When to wear a bra?

[Brdy64]

If you opened up this thread out of curiosity, then most likely you are within the category for those needing to wear a bra. 

A bra is simply a garment. It has no magical powers of transformation attached to it. If you have breasts, you need support. That support is called a 'Bra'. 

From experience I can tell you that waiting until the last possible moment to 'make the leap' into a bra can be damaging. I waited until I was a DD, now a D after weight loss. 
Gravity has not been kind to me!
I look down, and my boobs are 'looking down'. 
Not to mention the neck and back pain that slowly crept up as my breasts grew. I should have been in a bra since my teens. 

For the most part people really don't care if you wear one. Not that they don't notice if you are of significant size, they simply could care less. And your breasts are going to be visible anyway whether you wear a bra or not. 

Will there be rude comments and confrontations? In my case I have endured a few of both. Nothing that can't be handled by simply removing myself from the situation. But these relatively speaking have been very few, at least in adulthood. One could expect the same from these people whether you wore a bra or not. 

The breasts will only go away by surgery, and if surgery is not the option you prefer then supporting the girls is your best option. 

And besides, bra shopping is really fun 😉

[Upfront]

I have a very simplistic view. 
If there is a bra size that you fit and fill,iit is a fair bet that you will be more comfortable if you buy it and wear it even you are not currently driven to it  by discomfort and pain.
Like most men l took the long route and then wished I had made the decision a decade earlier

[WPW717]

I will be in the area of a Torrid store this weekend 
I may get the time to drop in for a fitting 
Will report next week 
Bob

[usetobeed]

I have small breasts, but I wear a bra most of the time to prevent chafing. My nips can get irritated if I don't.

[Brdy64]

I have small breasts, but I wear a bra most of the time to prevent chafing. My nips can get irritated if I don't.

I had very small breasts in my teens and early 20's, I unfortunately decided against wearing a bra. I didn't actually start wearing one until less than a year ago. 
I do wish that I had started early on. The sore nips is something that I remember vividly.

[Rich meier]

I will be in the area of a Torrid store this weekend
I may get the time to drop in for a fitting
Will report next week
Bob

I would like to trie torrid too but doesnt come in my size, only things like jeans and shorts

[42CSurprise!]

I wear a brassiere less for my breasts than for my mind with it's rather curious relationship to gender... no doubt the product of having been sexually traumatized as a boy.  I won't dwell on the circumstances, but am making this comment simply to confirm that one size does not fit all when it comes to this topic.  Living with gender confusion is not simple.  Having had a rather soft body with a fleshy chest has not made it easier.  Nor has a curiosity about crossdressing that has lived with me my whole life and is rooted in trauma.  I know that makes me an outlier in this group.  I certainly am not advocating for crossdressing, nor suggesting that the decision to wear a brassiere for support and security is a step along that path.  I'm simply saying that breasts and brassieres can be complicated by life experiences as well as the condition of our body. 

I washed three brassieres this morning and am wearing another from my collection.  I'm enjoying the feeling of my breasts held in soft cups of my underwire brassiere and of the band around my chest.  It is what it is...

[Brdy64]

Many of us were sexually traumatized in the past. Circumstances are different, but the trauma is there.  
My family, including my own father, called me Jolene as a joke about my feminine figure from about 13 on. 
My cousin at the beach said: "you have more than me" when I took my shirt off to go swimming. It was the last time my shirt came off in public if I could help it. 
My brother brought me a bra as a joke in High school in front of my classmates. 

I don't know your circumstances 42C, but I think I can understand your pain. 
Many of us here had it 'rough' and thankfully this site exists where we can call gather to support each other. 

[42CSurprise!]

You're very kind Charli.  One of the reasons I make comments like this is to keep things honest.  This is difficult territory for most of us to navigate and for much of my time here the conversations struck me as constrained by the need to avoid comments that suggested we were anything but men trying to solve the practical problem of proving comfort for these appendages.  That is the reason I focused on the hormonal stew rather than the "problem" represented by our growing breasts.  I also focused on how the hormonal stew did much more than give us breasts... if affects our whole body and our minds... it feminizes us.  I'm glad the conversation has expanded to explore those matters, which naturally lead to the matter of gender, both how it is experienced and how it is expressed.

I did read your story Charli.  I even commented on that thread.  I applauded your honestly for sharing your journey with all of us.  When we open the conversation it becomes possible to appreciate the diverse paths we've taken to this place at this time.  Birdie touches on his experience as well.  All good.

Thanks again and thanks for the contributions you make to the conversation.

[Orb]

 I have read your story also Charlie.  Thanks for sharing that.

I too am glad the conversation has been on all the changes we all have noticed besides just breast development. 
Thanks to all for sharing.  Brings back a lot of my youth also.

[Brdy64]

Everyone's story here has been invaluable. Without this forum I tended to feel that I was all alone in this.
It seems that the hormonal stew that has formed our bodies, and personalities, is not unique but rather quite common in a wide spectrum of individuals. All with varying experiences and of course outcomes.
I usually find something I can relate to in almost every post I read here. Sometimes it's a perfect fit.
Sophie has been my greatest inspiration in regards to coming out and just being myself.
42C has taught me that there is nothing wrong with loving and appreciating my assets.
Charli and his story lets me know I wasn't alone in my struggles as a youth.
Upfront touches on a struggle between genders and religion that is very real to me.
Taxmapper and his posts remind me so much of myself. I wish I was where he is today when I was still working.
Every one of you has been such a great inspiration. I thank every one of your for such great support. 😉

[42CSurprise!]

And thank you Birdie!  I don't think it is simply a coincidence that with your arrival this board became much more lively.  You've been breaking speed records as you amass posts which has included initiating a great many threads that have inspired folks to join the conversation.  Some time ago we could wait for a day or two for anything meaningful to happen on the board.  Now I find myself here a couple of times and do so because there are conversations happening that i want to join.  So thank you for being so forthcoming about your journey and so supportive of others.  This is all good stuff.  We need support beyond what a brassiere can afford us.  Men who understand are worth having in one's life.  We find each other HERE.

[aboywithgirls]

Thank you Birdie!♥️♥️♥️♥️

Charli, I guess that I considered myself an outlier as well. I was afraid to come out to this forum and risk being rejected by my friends who I've come to know and love over the years. 

Everyone is truly unique here. We are all individuals who share the common thread of which we share without shame. We have breasts and have come to the conclusion that women have done for well over a century. Bras help!

I've known that and worn one since I was 12. I think that I did it so willingly and without a lot of embarrassment because I always felt that I was actually a woman. 

The answer to "when to wear a bra" is simple. It's whenever you want to. As men, you look to be accepted wearing a bra. As a woman, it's expected that I wear a bra. It still goes back to what works for the individual.

♥️Sophie♥️

[blad]

Reading through todays posts after a morning in town. As usual, I did not thing once that I was wearing a bra as I interacted with others. It is just my norm.

I would definitely be thinking about it if I was braless.

[Johndoe1]

Reading through todays posts after a morning in town. As usual, I did not thing once that I was wearing a bra as I interacted with others. It is just my norm.

I would definitely be thinking about it if I was braless.

I feel so exposed now if I am in public braless.