Alright, just going to put this trigger post out there for all you folks who don't like anatomy terms. This post will contain the terms: boobs, breasts, nipples, tatas, and maybe some other slang words. And guess what? They all have to do with the female versions.

I have seen too many erect male nipples in my life and I am fed up with the double standards male vs female nipples/breasts get. So, let's talk about the bra. The modern day bra has an interesting history. According to Women's Health Magazine, the first "bra" was made in 1914 by two handkerchiefs tied together with a ribbon (yeah that sounds a bit more comfortable then underwire, doesnt it?). Over the years, bras with cups, size, wiring, and padding were developed. In 1968, protesters at the Miss America pageant called bras, "instruments of female torture." The ladies planned to burn their bras but were not allowed, by the police, so they threw them away instead. But, this is where the term, "bra burner" originated.

I have had my own bra burning journey. I hate bras. The feeling of my breasts being held up, pushed in, cupped, or having their nipples covered to fit some ideal look spawned by the male gaze has never felt comfortable to me. I remember being a 5th grader with my glorified cami-but-without-a-midriff-training-bra and thinking, "Wow. This is really uncomfortable"

Now, I'm not going to lie. I also thought I was so grown up. But this may also be because we've taught little girls that your womanhood is determined by bras, lacy panties, and periods. We've sensationalized grown up things for women because, frankly, they are uncomfortable. Why else would we look forward to these things?

I remember the first time I bought a thong. I was 17 and went quietly with my friend to Khole's because my mom wouldn't let me have one. I remember the taboo nature of it and feeling like a woman knowing I had a thong in my dresser. I remember getting my first push-up bra and thinking that everyone was going to notice how perky my breasts looked and I remember all the comments that were snidely said about the teachers' with "saggy boobs" in school.

We've commoditized breasts. Breasts can't just be breasts. They have to be perky, big- but not too big, perfectly even, with slightly pointed and pink nipples, and with a just right amount and shade of areola. Anything outside of this isn't "sexy."

I decided to stop wearing a bra after spring break of 2016. I'm going on about 6 months and I feel incredible. My back pain has been reduced and I feel more comfortable in general and with my own body. I don't look forward to taking off some mandated article of clothing anymore and I save a ton of money. Best of all, I feel like I'm being authentically me.

Now, here's the zinger. If you love bras- where them! By all means, have your bombshell bra or lace bralette. But, for the love of all things tatas, please do not shame others for their choices. I love my breasts best when they are free from constraints but that does not mean everyone does. Some women (or people with breasts- because not everyone with boobs identifies as female!) love the support a bra gives them. Bras make them feel confident, sexy, and authentically them. No one has the right to stop you from being the most comfortable version of you there is.

But, if you hate wearing bras I challenge you to go a week without one. Think of it as a way to push yourself out of your comfort zone and learn to love your melons. By day four you may not even realize you're not wearing one and, fun fact, no one can really tell in most everyday outfits.No breasts are, "too big" to go braless. Sagging boobs are a societal concept made to shame women. Don't let society tell you the what what.

Take it from a bra burner (er-well, donater. I gave them all away), it's time to love your breasts. It's time to love their unevenness, the different shades and sizes of areolas, and the natural beauty of these organs. Free the nipple or cover the nipple- I really don't care. Just don't try and tell others how to live their lives if they aren't negatively affecting anyone else's.