For ages, bras have been made and used by women and they often are considered signs of femininity. Women with larger breasts were praised and considered more feminine than others with smaller ones. Over the years this female clothing piece has started entering the male closet as well. Do Men Wear Bras? Today we can see a lot of males wearing bras.
Biologically speaking, males do not need to wear a bra as their bodies do not have mammary organs. But certain shifts in perspectives and other medical conditions can compel a male to choose bras over their comfy vests. Bras in the earlier periods were considered feminine but in today’s age with the concept of gender inclusivity being a hot topic bras can no longer be considered feminine.
Reasons for men’s to wear bras include –
- Gynecomastia- swelling in male breast tissue.
- Fondness towards female lingerie
- Drag Queens often prefer wearing bras to identify themselves as females.
- Males who have transformed their gender to female.
Today we will be touching on the topic, why do men wear bras? A common reason for most men to wear a bra is due to a medical condition called Gynecomastia which is associated with swelling of breast tissues quite similar to a female breast. A person who is suffering from it experiences enlargement of the tissues near the breast area just like a female does when she hits puberty. The breasts can enlarge a lot due to the person’s muscular build or if he is obese. This issue is quite common and if you are suffering from it you need not feel ashamed. It’s normal and is a part of life.
What is Gynecomastia?
Gynecomastia is a masculine condition where the male breasts tend to develop similar to a female’s breasts. This usually happens during puberty in a teenage boy. Some hormonal changes lead to this condition. This type of condition is considered to be normal. It is nothing serious but it is often accompanied by a lot of shame in oneself. Boys find it hard to cope with this kind of stress and often feel embarrassed and start blaming themselves for their condition.
This type of enlargement in men is often caused by an imbalance of hormones. The male hormone testosterone is responsible for the development of male organs, primary and secondary sexual characteristics in males while estrogen is a female hormone responsible for the development of female organs in females. The Gonadotropin-releasing hormone calls out the pituitary to secrete hormones that activate testis in males and ovaries in females. They are the ones who produce testosterone and estrogen. Sometimes a male can produce more estrogen than testosterone which is the main cause of Gynecomastia.
There are a lot of causes that can induce breast enlargements like-
- Biological causes- Enlargement due to an imbalance of hormones. Excessive production of estrogen is the main cause of this condition. Men often need to wear bras to support the enlarged part or it may hurt while doing physical activities.
- Health conditions- if you are suffering from certain health conditions they can lead to enlargement of breasts. Even your age can be a reason for having gynecomastia. If your body is accustomed to produce more of a particular hormone then you can develop this condition. Certain insufficiencies in your pituitary can lead to activation of different hormones than expected and cause enlarged breasts.
- Aging can also lead to this condition to sagging of skin. The firmness that earlier existed might go away due to aging and due to hormonal changes that occur during old age.
- Tumors- If a person has a tumor surrounding the pituitary of their testes this can alter the hormone production in their body and lead to enlargement of the breast area. Tumors are often considered abnormal growths of body tissue and can either be cancerous that spreads to other nearby organs and tissues or non-cancerous.
- Starvation- If you do not eat properly and often skip meals till you starve your body might not be getting the adequate resources, minerals and fats to carry out normal functions and this can drop down your testosterone levels. This drop will automatically lead to more estrogen in the body and can cause enlarged breasts.
Fondness towards Female Lingerie
People are born with different tastes and preferences. Some men might have a fondness towards female lingerie and that might be the main reason for them wearing a bra. A bra doesn’t define your gender so be free to wear one if you love to.
There can be a lot of reasons for men to choose to have a fondness for female lingerie. Some reasons include-
- Wearing female lingerie might make them feel more confident and help in sexual arousal. Many men feel aroused and excited after they wear female underwear or bras. This helps in increasing the male’s sex drive.
- Men can wear female lingerie to show their submissive side to their partner and this can help arouse their dominant partner.
- Some men might find female lingerie to be more comfortable than male apparel.
Drag Queens
Drag Queens are usually men dressed up as females to signify the female gender. This practice earlier was meant for entertainment purposes and didn’t attribute the person dressed up as a female to be gay. But today this practice mostly depicts gay culture. Drag Queens are known for their shiny dresses and extravagant makeup.
Drag Queens depict themselves as being women by wearing push-up bras that help them show cleavage. Most of these drag queens are either straight men or gay men and thus don’t have any breast tissue so they use a silicone breast enhancement pad and wear a tight-fitting bra to give the illusion of an actual breast. They also use makeup to make them look realistic and natural.
Transwomen
Transwomen refer to people who were born as males but later changed their gender to female. Wearing bras can make them feel more comfortable with their body and bring in confidence that can be lost due to feelings of gender dysphoria.
Transwomen often engage in surgery and hormone replacement therapy to reduce gender dysphoria.
The two ways a male transform himself into a female which helps in reducing gender dysphoria include-
- Sex Reassignment Surgery- This surgery helps a male to transform himself completely by altering the sex characteristics of the person. This surgery includes vaginoplasty, breast enlargement, facial features are changed, voice is changed through the help of testosterone.
- Hormone Replacement Therapy- This therapy changes the level of hormones in your body. For transwomen, the estrogen levels see increased and testosterone levels are decreased to change bodily functions.
Conclusion
Wearing a bra or not wearing one is a personal choice and we will leave it up to you. While some need to wear it due to their medical conditions while some just love how female lingerie looks on them. Transgenders prefer wearing bras to support their breasts after sex reassignment surgery.
