Confinement: why more and more women are abandoning the bra - 20 Minutes
- 8% of women no longer wear a bra during confinement, according to a study carried out by the FIFG on April 3 and 4, 2020 among 1,016 people.
- "This figure says a lot about the weight of external injunctions", according to the philosopher Camille Froidevaux-Metterie, author of the book "Breasts, in search of liberation" (Editions Anamosa)
- Jean-Denis Rouillon has carried out a study of almost fifteen years on the usefulness of the bra. According to his measurements, after a year off, the pain would go away and the nipples would gain a little height.
Red marks on the skin, irritations, impression of not being able to fully breathe: all of these sensations, almost one in ten women have not known about them since the start of confinement. According to an Ifop survey carried out in early April, one in five women aged 18 to 24 has not worn a bra since March 17. This figure "says a lot about the weight of external injunctions," said the philosopher Camille Froidevaux-Metterie, author of the book Seins, in search of a release released on March 5.
“During confinement, women find themselves freed from the weight of external glances. It's unprecedented. They were able to take advantage of it to change certain habits and, among others, we saw that some abandoned their bras. Among these women, Laura, Sabrina or Sarah-Laurence. Most of them wanted to leave their breasts free for a long time. The obligation for everyone to stay at home was the occasion.
A “recorsetization” of the bra
If the reasons which pushed them to make this choice are as numerous as varied, the one which stands out most often is the search for comfort. Because the bra can hurt. It suffices to count the number of women who, once they have crossed their door, hasten to take off their bra. Mathilde, who hasn't worn it for almost a year, remembers: “I was constantly scratching this part to the brim. Today I feel free. Same feeling for Laura, 30, who decided to leave her breasts free since the start of confinement. “I feel less stuck and I can really breathe better. "
However, when it was created in 1889 by Herminie Cadolle, the bra was seen as a revolution allowing women to free themselves from very tight corsets. At the time, it was even baptized "Well-being". “For a long time, bras have been a form of liberation from women's bodies. But since the appearance of Wonderbra in the 1990s, we have witnessed a form of "recorsetization" of bras, with reinforcements, foams, pads, underwire and elastic more and more restrictive » , explains Camille Froidevaux-Metterie.
Breast rehabilitation after one year
But if the bra hurts, a large, unsupported chest could be painful, whether it's chasing after a bus or playing a violent sport. It is for this reason that Laura and Sabrina put on a bra when they exercise. But these pains would not be irremediable according to Jean-Denis Rouillon, sports doctor now retired. He carried out a study in this area over 15 years at the beginning of the 2000s. His observation: after a year, the breast readjusted to the absence of external support.
The suspensory system exists regardless of the size of the chest.
Jean-Denis Rouillon started with a first thesis on 33 young and sporty young women, then a second on a more diverse sample of 50 women. In all, he has examined over 300 pairs of breasts over the years and measured their evolution. For each of the two groups, he drew the same conclusions. “Our main assumption is that initially the breast is able to assume itself by itself thanks to Cooper's ligaments. This suspension system exists, regardless of the size of the chest. "But after a few years of bra, especially if it is put on during the period of breast growth, the system degenerates and then the woman is captive. If she wants to stop wearing bras, she will have heavy, sore breasts. According to the former doctor, after stopping the wearing of any type of bra, it takes a year for the breast to readjust to the new conditions, weightlessness and sports practices.
We make a false need and then the woman is captive of the false need we have made.
If Doctor Rouillon has addressed this question, it is because no study on the subject has been carried out in the world. While practicing as a sports doctor in Besançon, he had noticed that many sportswomen were not wearing bras. Surprised by this observation which came to contradict what he had been taught in medical studies on the fragility of the breast, he decided to go in search of a bibliography. To his surprise, he finds nothing. "I thought it was crazy. I said to myself "for over a hundred years, women on the planet, especially European women, have conscientiously put on a bra every morning without its usefulness having ever been proven". "
No study proves the usefulness of the bra
By writing his book, Camille Froidevaux-Metterie made the same observation. No scientific study, except that of Dr. Rouillon exists on this subject. “There are people who have a lot to lose by demonstrating the uselessness of bras, for those who can do without them. There is a whole underwear industry that has an interest in women wearing and changing bras often. But why then wear a bra? For Jean-Denis Rouillon, this is inevitable. “The mechanics are perverse. We make a false need and then the woman is captive of the false need we have made. The height is that the solution for a woman to be comfortable is to maintain this breast support device. "
The breasts would not be more painful after a year without a bra and they could even get bigger. In his study, Jean-Denis Rouillon notes that with women who had always worn bras, "on average, the nipple was lifted by seven millimeters in a year. "
Exercising your suspensory muscles
An observation that Mathilde, 22, was able to make by abandoning her bra last summer. Her large chest would have "firmed, toned and [risen]. And it was just after reading this study that Sabrina, 28, also decided to stop wearing it. “Doing 95F, I have always had only one fear, that my breasts are falling. So she took advantage of the confinement to try to separate from her bra, hoping to rework her suspensory muscles. And she already sees the result on her chest.
But for the sociologist, this aspect should not be essential. "The question of whether bras would make breasts more beautiful or prevent them from sagging is, in my opinion, almost to be banished. One thing that is obvious is that with aging, the skin changes in nature. So this obsession with the search for a form of perpetual youth is completely futile. It helps to produce very damaging effects for women, especially those who are in their 50s. "
Accept your body naturally
Because to stop wearing bras is also to accept your body naturally. "By abandoning it, I have one less device. I feel better, more of myself and I feel more in tune with myself, ”admits Laura. “Now I accept my natural breast better. Mathilde also experienced this work of accepting her body. The young woman was extremely complexed by her large breast which she said "fell a lot". Since she leaves it free, she assumes it more easily. “I find my chest ten times prettier now. I learn from day to day to love him more. I would even say that it is one of the top 3 favorite parts of my body. "
The same goes for Edwige, 41, who on the contrary found his chest too small. “Before I used to wear bras to take, at least visually, an extra cup size. My chest is not really fitting with my luscious forms and I have long struggled to assume it. For Sabrina too, stopping wearing the bra and accepting her natural chest go hand in hand. “There is this dictum which says that the chest should be round and high. I wanted to get used to not having that chest that we have thanks to the bra. I have always had a low breast implantation which I found very difficult to accept. But gradually, it doesn't bother me anymore. "
A breast formatting tool
A diktat that the philosopher analyzes as well. "The bra is not only something that wraps around women or that can annoy them, even if it is obviously useful for those with large breasts. It is also a breast formatting tool designed to make them correspond to a certain ideal imposed on all: the half-apple, a round breast, sufficiently large, firm and tall. So not wearing a bra is also making visible different shapes and sizes of breasts. "
But not sure that this new habit will survive confinement. Because between public transport and work colleagues, it is not always easy to assume the looks in front of her nipples that point or her chest that falls. Raphaëlle, who has not worn a bra for a long time, comes out of one of her wardrobe when she wears tight tops. “At work, I have to be a minimum sober, not only in front of the children, because as adults we are examples for them, but also in front of their parents. "
The taboo of the nipple
Laurence-Sarah, 49, has opted for “no bra” since the start of confinement, but she forces herself to put on a bra when she leaves her house. “In the street, I am not at all serene in front of the libidinous glance of certain men. And it bothers me because I really wish I didn't have to wear it anymore. Because looks and remarks are never far away, even when staying at home. "We were at home and my roommate told me to put on a bra because my breasts were pointing and it was hot," says Laura, confined with friends. "So I went to put one on. I didn't mean to make people uncomfortable or to be a topic of conversation. "
This is the whole paradox of the bra, as Camille Froidevaux-Metterie explains. “In some ways, it is there precisely to signify the sexual body by creating a plunging neckline or by making the breasts larger when it is padded. But it is also there to hide them, in particular by completely erasing the nipples. "
But among those who have stored their bra at the back of their closet, some may want to put one on from time to time. “Some women can find pleasure in choosing pretty ones, in lace for example, because it plays a role in their love and sexual life. For all these reasons, intended or suffered, conscious and less conscious, some women will reopen their closet in search of a bra once the confinement is behind them. According to Camille Froidevaux-Metterie, “ultimately, what matters is to be able to each do with our breasts what we want. "
Society
Female hair removal: Why so much hatred for hair?
Style
Coronavirus: When makeup becomes a source of well-being for the confined
- Feminism
- gender equality
- Health
- Deconfinement
- Breasts
- Society
- Confinement
- Video