Let Your Breasts See the World
by Brenda D Lemus

A rebel by nature, and an avid inquirer about everything, I have always asked myself why people do what they do, particularly women.  One thing that has disturbed me throughout the years is the complacency with which women blindly accept authority and tradition along with the expectations that society has imposed on them.  Sometimes, women welcome discrimination toward them with alarming ease and without realizing the extent to which they are discriminated against.  One vivid example of this is the simple prohibition regarding our breasts that dictates that while men can take their shirts off almost whenever and wherever they want, women are forced to keep their breasts securely hidden.

I admit with shame, that for years I accepted this false “"modesty” imposed upon us, and always covered my breasts at all times, except when sleeping or taking a shower. One day, I was fortunate to come across a rather interesting and informative website:  BreastNotes.com, and from information that I found there I began to “see” the reality of my breasts--their intricate structure, their function, their health, and their beauty.  I realized, then, that all these years my perception of my own breasts had been greatly misconstrued.  Being childless meant to me that my breasts were a mere “waste” of space, for I thought they served me almost no purpose, other than an effective sexual object. Breasts just got in the way, particularly when I was doing my power-lifting.

In the real world of our society breasts are considered to be sex objects, and not quite a "waste of space" as they were to me.  Quite the contrary.  For our society breasts have literally become an obsession where bigger is definitely better, and shape is truly an issue. In fact, we do anything to make those breasts as attractive as possible.  So . . . if we are so obsessed with breasts, why are we so reluctant to expose them to the world?  What’s the taboo behind them?  When you go to the beach in the heat of a summer day to enjoy a picnic, your male counterparts can be comfortable and cool with their shirts off  but YOU... well you have to keep your top covered because, God forbid, someone actually sees your breasts!  And when you are wearing a tight dress in a reception, and all of a sudden your nipples happen to protrude through your dress--oh my goodness!!  Don’t ever allow that to happen, for you might be perceived as being sexually aroused in that moment!  And, you really don’t want anyone, not even your mother, to know how your nipples look. They are “sacred”  and condemned to remain in darkness and mystery for the rest of their existence!

Well . . . I got tired of this absurdity, and one day, while reading BreastNotes.com, and reading The 'Purpose' Of The Bra , it dawned on me that for all these years I have been annoyed and greatly disturbed by all this, yet I have never done anything about it! So, gradually, I gained my courage and decided to actually do something about it!  A few weeks ago, in the middle of a hot summer day, while running in the woods with my dogs and with a shirt soaked in sweat which uncomfortably stuck pasted to my skin, I finally made the decision to take my shirt off and set my breasts free! (I have always been bra-free).  The experience was exhilarating. For the first time in my life my breasts experienced the joy of feeling the cool air brushing against my skin!  So, I ran as I never did before--truly free!

 While it is true that I am unlikely to see anyone else where I run, four people on the trail have already seen me topless, three of which are men (one with which I run every day). I have now included swimming topless in a public beach in North Carolina, and I am sure that I will soon find other ways in which I can go topless. Now, why has this become so important to me?  Because, I feel free, comfortable, and most important of all--I am exerting a right that I should have been born with: the right to expose my breasts without judgment and without harassment in much the same way men have been doing it for hundreds if not thousands of years.  That's why.

Giving up the need to cover our breasts is, in my opinion, imperative for women.  We ought to think of ourselves first, and in this case, we are talking about something that is of utmost importance:  the health of our breasts.  I think that the first thing that we can do is to start with the banning of the bra.  This is one item that we can live without.  I have not worn one of these contraptions since age twenty when I realized the expense and the extent of its uncomfortable feeling on my body.  Moreover, today I know that my decision was the right one when I became informed in BreastNotes.com of the recently found dangers associated with wearing a bra and the increased risk of developing breast cancer.  Wearing no bra will not only make you feel more comfortable, but will greatly increase the strength of your Cooper's Ligaments, which prevent your breasts from sagging.  This practice will also keep your lymphatic system working more effectively, particularly in your breast area, and thus might greatly help to reduce your risks of acquiring breast cancer.  Please, be aware that in the beginning, not using a bra may actually feel uncomfortable and may be even painful for those who are large breasted.  It may happen that not until your Cooper's Ligaments gain some strength that you will  feel completely at ease and free of discomfort.  Remember, thousands of women throughout history have survived bra free before the brassiere was invented in the 20th century.  To my knowledge not one of those women ever died of braless consequences!

So, today I want to make a statement to all those women who still keep their breasts under the prison of a bra and the cover of their clothes.  Be brave, ladies, and venture to uncover your breasts the way men do.  You might not be able to be totally successful, as I know I haven’t been yet, but I am on the way to make this possible little by little.  It has taken me time to gain the courage to allow other people like my neighbors, and friends to see me topless (and I am hoping to encourage some of my lady neighbors to join me on the trail in total top-freedom). Believe me, you will gradually find that you will not only gain the courage to do it, but you will also become accustomed to the idea of just being . . . topless . . . and comfortable!

Just a  piece of advice though: be aware that you must be careful in some areas about how you do this, because remember that there is something called the law, and you don’t want to end up in jail!  Think before you act, but do what you need to do:  Liberate Your Breasts! And Improve your Breast Health!
(Images to follow)