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The Great Internet Bra Debate
How dirty is your bra?

Someone sent a letter to Dear Prudence asking if his girlfriend was normal because she's worn the same bra every day for two weeks. Prudie gives her usual inadequate and perplexing answer, starting with:

Perhaps your worries about hygiene arise from watching too much soft-core porn in which women get in the shower and soap their breasts for extended periods.

Reader comments range everywhere from ick:

I always wear a clean bra each day, just like I wear clean underwear EACH DAY. I've never heard of such a thing in my life as wearing the same clothes every day for weeks on end, especially not undergarments. And no, I'm not "filthy" rich. I grew up in a single wide trailer with extremely poor, hardworking parents, who taught me the value of SOAP and daily bathing.

to double standard!

Am I the only perosn who sees the endless gender-based double standard in society today? If this question was posed by a woman with a boyfriend who wore the same boxers for a week, the response would have centered around the boyfriend's level of evolution.

to several comments about how bras are expensive and wear out in the wash, bras don't get as dirty as undies, several comments asking how the guy knows she doesn't wash it, maybe she has several bras that look exactly the same, and there's even an informal poll asking how long people wear bras between washings. One of the best answers to the poll:

15 minutes. i have to take it off before me wife comes back

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radiotrash
2009-08-28 09:54 pm UTC (link)

Same. It'd help if I could just waltz into VS and buy a cute $30 bra or whatever but the four bra I do have all came from Nordstrom because they were the only place that sized me correctly and then gave me bras that fit comfortably. Which sadly means they run closer to $80 a pop. And three of these bras don't fit comfortable anymore cause I got fatter but like I hell I have money to replace them. So I just put up with the pain. ._.

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	aaron_agonistes 2009-08-28 10:16 pm UTC (link)
	You know, if you sacrificed one of those three, you could make a back extender that would make the other two fit. Cut the hook and eye bits off one of them (with about two inches of extra material on both pieces), and sew them together, hooks up on one end, and eyes down on the other. Instant extender - and it's free! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	rachelmap 2009-08-29 04:46 am UTC (link)
	She doesn't even have to sacrifice a bra for that; bra extenders are avalable in sewing supply stores. I have several, from 1-hook ones to 4-hook ones in white, beige and black. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	aaron_agonistes 2009-08-29 06:53 pm UTC (link)
	Yeah, I noticed quartz saying the same thing. You know, five years ago, I looked everywhere for an extender, and all I could find were lightweight single-hook ones. Guess it's time for me to go to my local sewing supply store! (Reply to this)(Parent)

zara_zero
2009-08-29 06:43 am UTC (link)

I can't speak for

radiotrash, but in some cases it's not the band size that's the problem with weight gain or loss, it's the cup size.

In my case, I don't tend to carry much weight around my ribcage, but my breasts change in size ridiculously with weight fluctuations. I've only really gained/lost about a band size and a half at most, but I've been anything from an A to a DD, seriously. It is insane. It's one of the reasons I mostly wear sports bras these days, because I can't be bothered keeping all these various cup sizes around in case I lose or gain weight again, and sports bras are much more forgiving.

Your advice is good, though, when it is the band size that's an issue.

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	quartz 2009-08-28 10:28 pm UTC (link)
	Jo-Ann's and even KMart sell wide-back bra extenders now! They run $5 each at KMart, but Jo-Ann's usually has them for about $3 each. (This assumes you're in the US) They're in the notions section at Jo-Ann's and the bra section at KMart. Not a perfect solution, but if length around is the main problem they'll help quite a bit. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	honorh 2009-08-29 03:09 am UTC (link)
	I love Nordys for stocking bras that come close to fitting me, but yes, their prices are severely Up There. Worth it for a good bra, though. Try a back extender--they're fairly cheap and really do make a difference. (Reply to this)(Parent)

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