# Why do women wear Bra's **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 21, 2004, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538 "2004-03-21T12:39:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/41 "2004-03-22T20:46:40Z")
> [@Starguard](#): > > one of the many **infinitive** questions I’ve had about women There’s a “split” joke in there somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2004, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/42 "2004-03-22T21:37:49Z")
Reasons women (well this one at any rate) wear bras: [ul] [li]Large breasts, no support = pain. I know this one well, hence why I wear underwired ones. I think I may be the only woman in the world to find underwired bras comfortable.[/li][li]If you pick the right one (and not just the expensive La Senza/Victoria’s Secrets ones) they look _damned_ sexy. Especially under a low cut top.[/li][li]Cleavage. Yeah, I have ‘natural’ cleavage, but it doesn’t hurt to give nature a helping hand now and then. :D[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2004, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/43 "2004-03-22T21:48:01Z")
I was under the impression that gravity will get you one way or another. Otherwise how can you explain all that sagging when you’ve been wearing a bra since you were eleven? Just don’t get me started on the evils of underwire. Never again! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2004, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/44 "2004-03-22T22:04:59Z")
Originally Posted by Starguard > [@](#): > > one of the many **infinitive** questions I’ve had about women… Originally Posted by Cervaise > [@](#): > > There’s a “split” joke in there somewhere. I want them _to really_ cleave? ---
**Author:** ![LVgeogeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b19c9b/32.png) [@LVgeogeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVgeogeek)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/45 "2004-03-22T22:08:22Z")
I wear a 36D (or a 38C- both are about the same) But I have to wear a bra because my boobs have never been perky- ever. If I don’t wear one they sag a bit and they start to hurt after a while. Plus, I seem to get extra boob sweat if not wearing one. i like the Victorias Secret body by victora bras that are a microfiber material- they help me feel much cooler in the summer here in Vegas. As far as red lipstick- I haven’t a clue. It makes me look crappy & cheap (every shade I have ever tried. Painting nails- because I think it looks nicer than just unpolished nails- more professional. I paint my nails all sorts of colors (just not at the same time 🙂 ) I like bronze colors, as well as reds, purples, blue (very rarely though). I even did my nails when I was working as a hydrologist intern and did outside “get-your-hands-dirty” kind of work. Plus sometimes people paint their nails to keep themselves from biting/chewing nails. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2004, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/46 "2004-03-22T23:15:34Z")
I have another bra question. I remember in decades past that the larger bra sizes tended to have 4 hooks, and sometimes even 5. Nowadays it seems that almost all sizes have 2 hooks. Also, wide straps are fairly rare, except in sports bras. Now it would seem to me that more hooks and wider straps would be both more supportive and more comfortable for large-breasted women, but they don’t seem to exist. My wife says it’s because all women want to think of themselves as petite, and so won’t buy underwear that says otherwise. But then, since she _is_ petite, and probably hasn’t taken a poll on the subject, I thought I’d throw the question out here for scientific discussion. ---
**Author:** ![lauramarlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@lauramarlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lauramarlane)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/47 "2004-03-22T23:34:14Z")
As an amply endowed woman, I know a little something about the better engineered bras. I haven’t owned one that had fewer than three hooks since I was in 7th grade. The one I’m wearing now has five (which I hate because it’s very hard to do the reach around with five hooks!) and it bears a striking resemblance to hub caps, but it’s the most supportive and comfortable one I own. So, they do still make those four and five hook monstrosities, but usually I sacrifice support for something that looks a little nicer under certain clothes–no seams, not as high cut… ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/48 "2004-03-22T23:53:21Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > I have another bra question. I remember in decades past that the larger bra sizes tended to have 4 hooks, and sometimes even 5. Nowadays it seems that almost all sizes have 2 hooks. Also, wide straps are fairly rare, except in sports bras. Now it would seem to me that more hooks and wider straps would be both more supportive and more comfortable for large-breasted women, but they don’t seem to exist. My wife says it’s because all women want to think of themselves as petite, and so won’t buy underwear that says otherwise. But then, since she _is_ petite, and probably hasn’t taken a poll on the subject, I thought I’d throw the question out here for scientific discussion. I currently have two bras. :: sigh :: I’m a 34 DD/F, depending on how the bra is made.\* One of them is unpadded, has slightly wider straps and has three hooks in the back (underwire, natch). The other one is padded, has normal width straps and has two hooks (again, underwire). There’re only two things I like about the second one: the padding hides my nips when it’s cold, and it was only $11.99. The wider straps of the first one are much more comfortable, and three hooks seems to make it a bit more secure (and less likely to shift around a bit), but that’s not really a major issue. It’s just overall a lot more comfortable, the main reason being the straps. Unfortunately, it was about $35 (and on my budget, that’s why I only had that one bra for 7 months ;)). Oh, another reason women might wear bras is to camouflage differences in breast sizes. Usually one breast is a bit larger than the other; this difference can be up to a cup size (like me). It seems that wearing a bra can kind of hide this difference (especially the slightly padded kind). I still think that it’s kind of sad that I’ve lost a lot of weight and was thinking that my boobs were starting to get uncomfortably small. Then I find out that my smaller boob is almost too big for a DD cup and my other one is almost too big for an F cup. Heh. :rolleyes: \*[sub]The thing I hate is that it was actually _easier_ for me to find bras when I was larger. It’s a hell of a lot easier to find a 38 or 40 band for larger boobs than it is to find a small band size[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/49 "2004-03-23T02:26:13Z")
> [@Starguard](#): > > Why do they paint their nails red (whats so special about this color)? I remember reading once somewhere that red paint on fingernails was to represent blood from scratching a kill or something. Same with red lipstick…(strange) Well, **I** don’t paint my nails and lips red, mainly because when I do so I look like I’m bloody, like someone ripped my nails _off_ or something - my skin is just way too pale for red nail polish. When I do polish the nails it’s either a frosty pink (the ONLY time you’ll see any pink on me!) or silver white. Never wear lipstick - they don’t make colors that look good on me. Unless you think “vampire” is a good look. > [@](#): > > - Why do they wear stockings **under their pants**? I can see them wearing them while wearing a dress, but why wear them under pants where no one can see them…(strange) Ewwwww… pantyhose…ewwwwww! But serioulsy - why do you wear socks with your shoes? Many styles of women’s shoes are intended to be worn with hose, not socks, so they make knee highs or “trouser socks” (sort of between thin socks and hose) and the like. And sometimes a woman wears hose to either keep warm in the winter (pro footballers do, too, according to rumor) or reduce friction (like when I used to ride horses a lot and it cut down on chafing) > [@](#): > > There are many other things that puzzle me about the things women do, but the Bra thing has puzzled me the most. Why do they wear them Because ankle length breasts are so unattractive and I’m trying to avoid that look. And all the other answers given - to provide support, hide nipples, provide better airflow in hot weather, reduce chafing, to look sexy, to minimize large breasts, to maximize small breasts, to life and separate… you get more than one answer because there are multiple reasons for wearing them. > [@](#): > > and most of all, How do they manage to unsnap them from behind so easily when they can’t even see what they are doing, where as men have to fight with these contraptions for several minutes trying to get them off of them, while we’re standing right behind them looking directly at what we are doing? Short answer: I don’t. I’m from the pull-down-the-armstraps, swing-the-latch-to-the-front school. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/50 "2004-03-23T03:35:50Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Short answer: I don’t. I’m from the pull-down-the-armstraps, swing-the-latch-to-the-front school. Thanks, everybody, I feel much better. I’ve gotten the oddest looks from people (in locker rooms and such) for taking off a bra this way. I also put it on that way – fasten, yank around, pull up. I’m not alone! I’m not alone! ---
**Author:** ![myrnajean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@myrnajean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myrnajean)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/51 "2004-03-23T04:56:14Z")
I wear a bra because 34 size back does not hold up DD very easily without underwire. Been wearing underwire since I was a teenager, and gravity hasn’t gotten me yet. I can hold one pencil under there, but not two. I think not having kids has something to do with that. I know some women my size who had kids and they ended up with two elongated flapjacks on their chest. They still wear the same size bra, but they have to roll the tit up like a tortilla and pop it into the cup. When I have tried going braless for any lenght of time, I end up walking around with my hands under my boobs, periodically lifting them up, or I rest them on the table I’m sitting at, not a good idea at a business meeting. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/52 "2004-03-23T05:07:23Z")
Regarding red lipstick, I saw an explanation for this on one of the brainfood channels…TLC, TDC, or THC. As always, take their answers with a grain of salt. Women who are (I forget if it was ovulating or aroused or both) get redder lips (and cheeks) due to increased blood flow. Lipstick (and rouge) is an ancient method (going back to ancient Egypt or further) to simulate this effect in order to arouse/be more attractive to men. For what it’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![Skott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Skott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skott)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/53 "2004-03-23T08:12:57Z")
Frankly, I’ve always figured that painting one’s nails was either to make one feel good about one’s self or to impress other women. Most men, of course, don’t pay too much attention to such small details, much to the annoyance of most women. And if they don’t notice the fingernails, how in the world are they going to notice the toenails? Woman: Notice anything different about me? Girls at the office: You got your nails painted a new color! And you had little sparkly butterflies put on them! How cute! Guys: You have nails? ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/54 "2004-03-23T08:28:44Z")
> [@myrnajean](#): > > I know some women my size who had kids and they ended up with two elongated flapjacks on their chest. They still wear the same size bra, but they have to roll the tit up like a tortilla and pop it into the cup. That is some mental image. _Hilarious!_ Some women wear their bras hitched very low. I don’t get this. It does not look good to have your tits so low. It ruins the cut of any fitted top, jacket or dress. It makes them, no matter what their age, look a little matronly. The bra can hitch you up, no matter how you sag without the support. Both my sister and my mom have had kids and they don’t have the perkiest boobs, but they both look fine because they hitch up their bras. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/55 "2004-03-23T09:19:47Z")
> [@elfbabe](#): > > Regarding bras: Breasts are heavy. When not constrained, they tend to move a lot, particularly your larger types of breast. I presume you’ve observed this phenomenon. They also contain a lot of sensitive tissue. Without bras, certain types of movement (going up or down stairs quickly, running, jumping) are _painful_, as the breast tends to bounce excessively. Is it just me, or did that get anyone else hot? IANAW, but if you want to see why women wear bras, I’ve got two words: National Geographic. Why red nail polish? Simple - it’s the color of the genitals. BTW, I have never met a man who gives a rat’s ass about fingernails. Chances are, if a man tells you he likes the way you’ve painted your nails, he’s just being nice and/or trying to get laid. ---
**Author:** ![Idlewild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8491ac/32.png) [@Idlewild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idlewild)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/56 "2004-03-23T12:31:12Z")
When I was younger and perkier, I once wore shimmery purple nail polish to the office to match the office-type dress I had on, and of all people a bloke (an engineer, even!) noticed. He may have been “trying to get laid”, though. 😃 I don’t paint my nails any more because my husband can’t stand the smell, which is fair enough, nail polish does not smell good. I’ve got a passion for lipsticks in all kinds of colours and have my fair share of reds. Reds definitely require a certain amount of confidence to pull off, though some of them are frankly meant to look cheap and tawdry if that’s the impression I’m aiming to give. Colours that are generally in skin related hues (reds, pinks, browns) definitely seem to go over better than more artificial looking colours (blues, certain shades of purple.) I think I’ve had a fascination with red lipstick since I was little enough to absorb wide-eyed that many of the fairy tale heroines (Rose Red, Snow White) have pale skin and red lips. Go archetypes! ---
**Author:** ![Bimble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@Bimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bimble)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/57 "2004-03-23T12:35:56Z")
I’ve either got Raynaud’s Disease or an underactive Thyroid (I’m being tested for both) so I wear the THICKEST pair of tights/hose under my jeans/pants that I can find AND the thickest and longest MEN’s socks (women’s socks are USELESS!) on top of that. If I have to wear another pair of socks, I will!!! So… hose under pants = warm legs and toasty butt (Or if you’re me, you buy BIG tights/hose and pull 'em RIGHT up so you keep your middle warm too!) As for bras and small boobs, well in the absence of decent sized pockets elsewhere, a girl has ALWAYS got somewhere to stuff spare change, bus tickets, pencil stubs, odd sandwiches etc, etc, etc… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/58 "2004-03-23T15:52:57Z")
> [@The Skipper](#): > > Although the French suck in almost every other aspect, when it comes to women’s undergarments, they have my respect. 🙂 Yeah, the French and their crappy wine, inedible food, and garish paintings. :rolleyes: Anyway, glad to hear that you admire the French position on undergarments. This raises the real point I want to address, namely visible panty lines (VPLs). The French, and most European societies I believe, consider visible panty lines to be extremely sexy – a feeling that I wholeheartedly share. Yet in America, women undertake extreme efforts to avoid visible panty lines. This makes **Spiff** very sad. Can any American women elaborate on why they think American society deems VPLs to be so taboo? I’d also like to hear from women who proudly display their VPLs – you are leading a righteous campaign. We shall overcome! ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/59 "2004-03-23T16:24:27Z")
> [@elfbabe](#): > > Women are not some kind of bizarre alien life form, ya know. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538/60 "2004-03-23T17:53:08Z")
I wear a bra for support, and so that my boobs will stay perky. I also like them because they’re sexy and go well with a pretty thong. Sometimes I wear a tank top or something instead of a bra, it works well, but my boobs are large and I am a little worried that someone at work will notice the lack of a real bra. Red lips and nails are sexy. I enjoy both. I don’t do it for men or for anyone, much like the rest of my routine. I do it because it makes me feel good and I like to have a put together appearance. Panty hose? Never. I wear the occasional pair of black tights with a skirt or thigh high stockings, but I can’t remember the last time I wore hose. They’re something I associate with my grandma. And panty lines? That’s what thongs were created for. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-bras/235538.md?page=4)