I am absolutely in love with my body. Yes, at times I still want to cry when I feel bloated and break out due to my hormones -- everyone wants to cry when that happens. But I really am in love with my body ever since my decision to go braless. I went braless and my self confidence tripled. My best friend laughed when I explained my phenomenon to her: "Wow. I would've figured it was like the other way around. Like, your self confidence tripled and now you don't wear a bra." Honestly, I never would have started with enough courage to make this decision if it wasn't for my laziness and need to not wear an irritating bralette. I didn't want my skin to rub red, so I went without. And then my self confidence tripled.

Yes, I have gone braless before. It was always in dressed up settings, like prom or formal. Fancy enough settings that going braless was as acceptable as wearing a sticky bra. Do you know how annoying sticky bras are? They are just sticky enough to keep you worrying all night about if they'll pop off or not. So, I have gone braless before this summer. But I always knew that it was acceptable in those situations. In those situations you don't always have a different option. Now for day-to-day activities when it's just as easy to wear a different article of clothing that includes the use of a bra? Not as easy to explain. And that's where my uneasiness established itself -- in deciding if I, in social situations, was okay with going braless. How did I feel about walking through Target without a safety net? How would I handle it if my youth group leader knew my choice? Or my dad? Or any boy that I am friends with? Anyone at all? I didn't know how people would react to my clothing choice. It scared me. I was worried about how my outfit would make other people feel. And I need you to know: it does not matter what other people think about what you wear. That is where I found my confidence. Me going braless was about having to decide that I wanted to do this, and about having to decide that I didn't care how other people felt about it. I have always dressed for myself, but I feel as if I dress in a way that is typical for any girl my age. People can expect my outfits from me. They know how I dress, and it doesn't upset them at all. This decision could upset them. I feel as if this was the first decision I made about my body while having to disregard exterior factors. All of my other choices were easy because they didn't make waves. Going braless could potentially make waves. I believe I appreciate my body more because I decided to dress to be happy and in love with myself. I didn't allow myself to stay in the confines of social comfort. This decision had to be for me, and it was. I love myself all the more because of it.

I am still kind of conflicted about this decision. I am even conflicted about writing this article. Talking about going braless is a conversation that typically stays in the confines of a best friend-filled room in which rom-coms are being watched. I don't think anyone I know and love will have expected me to write about this (or even expect me to go braless). I have never viewed myself in a sexy, attractive light. It's not a way that I talk about myself. I have always viewed myself as "adorable." People have even told me that they wish they could put me in their pocket. I have this little sister vibe that I have always been comfortable with staying in. I didn't realize that there was more to me than just that. Finding a new part of yourself is confusing, especially in this world, where I feel you can only see the extremes: "sex is everything" or "modest is hottest." How do I fit into either of those categories? Do I have to fit into one? I don't want either of those to be the right place. I want to be adorable and attractive. I don't want to feel ashamed for wanting both of those.

What I hope you get from this article is not the blatant boob talk. Yes, I am essentially talking about being braless. But more so than that, I am trying to explain how making my own decision about how I dressed my body made me more confident. I don't want you to stay inside of norms that you believe are uncomfortable to get out of. I don't want you to make a decision about how you dress because you are worried about how that decision might make your loved ones feel. I want you to make the best decision in order to love yourself. I want you to love your body irregardless of the rules that you believe society has for you. I want you to understand all the different parts of you and know that they can coexist. You don't have to just be adorable. You can be attractive and adorable. The last comment I received while braless was that I am adorable. And I loved it. I am attractive and adorable. You are, too.