Does it Matters?

The heterosexual male attraction to the female breast is one of the truly mysterious phenomena of the universe. On the face of it, there is little logic to it. Men are drawn to the round, milk-producing protuberances emanating from a woman’s chest.

Curiously, men have breasts of their own. And — though they are about as useful as a snow shovel in the Sahara — men have nipples as well. So why should men be so attracted to the female variant which, in point of fact, differs little from their own anatomy?

Dr. Stephen McDougal, Phd. says: “I’d say it has something to do with what breasts symbolize. There’s something uniquely feminine – hyperfeminine, if you will — about the female breast. It’s soft, it’s inviting, it’s comforting, and it’s curvy. And it’s just different enough from what we’ve got on our chest to be mysterious, erotic — other.”

He also adds: “As for size, well, the bigger the breasts are, the more mysterious, erotic, other. Some (Freudians mostly) will tell you that men are drawn to a woman’s breasts because we seek the vaguely sexual infantile memory of maternal breastfeeding. This, in my view, is poppycock. There is simply something about the breast that is emblematic of everything female. Get to see it, and you’ve glimpsed a beautiful nether region. Get to touch it and it’s like going through the gates of Shangri-la.”

By the way, not all men are turned on by big breasts. Indeed, many a man is jazzed by smaller cup sizes.

Bra.

An undergarment worn by women to support their breasts.
Why wear a bra?

Over 90% of North American women wear a bra, many without ever asking why. This article talks about different reasons women give for wearing a bra. Some women with large breasts need it and want it — yet some women suffering from fibrocystic breast disease can get tremendous relief from breast pain by going without bras.

For most women (excluding the large-breasted ones) bra wearing is not a necessity for their breasts’ sake; it is worn for cultural reasons.

Do breasts really feel more comfortable with or without bras?

The thing is, most women are so used to bras that they don’t notice the slight discomfort from bras. But thinking about it, can you feel any discomfort and tightness from your bra? When you take your bra off, do you feel something similar to the feeling when you have eaten your belly full at a restaurant, and you loosen your belt a little? Can you possibly even see little red marks on your skin after taking bra off? If you answer yes to these questions, your breasts may be trying to tell you something! “Asked if a bra is uncomfortable, most women will respond “no”, even though the evidence is there. This may be the result of conditioning towards certain social “rules” actually outweighing the physical discomfort. In other words, it is more uncomfortable to be braless in today’s society.” A New Look At Breast Cancer By Brian Sanderoff and Craig N. Fryer

So why do you wear a bra?

* “Because breasts need to be supported.” This is largely a myth: “…wearing a bra… has no medical necessity whatsoever“, says Susan M. Love, M.D in her “Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book”. Breasts were fine before the invention of brasserie. This is similar to the myth that women supposedly need corsets to support their stomach muscles.Now, large-breasted women may find that going without a bra gives them pain. Jogging and other active sports may be painful even for us medium-breasted ladies. This is, however, an individual thing, so you can try it out and do what is comfortable for you.

For those women who are struggling to lose weight and find that they are developing the “putty shape” in the midriff or “soft puffies” in other areas, a body shaper can help give a toned and firmer look. But for most women, the biggest problem area (and the area in which they make the most mistakes) is in their brassiere.
For Good Measure…

Most women, interestingly enough, don’t know how to properly measure for a bra. As a result, they go through life with an ill-fitting
garment that either is too constricting and can be painful, or fails to give them the appropriate support they need.

An improperly fitted bra can lead to back pain, and discomfort. Fortunately, getting a good fit isn’t as hard as you might think.

For starters, you want to take the measurements while wearing a bra. I know this seems like a paradox, because if you already have a bra, you should know your proper bra size. However, this isn’t true and the purpose for taking measurements while wearing a bra is to make sure that you can get an accurate measure while your breasts are in the proper position. This becomes more important for women as they get older and after changes in their body begin to occur.

Start by taking a soft measuring tape and measure the chest just below the breast. The tape should be level back and front and should fall along the lower band of the bra you’re wearing. The tape should be snug and lie smooth along the skin, but should not be tight or binding. Take this measurement and add 5 inches to the number. This becomes your band size.

Next take your tape measure and wrap it around the fullest point along your bust. This measurement is then compared to your band size. You subtract the band size from the bust measurement and use that number to determine your cup size. For every one inch of difference between the band size and bust measure, you have one cup size.

In the case of an odd-numbered band size, you will want to try both of the even-number sizes to either direction to get the more comfortable fit.

For example: Julia has taken her measurements and her band size is 33, while her bust measurement is 36. That means a difference of 3 inches, which makes her a “C” cup. Her proper bra size is going to be 32-C or 34-C.

Here’s a simple chart for cup-size measurements:

Bust Size – Band Size = Cup Size
Less than 1 inch AA
1 inch A
2 inches B
3 inches C
4 inches D

This measuring technique is a great way to ensure the proper fit from your bra. However, you shouldn’t substitute a measurement for simple “hands-on” fitting. Use this measurement to give you a starting point when you begin your bra shopping. Be sure to try on the bra you plan to buy before you leave the store. As with any other item of clothing, sizing can vary from brand to brand, and even from style to style, so there’s no way around “trying it on for size” to ensure a proper fit.

Just remember, your bra should be comfortable and should never feel tight or binding. The cups should support the breasts themselves without sagging or seeming “over-full”. The goal here is to create a smooth, shapely silhouette, and a properly fitting brassiere is a key part of reaching that goal