Dear Bra-Less Women of Howard University,

Thank you. 

Now at this point, you probably think I’m an old perverted man hiding behind a computer screen. But that’s not true. I am a straight black woman and I want to thank you.

Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your self-love. Thank you for letting go of society’s ridiculous constraints on womanhood. 

What is the purpose of bras, anyway? If you ask Wikipedia, it says to cover, restrain, and reveal our breasts. But why? Why should we interfere with the way our bodies naturally are, the way they naturally hang? Make them defy gravity? 

A fifteen-year study done in France shows that bras contribute to sagginess and hamper circulation. For younger women with developing breasts, not wearing a bra increased collagen production and elasticity, which improves lift. Not to mention, bras are kind of uncomfortable.

So why do women continue to go through the discomfort of wearing a bra if it isn’t even good for us? Because, society.

Yes, society. From the beginning of time, society has placed constraints on womanhood. You must be hairless, delicate, and smell like flowers. You must jump when your man says jump and don’t you dare think about sleeping with more than one man. 36-24-36. Menstrual cycles? Oh no, those are taboo.  As if we are not human. 

Society tells us that our nipples must be tucked away, hidden, sexualizing them as if they are not body parts that are on both male and female bodies. When a man’s nipples poke through his shirt, there is no outrage, nor surprise. No one tells him to put them away. No one says they’re a distraction.

Society tells us that it’s not okay to breastfeed in public. As if our babies will only be hungry at home. 

Society tells us that our breasts must be perky, round, and identical. As if that’s a thing. Too many times have I seen caricaturized perfect breasts that are big, round, and sit in a way that defies gravity. Most of the time, they’re drawn by inexperienced people who have only seen the breasts popularized by porn stars and plastic surgery connoisseurs.

So why do we shame women for the way our bodies are naturally?

I think it’s for the same reason women shave and wear antiperspirants. Now, I do both of these things, but think about the principles behind them. Hair grows on our bodies naturally as a way to keep us warm (we are still mammals), and pubic hair serves as a barrier to prevent friction that can cause skin abrasions and to guard against unwanted pathogens and bacteria. But we shave, because the ideal image of a woman popularized in our society is a hairless one. 

Antiperspirants clog the sweat glands under our arms. That doesn’t even sound healthy. Again, why interfere with things our body does naturally? Antiperspirants contain aluminum, which has been linked to breast cancer and could possibly be linked to Alzheimer’s. 

But society tells us we have to be hairless and smell like flowers. As if that’s a real thing. 

So thank you, bra-less women of Howard University for taking that first step away from society’s beauty norms and restraints on womanhood. Thank you for not letting society constrain you to a general idea of womanhood, having the courage to embrace a part of your body the way it naturally is. Thank you for being carefree enough to free your nipples, and hopefully enough to free your minds.

Sincerely,

Daja Henry, 20, Howard Student