At the beginning of the 20e century, the woman frees herself from the corset to move to the wearing of bra. This clothing accessory was invented by an American woman, Marie Tucek, to free women from the terrible constraint of wearing a corset. It is in 1893 that Marie Tucek conceived this clothing support intended to support the breasts. Later, it will be Mary Phelps Jacobs who improves the design and names it "bra". His creation was patented and then sold for $1500 to a company called Warner Brothers Corset Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
In the 1950s, teenage girls were encouraged to buy and use this new feminine accessory to firmly support their breasts to prevent sagging. At the birth of feminism, at the end of the '60s, young women burn their bras as a sign of emancipation. Currently, this underwear has become a pillar of fashion and a spearhead for advertisers since it allows to highlight one of the most erotic parts of the female body that are the breasts. If the corset gave women a wasp waist, it was also the cause of frequent discomfort as it compressed those who wore it. Certainly the bra may seem less restrictive, but do we really know the disadvantages and dangers? Did the woman really gain from it?
As early as 1930, a first study was published that established the relationship between bra wearing and the increase in the number of women with breast cancer. Since then, many similar and serious studies have been carried out, but they do not seem to alert anyone. While one of them revealed that 3 out of 4 women who regularly wear a bra develop breast cancer. While cancer affects only one in 168 women who do not have it. It is thus noted that this risk of cancer is 125 times higher when one wears this underwear. This risk is also 12 times higher than the risk of developing cancer from smoking.
Link between breast health and bra wear
Elastic or underwired bras are more or less tight. Some of them pull up the breasts, which compresses the capillaries and lymphatic vessels and blocks all circulation to that area of the body. According to anthropologists, by compressing lymph nodes and (micro-)channels, the bra slows down the natural elimination of toxins through lymphatic drainage. Lymph stagnates, which promotes the accumulation of toxins in the breast. Over time, this can lead to cysts, fibrocysts and cancerous tumors. This is not surprising since it is known that the natural movements of the whole body help this system to drain toxic waste. This principle is also valid for the breasts. As we know, the breast area is very rich in lymph nodes and the imprisonment of the breasts by bras that are too rigid or too tight prevents this system from performing its function. This is how toxic waste accumulates in this area of the body that is extremely sensitive to toxins[i].
The link between bra wearing and the development of benign or malignant tumors is very well explained in the book Dressed to Kill ("Dressed to Kill") written in 1995 by Sydney researchers Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer. They surveyed 5,000 women and found that those who wore hard bras for at least 12 hours a day had a higher risk of breast cancer than those who wore few or no bras.
Dr. Gregory Heigh of Florida also found that more than 90% of women with fibrocystic breasts had an improvement in their condition once they stopped wearing them.
In addition to lymphatic compression, the pressure exerted by bras and their fabric enveloping the breasts significantly increases the temperature of the breasts. This was confirmed by the thermographic examinations. However, it is known by doctors that a precancerous or cancerous breast is hotter than a non-cancerous breast.
If lingerie manufacturers shout loudly that wearing a bra allows you to keep a beautiful chest longer, since 1978 several medical studies (France, USA, Japan and Great Britain) show the opposite. In France, Professor Jean Denis Rouillon (sports doctor at the University Hospital of Besançon) explains that wearing a bra favors the sagging of the chest. According to him: "The end of bra wearing is well supported by women, in terms of comfort and aesthetics. Contrary to popular belief, the breast does not fall off, but it does firm up, rise again, and the quality of the skin improves. "
This seems logical since it is known that in the logic of the body, the function creates or stimulates the organ. When wearing a bra, Cooper's ligaments and skin muscles atrophy and lose their effectiveness. Artificial breast support causes the breasts to lose their firmness and sag more quickly than if the natural supports are stimulated. Indeed, the breast is wrapped in a thin and very strong membrane. The more she works, the more toned she will be. In addition, the ligaments connected to the skin provide support, and these ligaments lose their elasticity and tone if they are constantly held in place by the bra.
Should we drop the bra?
In addition to the weight of moral guilt felt when stopping wearing a bra, some women may experience a feeling of tightness, which may last for a few weeks. This can be similar to the phenomenon of aches and pains felt when resuming a sport that has not been practiced for a long time. The skin muscles and ligaments need to relearn and regain their functions. You should know that these muscles and ligaments that ensure a natural suspension of the breasts can be strengthened by exercises of the pectoral muscles.
The only time that wearing a soft bra would be advisable is during sports. But this is purely a personal feeling.
If the woman can tolerate the movement of her breasts during a sports session, it is better to avoid wearing them. Sports researchers have studied this closely. They put sensors on the chest of female athletes. Thanks to this, they discovered that it moves about 6 cm up and down and about 9 cm from left to right during sports practice. These movements are reduced by 70% when wearing a bra (even a soft sports bra); however, it is these movements that allow the breast to adapt and strengthen its natural supports.
Stop the preconceived ideas!
These same researchers noted that after 3 years of study, not only did the breasts not soften and even less sag, on the contrary, they actually increased in size! And the angle of the nipple axis to the horizontal (an important aesthetic criterion) increased on average by 180%!
This aesthetically favorable evolution is in total opposition to the phenomenon of ptosis that women dread so much.
In short, a free breast is stronger and a free breast will naturally be firmer and higher[ii]!
Who says support also says dress stylebut do you know your own?
i] Case histories of fibrocystic relief upon ditching or easing bra use - http://all-natural.com
[ii] http://www.amessi.org/soutien-gorge-et-cancer-du-sein-les-dangers-du-soutien-gorge#le_danger_du_soutien_gorge