Western Society cleaves very strongly to the concept of "Women's clothes" and "Men's clothes" but it has always seemed to me that it would be far better to think in terms of a continuous spectrum of "garments" -some of which are routinely worn by ladies and those at the other end of the scale being sported by men. Obviously then this allows for some overlap and this is what we find in daily life. Western society smiles on ladies who sometimes choose to put on, and publicly display, clothes which are routinely reserved for the male gender.
However, there is a powerful social force acting in the other direction, against those males who would choose -for whatever reason - to don garments traditionally thought of as being female. Of course, the wearing of bras falls into this category, even if it's for medical reasons and thereby justified.
It is interesting to speculate on just why this unspoken ideology is so powerful, so permanent and so all-pervading. I have heard friends describe female underwear departments in big stores as being "ring fenced with steel" because they were so ill at ease with the thought of possibly entering such surroundings or being invited to inspect, handle and maybe comment upon the items on display. Yet these same embarrassed friends were quite happy to let their wives/partners examine, choose and purchase their underwear for them, -which service their female companions happily performed with no embarrassment or hesitation whatsoever.
I wonder whether a part of this reluctance rises from the association of femininity with smallness, helplessness and all things diminutive. Although these factors can add greatly to feminine attractiveness, perhaps the overriding instinctive feeling in most men seems to be "why would you want to throw away all the wonderful advantages that maleness brings, and replace it with that reduced world of feminine dependency and contraction, -and advertise that fact by donning female attire"?
However, I'm sure you will agree, there is a great deal more to it than that and I would be interested to read other readers thoughts on just why society frowns on males who go down this road. I also wonder whether it is just Western society that has this hang up, or do other cultures exhibit this same powerful reluctance??
I was actually very lucky with my Gynacomastia. It was brought on as a side effect by drugs taken to relieve a genetic cardiac problem. Although I am only a "C" cup, I have been surprised at just how much the breasts swing about and bounce up and down in all sorts of situations.
The reason I say I was lucky is because a few months after starting said drugs I found myself talking to a lady doctor at one of my follow-up consultations. By sheer good fortune, she was one of those people to whom you could say anything and she would instantly understand you and be on the same wavelength. She had a real gift in this way. I was describing to her how much breast bounce and swing I was experiencing and straightaway she said "why don't you use a bra"? I sort of did a double take and after a few seconds of slightly embarrassed confusion while I digested the fact that a health care professional had seriously suggested this possibility to me, manged to stutter the reply "but bra's are for women". Again she gave me an instant answer which was, "No, bras are for people with breasts".
I can, of course, remember this moment as though it were yesterday. It really gave me cause for thought. You won't be surprised to learn that I have since taken a great deal of good feeling from this simple exchange and have kept it in mind ever since. It has brought me both comfort and courage when contemplating going out to some social event wearing a bra.
Then again, it seems to me that we can maybe get another handle on this whole situation using just logic alone. For example.........in an average household of a man and a woman, it's usually the man who undertakes all the heavier, more demanding jobs, if only because he usually has the greater strength. Therefore, if said male has Gynacomastia, then surely he is the one more entitled to be using a bra since he will be the one doing all the lifting/carrying/swinging/ working and so on. Obviously the ladies do an equal amount in terms of lifting and carrying shopping plus babies and children and dealing with their endless varied needs, so a bra is appreciated by them, but surely it's only fair that the male in the partnership enjoys the benefits of this garment too.
In fact, given the sometimes greater physical labour and daily effort of the male compared with that of the female, it seems possible to me that quite a good case could be made out for the male being as equally entitled to enjoy the use of a supporting garment as the female, if not more so.
Finally, I must say I honestly believe that those of us who choose to go down this road of bra wearing are being very brave and mature. We all know it's not every man who could manage this thing. It's easy to get bogged down with considerations of 'what are people going to think' or 'how am I going to manage this', and thereby lose sight of just how courageous and forward-looking and bold we are being.
Piglet.
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Topic: Do you feel more or less conspicuous in a bra? (Read 5663 times)
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