titillating.’
I’m not going to be rude by trying to ignore Mother Nature’s call.
So, ladies, those of you who go without, keep on, I say. But don’t everyone start doing it–then it wouldn’t be as exciting, for us or for you. Doing something a teeny bit naughty is fun.
Ahhh, you guys are going to hate me-
I don’t wear a bra sometimes because I like distracting men.
Actually, I sing in a band and when I go on stage I like to not wear a bra because a couple of our songs are really bouncy and I jump all over the stage during the bouncy part…
I’ve seen myself on video while performing and my breasts bounce comically when I jump…It makes me giggle when I watch it afterwards…
But hey, maybe that’s why all these people are coming to our shows 
On the contrary Turp, I’m feeling very fond of you right now. You giggle watching your breasts bounce, and we adjust our pants: Viva la differance!!
And yes, I’m sure that at least some of your fans are there for the ‘eye candy’. Sorry if I offend anyone, but let’s be honest here.
Why aren’t men with big jiggly manboobs obliged to wear bras. On that note, I also think livestock should not appear in public without at least a comfortably large pair of speedos.
I work for an architecture firm and I often have to go verify dimensions at construction sites.
do I wear a bra to work?
damn straight I do!
even when not at construction sites, braless is not the way to go in the corporate world.
I’m in the camp of people who wear a bra because things are pretty scary if I don’t. I also find it more comfortable to wear a bra. So there you have it… each to their own.
I will add though, that my sexy and feminine bras only get used when I’m dressing up for a special occasion. The rest of the time, I’m in a sports-type bra, which crosses over at the back, supports my goo-boobs, absorbs sweat, allows my skin to breathe, and basically does everything except for singing the national anthem.
My only problem is the nipple factor. I have variable nipples, some days it looks like I don’t have any and other days I could probably get a runner-up in the titanium awards… oh well, shit happens. There’s much more important things to think about. The only time a male ever factors into my bra choices is if the “special occasion” isn’t a public affair, but is for my husband.
Am I the only man who does not think that braless is sexier?
From posts here, overheard conversations, movies etc a women wearing no bra is often considered to be very sexy.
I think that generally they look better with a bra.
Or maybe you just grew up in my family. 
My Nana used to watch the Oscars SOLELY to evaluate (loudly and pissily) the dearth of proper undergarments on the red carpet.
I know it was for my benefit.
She used to say that going without a bra/slip/panties “[did] nothing but tempt a man who can’t control himself.”
handy: I dare say no one’s going to care if you go braless!!!
This was kinda my thought: when folks were talking about how the male gaze might be factored into the bra/braless decision, I wondered about how the female gaze might be factored in.
Not that all men will look with lust and all women will look with disapproval, but surely some women go commandoless in fear of gramma’s “skanky ho!” glare.
Daniel
I don’t think it is right either that women need to either put up with or do something about men ogling them in a rude manner. I also don’t think it’s right that I should have to lock my car so someone doesn’t steal it, or that a woman should feel unsafe walking alone at. Those who “notice” with catcalls or assaults are jerks, and in some cases, criminals.
On the other hand some women (not most by any means) get dressed up in slinky outfits, or teenie weenie bikini’s, or other revealing outfits, and then get upset at being looked at by men. I’m not talking about looked at in the sense of catcalls, or having someone talk to their breasts. I mean looked at in the sense of heads turning when they walk past, or lowering a paper or magazine they are reading.
Similarly, if a man wears a speedo, or very tight pants, or a skintight t-shirt, he’s gonna be noticed, whether its “Great ass.” or “Jeez, how pathetic”
Right or wrong, how people of the opposite sex (or, in some cases, same sex) will react to your clothing, does need to be a factor in deciding what to wear. Many people above have factored it in, and said that they don’t care. Some do care.
No preview.
Daniel, I think the main difference is that women don’t need to fear assault or physical intimidation from Gramma’s skanky ho’ glare.
Although when my grandmother was mad, she had a look that would scare a cat off a liver truck.
As a young man, I’m surprised at how many women here hate bras and don’t wear them. I had always erronously believed that just about all women wear bras and just deal with it (also, for hte first 16 years of my life the function of such a garment was a mystery to me)
I guess I can imagine why some women don’t like to wear them. I’m a person that can’t stand to wear anything constrictive; things like hats, tight clothing, etc drive me nuts.
AIgot sick for a good week a couple years ago. I spent that whole time wallowing around in my pajamas. When I got better, I went to get dressed for school, and I put a bra on. I realized then how stupid, uncomfortable, and pointless bras are (at least for us smaller breasted ladies) and haven’t worn one since.
Really, bras suck. They are uncomfortable. They are expensive. They are just plain wierd. If you want to wear one- hey, that’s your choice, but there is no way that your going to get me in to one.
And you know what? Sometimes you can see my gasp nipples poking through! Yes! I am not Barbie! I have nipples! Why should I pretend that I don’t? And why should I pretend my breasts are shaped like anything other than breasts?
I have the body of a woman. If that is too much for you to handle, that is your problem, not mine. I have no sympathy for grown adults that can’t look a woman in they eye. Really, women are half the freaking population. And they all have breasts! It isn’t all that shocking. I’m not going to bind mine just because some men are jerks.
If somebody takes my body as an excuse to threaten my phsycial safety, they are going to get a blast of pepper spray. And then they will get their ass kicked. And it will not be pretty. Damned if I am going to let a generalized threat of violence control my very reasonable actions (quick, what do we call it when people use threats of random violence to control where people go, what they wear, who they hang around with? if you answered terrorism, you win!)
But really I don’t notice any more unwanted attention than I got in my bra-wearing days. If a guy is a jerk, he is going to harrass you no matter what you are wearing. Simply being a woman is enough to get you harrassed.
And I don’t mind a little attention. I oogle guys plenty often, it seems only fair that they should oogle back on occasion. As long as they arn’t threatening me, insulting me, or making an assumption that I am going to sleep with them or something, I’m fine. What matters to me is that I am taken seriously when it is time for me to be taken seriously (in classes, at work, and that sort of thing). and for the most part, I don’t have any problems with that. I’m a pretty intellegent and articulate girl. Most people can look past my nipples, so to speak, to figure that out.
I’ll go braless at home sometimes (I sure as hell don’t wear one to bed), but rarely, if ever, will I be in public without one. I wear tank tops a lot in the summer, but I always wear a strapless bra. I alos seem to be the posessor of “titanium nipples,” and I don’t like the look of “nipping out.” All of my bras are chosen to be thick enough to prevent that from being seen.
OTOH, when I’m changing and such, I’m not always the most careful about making sure every inch of my window is covered. Last semester, the large picture window in my ground-floor bedroom didn’t have a curtain for about 6 weeks (I changed in the bathroom until I did). My attitude is something along the lines of, “if you get that big of a thrill out of seeing some body part of mine, more power to you.”
You bring up a good point, about not being barbie. Why is Western culture have this paranoia about nipples? We show our eyes, ears, noses, chins, elbows, toes, knuckles, knees, navels, butt cracks :eek: , but two tiny bumps poking through a woman’s blouse/shirt and the whole world has to make an issue of it.
Ahh, don’t feel bad, Inc (may I call you Inc?)-- I once dated a guy who not only thought that it was common for all women to douche, but that it was common for all women to douche every day, just like it’s common for people to, say, brush their teeth every day.
So, if he encountered a woman who… erm… offended his sense of smell, he just assumed that she’d skipped her daily douche (due to time constraints or something)…
But I digress.
I think that bras are such a rite of passage (sing with me: Girl… you’ll be a WO-mun soon…) that most girls can’t wait to strap one on. (I know I couldn’t.) So most of the females you encountered between the ages of, say, 12 and 16 probably DID wear bras, whether they needed to or not. Eventually, however, practicality beats out popularity, or peer pressure, or whatever, and at that point I think women begin to make undergarment choices based on what works for them.
Wow that’s the guy that makes the other 99% of us look bad
Me, I can’t help but to look. I’m a 21 year old red blooded male and see women of all shapes and sizes. I have to be careful at college, though, because one of the statues of sexual harassment at my school includes ‘leering’ so generally I try to keep my eyes to myself :rolleyes: