The first known so-called 'breast supporter' was fashioned by Marie Tucek in 1843. The ladies of that era appeared to have been happy to let their breasts hang-loose, or were content with the restrictions of their corset, and rejected the idea.

Mary Phelps from New York patented the conventional bra, similar in design shape to what the majority of women wear today, in 1914. The idea was that the bra, or brassieres as it was originally called, replaced the corset, which was not convenient to wear with some of the newer fashion designs. By replacing the bra with the corset, wasn't that just exchanging one type of torture clothing for another.

Letting Them Hang Loose as Nature Intended

Some women wouldn't even think of stepping outside their front door without a bra, and would rather make their own bra, than go without one. While others are quite content to let their breasts hang loose as nature intended.

Attitudes started to change in the 'burn the bra¹ ' era of the 1960s. One of the first steps was that women stopped wearing a bra in bed; previously believing that their breasts needed over-night support, as well as day-time.

There are some disadvantages to not wearing a bra. These include slight sagginess due to lack of support, and the almost absence of cleavage when wearing a low-cut top, blouse or dress. However, for some women the comfort of not having their breasts held up unnaturally make up for the disadvantages. Though going bra-less is not suitable for all women; some with larger breasts risk back ache or injury if they don't wear a fully-supporting bra.

The stereotype of a bra-less woman is a member of a radical feminist liberation club, and that they're making some kind of out-dated political statement by not wearing a bra. That may be so, in some cases, but for most, it is simply personal choice or for comfort. There are also medical reasons; after heart surgery some women are advised not to wear a bra.

Sagginess

It is often assumed that by not wearing a bra, the breasts will soon sag in an unsightly way; this is not always true.

There is a theory that sagging breasts have more to do with genetic skin elasticity than whether or not you wear a bra. For instance, a woman who has no stretch marks after having a baby has good skin elasticity, and it's unlikely her breasts will sag much more than normal gravity when not wearing a bra. Although poor skin elasticity is unavoidable as you get older.

There is another theory that suggests wearing a bra can increase sagginess in old age. The suggestion is that while the bra supports the breasts, the chest muscles become lazy, due to lack of use. Over the years the chest muscles, along with the ligaments can shrink. Whilst when a bra is not worn, the chest muscles and ligaments are kept in tone, by bearing the weight of the breasts.

Breast Cancer

There are a some unsubstantiated reports that women are less likely to get breast cancer or breast cysts if they do not wear a bra. One is that not wearing a bra easies the release of naturally absorbed, inhaled, eaten and drunk, through the fat cells of the breasts. These claims are not directed at all bras, mainly at the tight fitting and under-wired type. These are said to cut off the circulation of both blood and lymph fluid around the breast, chest wall, and surrounding tissue. However, one would imagine, that in order to cause the above problems, the bra would be extremely uncomfortable, and more than likely not correctly measured or fitted.

There is no firm evidence that whether or not a woman wears a bra, whether it be under-wired or not, is not a risk factor of breast cysts or breast cancer.