On 13th of Dec (2009) SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System) aired special documentary about Brassiere. Main purpose of this document was to find out what are the effects of the bra as well as perception of bra in Korea.
Small experiment was held within the documentary. 6 candidates were selected. 6 people were divided into 2 teams. One team is No-bra (not wearing bra for 30days) and the other team was 24H-bra (wearing bra 24hours for 30days). The result was interesting.
The result shows that brassier can be a factor of disturbing lymph flow. Among the entire bra, wire bra is even more effective when it comes to interrupt lymph flow. Moreover, when it comes to symmetry balance of both sides of breast are more balanced with No-bra group than 24H-bra group.
However these kinds of studies were already been published well known. Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras by Soma Grismaijer and Sydney Ross Singer is a good example. However this does not mean that this study result are definite and 100% correct. (we all know that 
)
The more interesting thing was not really on the result but on perception on bra in Korea. The documentary carried random survey and results were rather shocking. In South Korea 97.7% of adult women are wearing bra and among this figure, 66~80% are wearing bra for 24hours.
Random people were asked : “what do you think, if you see someone who does not wear bra?”
Main respond: “ OMG, she must be crazy!”, “Huh! She think she have perfect breast that don’t need to cover?” or “hey Look! She is not wearing bra.. So brave!!”
Furthermore, No-bra group had difficulty of going out in the public without bra. They kept saying it’s very uncomfortable, feeling that people are staring at them. Physically they were comfortable but psychologically they were uncomfortable.
This was really surprising issue to me because I, myself was also usually wear bra average 16 hours a day, and never thought that I can choose not to wear bra especially when I go out to public. Bra to me was more of automatic custom that it is part of clothes. While other parts of clothes always had option of choice, bra never came to that option of choice.
Most of Korean woman, bra’s function is rather to cover their breast rather than show off. (Perhaps this concept is bit changing with new generation ) Therefore bra is considered as obligation and courtesy rather than choice. Which means, even if you don’t want to bra, you have to wear bra for many of Korean woman. SBS documentary sharply point out on this issue and send clear message the bra should be choice not obligation.
Now I am bit curious how Korean women will respond after this documentary have broadcasted. But at least it had successfully affected my life. Today I choose not to wear bra and now I am at work. I can’t believe how super comfortable without bra!!
2 responses so far ↓
1 Ken L. Smith // Dec 19, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Speaking as one who lives in the USA, I find it interesting to learn about the fashion “rules” in other countries. I am grateful for the Korean SBS for taking the initiative to make and show this documentary. It is my firm belief it has been clearly demonstrated through studies that (just as Mr. Singer and Ms. Grismeijer stated in their book) there is a very clear relationship between the wearing of a bra and breast cancer.
One of the major reasons women wear bras is that they have been told that bras prevent their breasts from sagging as they get older. Actually, the opposite is true. While all breasts will eventually sag with age, Cooper’s Ligaments (inside the breasts) and the outer skin support the breasts in the location seen most often on youthful women (which women wish to retain). If a bra is constantly worn, those ligaments and that skin are not required to become strong enough to support the breasts, so they sag when the “artificial” support (bra) is removed. Allow the breasts to gain their natural strength by not wearing the bra. I hope that the people of Korea do not become enslaved by the incorrect information they might see in commercials for bras. Bodies were designed to never wear a bra.
Ken L. Smith, BHF for ACS
2 sales tax // Dec 31, 2010 at 3:02 pm
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