My dear cousin mentioned having read in a forwarded mail that underwire bras cause breast cancer. I decided to read up about it online:
I found it debunked in many, many creditable sources. This breastcancer.org site explained what the myths were. This post written by that site was called Common Fears With No Evidence: Antiperspirants and Bras.
So we can rest easy again. I used to wear nothing but non-underwire bras before, but nowadays it's hard to find them. They all have that stiff wire.
Sears was having a 40% off sale on their Maidenform bras BEFORE I read up on this breast cancer/underwire scare so I went to check out whether they have wireless ones and found one I liked. Granted the Small one with the cup that fit perfectly was too tight around the chest. The Medium wireless that fit around the chest was too big you know where. Sigh... In fact, if you're anything more than a 32, the Small is tight. And the shoulder straps are not adjustable.
Luckily I have a bra extender for the Small so it works beautifully and is quite comfortable so far. I'm going to wear it to Zumba and really check it out. It wasn't very cheap. $22 regularly priced at $36, but I like it.
By the way, wearing this bra does not make anybody look like that model. Shucks!
Art wants to know why the heck I have so many different bras in my drawer. Ummm...
I'm just glad ladies don't have to wear corsets anymore. It's hard enough to find a comfortable bra. Guys don't realize how easy they have it.
POSTSCRIPT 1: I just bought a Warners wire free bra at Ross. It cost only $11! This time the cup was the right size, but the chest was not tight enough. Ah well... Don't tell Art.
POSTSCRIPT 2: I found another one at the Navy Exchange. It was Hanes for $13.99 and it's perfect! Woo hoo!
I found it debunked in many, many creditable sources. This breastcancer.org site explained what the myths were. This post written by that site was called Common Fears With No Evidence: Antiperspirants and Bras.
- Antiperspirant chemicals are absorbed through the skin, block the release of toxins when you sweat, and cause these toxins to build up in the breast.
- Underwire bras cause breast cancer by blocking the drainage of lymph fluid from the bottom of the breast so it can't get back into your body.
So we can rest easy again. I used to wear nothing but non-underwire bras before, but nowadays it's hard to find them. They all have that stiff wire.
Sears was having a 40% off sale on their Maidenform bras BEFORE I read up on this breast cancer/underwire scare so I went to check out whether they have wireless ones and found one I liked. Granted the Small one with the cup that fit perfectly was too tight around the chest. The Medium wireless that fit around the chest was too big you know where. Sigh... In fact, if you're anything more than a 32, the Small is tight. And the shoulder straps are not adjustable.
Luckily I have a bra extender for the Small so it works beautifully and is quite comfortable so far. I'm going to wear it to Zumba and really check it out. It wasn't very cheap. $22 regularly priced at $36, but I like it.
By the way, wearing this bra does not make anybody look like that model. Shucks!
Art wants to know why the heck I have so many different bras in my drawer. Ummm...
I'm just glad ladies don't have to wear corsets anymore. It's hard enough to find a comfortable bra. Guys don't realize how easy they have it.
POSTSCRIPT 1: I just bought a Warners wire free bra at Ross. It cost only $11! This time the cup was the right size, but the chest was not tight enough. Ah well... Don't tell Art.
POSTSCRIPT 2: I found another one at the Navy Exchange. It was Hanes for $13.99 and it's perfect! Woo hoo!
I so hate underwire bras. They seem to break through and end up poking me.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your find, Kay! I have one drawer that has nothing in it but bras, some of which I don't wear any more, but I can't seem to bring myself to throw away. :-)
ReplyDeleteMaybe the concern is more on using antiperspirants which I do use.
ReplyDeleteI remember the stories about bras and deodorants, I know its really hard to find them without wire, I found I like Hanes the best,
ReplyDeleteThe best thing I do every day is take the darn thing off. I buy mine on the Internet. I hate to shop. Dianne
ReplyDeleteI'm with you in preferring no wires. I think you did pretty well if you got one out of three that was perfect.
ReplyDeleteI had a specific bra that fit and was so very comfortable. My last one just gave out recently and I cannot find a suitable replacement. I have a drawer full of bras, some of which I paid over $60 for that just don't feel that comfortable so the search goes on. I miss the braless days, but I fear they are gone forever.
ReplyDeletebe sure and get rid of the extra uncomfortable bras...lol!
ReplyDeleteI prefer to burn bras. Hate them! DrumMajor
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteTo me, getting dressed up means putting on a bra. Otherwise, I am pretty primitive as long as I am not exposing anyone to my freedom choice.
ReplyDeleteI do like 18 hour bras when I have to wear one. Very comfortable and no wires.
I too bought all my bras from Ross, but stuck to name brands Bali and Olga after learning that most bras from that store ended up a mess after a few washings. My daughter had the same problem until her friend told her to try Victoria Secret. She was so pleased with her bra saying it is the most comfortable bra she ever had, was able to find her perfect bra size and learned how to put on a bra from the helpful VS sales person. She said they came into her dressing room to help her...ummmm no thanks. So when VS had one of their sales, BIGIF, my daughter called to ask me to choose a bra online. I chose a 100% cotton bra which I had my doubts but I can honestly say it is the most comfortable, well made bra that makes me feel and look slimmer. I honestly feel like I've lost 10 lbs. I especially like the cool cotton feel. When in need of another bra, I'm going to have to order VS and can't buy another bra from Ross.
ReplyDeleteL...w
But is the VS bra wireless? I know my daughter often buys bras there, but they do have wires.
DeleteI went to their website and searched "wireless bra" and fortunately they do carry quite a few. They look exactly like the underwire bra I have. About $30-40. Very expensive so I would definitely buy "on sale". I'm sure the wireless is just as well made.... nice construction and it doesn't lose integrity after washings (I use a bra bag). I heard their sales are pretty fantastic.
DeleteL...w
Maidenform is having a bra sale, Buy 1 and the second one 50% off, also $15 bra sale, also Labor Day 30% off plus free shipping. Onehundreddollarsamonth.com (a really neat site) did the math and said you can buy 2 bras for $15.75 shipped. Not sure if to Hawaii. I'm not sure if you can stack all THREE promotions, at least the $15 sale plus 30% Labor Day sale works together. They also have a wireless bra in the $15 sale offer.
DeleteL...w
Oh wow! Thank you so much! However, I have bought three bras already so I'm going to have to lay low for a while. I did organize and take out my 20-30 year old bras so the drawer doesn't look quite so indecently overstuffed. It's funny how doing this post finally made me take the plunge to toss. Kathy G said there's a time limit on bras before they wear out so I guess the 20-30 year old bras really were ready to go since I haven't even worn them in the last 15.
DeleteYes, nightmare buying. La Perla, brands like that are REALLY expensive :-)
ReplyDeleteAloha
I love cancer myths and other urban legends
ReplyDeleteMen think women have too much of what we feel we need to look presentable. And that's b/c men are comfortable (sometimes too comfortable) in their own skins, and don't care as much (as we have apparently been hard-wired to do) about how others perceive us. I had read somewhere that women dress to impress other women, and I think that's true, b/c a lot of men are oblivious about such things! :-)
ReplyDeleteThere is a whole lot of truth in that. I always figure women would notice things. I know for a fact that Art is often oblivious.
DeleteBras, the curse of the modern woman. We were better off with corsets and chemises, I think. And that from someone who wears a 34-Huge. I believe an ancestor was a wet nurse.
ReplyDeleteI keep my bras longer than "experts" say you should, but I take care of them. Even so, they eventually wear out. I've found that if you go to a store that has a bra fitter on staff and tell them how much money you're willing to spend you'll walk out with something comfortable.
ReplyDeleteIf we believed everything we read in newspapers or heard on the news, we'd never eat, drink or wear anything! On the bra front I have heard several times that about 80% of women wear bras which are the wrong size, so perhaps there's something in having a proper fitting, though I must admit I haven't had one for about thirty years.
ReplyDeleteLiberal leanings notwithstanding, I buy all my bras at Wal-Mart. Without underwires, which bite into my flesh and are very umcomfortable.
ReplyDeleteWalmart? No kidding? I would have never thought of it.
DeleteOh, what an adventure. Bravo for sharing your search. For my overly full figure, I've found Olga fits really well. I just take the wires out. LOL
ReplyDeleteNo kidding? It never occurred to me that you could do that. I thought without the wire the bra would be shapeless.
DeleteVery informative post, Kay. You've really provided some great insights for us to ponder. You're so right about guys not realizing how easy they have it. Bras are not a fun piece of clothing to wear, the wrong fit can definitely cause you grief. Thanks for sharing this, Kay.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how many crazy myths there are that people really believe. It adds so much fear to people's lives. You'd think using a little more common sense would help. Under wires causing cancer. That's just dumb.
ReplyDeleteAnd I do wear underwires and like them, but I do wonder that there are so many styles of bras out there, but for each person only a few really fit well. The trick is finding the ones that work for each person. It is almost rocket science.
Somewhere I heard by the grapevine that Better Midler's sister (they ARE a local Hawaii family) has a bra shop in the Ala Moana area. Apparently she has thought through all the issues pertaining to bras. In general I would say the health police are trying to scare us every day with nonsense. Wires in the bra as a source of cancer doesn't pass the obvious nonsense test.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine is saying that she's been getting a ton of e-mails warning her that the wires themselves are also suspected of causing cancer, not to mention mammograms. There's so much out there to scare us. Gracious! I almost didn't know it was you Hank.
DeleteI don't like wired bras, either. There's a huge range of bras at Marks and Spencer, quite a dizzying choice, but it's where I always have bought my underwear (along with a sizeable percentage of the UK populace.)
ReplyDeleteMy new special pocket bras are costly and I haven't found one that I really lie yet.... I hated underwire
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting post. I personally don't like bras with wires because the metal starts poking out of them eventually.
ReplyDeleteKay, only you could get all these people talking about their "intimate apparel"!
ReplyDeleteA wire started poking me once so I just snipped and pulled it out. I think it was actually plastic.
I like wearing a bra when driving my lawn tractor. It really helps!!!
ReplyDeleteI love the research you do!
Oh! It is a good thing you have bra extenders. It would let you wear the bra of your choice even if it is smaller on your size. Thanks anyway for sharing this information.
ReplyDeleteBraEssentials.com