Do you like underwires?

No,I don’t like them, they are a medieval piece of work!

No. I don’t even like bras. Can’t stand them. Jockey undershirts, camisoles and teddies only for me. There are advantages to being flat chested. :-)

@ZEPHYRA I agree, I think it’s a contraption invented solely to keep women so preoccupied with their discomfort that they won’t notice all the injustices…. I hate them so much, I start believing in conspiracies about them.

I like them and as someone with large breasts I like the extra support. I usually even sleep in bras (I don’t even own non-underwire bras).

No, I prefer sports bras to hide my boobs.

I loathe underwire bras. I feel very fortunate not to require the support.

The only way I like underwires is when they’re broken, sharp, and in the bras of my enemies.

I don’t, but, I wear them.

I really don’t need to wear them, though.

@hug_of_war How big is big enough to require underwires (if you don’t mind my asking)?

@laureth Wow! Underwire shivs. Never even crossed my mind.

I’ve got a pretty honkin’ rack and I’m not comfortable in a bra that doesn’t have underwires.

No padding,no underwires…evah!! XD

Besides the comfort factor, I find that bras with underwires separate and divide the girls, making them point outward at almost a 90 degree angle from each other (as seen looking down upon them). Maybe it’s just a bad bra, but how is that attractive?

@papayalily 38DD

@hug_of_war Whoa Nelly!

@JilltheTooth How big is big enough to require underwires (if you don’t mind my asking)?

@hug_of_war : You got me beat, I’m hanging in the 36 C plus plus range, (Hard to fit…I hate buying bras!) Underwires allow me to wear a lighter weight bra. Without them I need the old Iron Maiden style so the girls don’t flop about like…well…jellyfish in the surf.

Wow, I haven’t had this discussion in years!

@JilltheTooth See what good conversations you’ve been missing out on by not joining Fluther sooner?

(Shakes head) What took me so long??? Thank god I finally drifted in!!

Hate ‘em.

I pretty much hate them, but I had to grudgingly admit that I needed the support. I used to actually take the underwires out of the one kind of bra I like because the wire was unbearably poky and annoying as hell. I just got a couple of new bras and apparently, they’ve fixed the underwire pokiness issue, so I left them in for once. I have a big enough of a rack to need the support, though honestly, I wish I had little boobs! I would totally go braless all the time.

Yes to underwire. I’ll reiterate what I have said on other Q’s. The wire is supposed to be against your chest wall, not poking into your breast. If the bra fits correctly it should not bother you. Most women wear the wrong size bra. You should be able to raise your arms, and your bra does not shift. Your straps should not be falling down all of the time. If this is happening the back size of the bra is too big.

Better bras are much more comfortable, worth every penny. Wacoal is one of the best. Wacoal does fit events at major department store and you can get measured. If you want to measure yourself take a tape measure around your back just below your breasts, where the bra would be. Add 4, so if you measure 32, you are a 36 bra. Some brands typically have you add 5, but most of the better ones are 4, let’s talk better bras. Now, if you measure for a 36 and you generally wear a 38C, it probably means you are really a 36D. By the way, I think Victoria Secret bras are awful, and I know a lot of people by them.

The reason straps falling down indicates you wear your bra too big is because the back of the bra is slipping up, and the straps get loose. The back should stay down at the same level it is in the front.

Can’t stand them. When I weighed more, I was a 36C, and I did have one underwire bra that I liked. It was cotton. But eventually, the underwires started to poke out through the material. I removed them, and the bra was far more comfortable.

But since then, I’ve switched to tank tops with built-in shelf bras, and they’re basically all I’ve used for the past two years. They worked when I was still a C cup, but they’re even better now that I’m a 34B again.

@JLeslie Every bra I’ve tried on that has the wires laying against my chest then has half an inch of space between the padding and my breast. It’s like my breasts are lots wider than normal (or “normal”). I’ve even tried some where it was a size down from what I usually wear, but the straps were falling off and the cup was an inch up my breast. What am I doing wrong?

@papayalily it is always possible you are hard to fit, but one thing about Wacoal compared to Victoria Secret or some other moderate brand is the wire is wider, meaning the length of the wire and how it fits a larger/wider breast. Many brands it is too narrow, the shape of the wire, and it digs in. Also, many bras narrow the look of the breasts in general, pushing them more towards the center of the chest, Wonderbra really does this, but non push-ups can too, and I prefer a rounder look, that is not manipulating the breasts. If I remember correctly you are in Little Rock, so you probably don’t have a lot of high end choices. Do you have a specialty bra store near you? They would know how to measure you and have better options than your local department stores. Even here in Memphis it’s tough to find good bras. From what I understand there is a good bra shop in Germantown, but I buy most of my bras in FL and NY while on vacation.

@JLeslie Denver. We have Saks, Nordstroms, Dillards, several malls, etc. I buy mine at Maidenform, don’t know if that’s a brand or a store though. I refuse to shop at Victoria’s Secret. I swear, the only way to look good in any of their stuff is to have fake boobs and a fake waist while drunk to the point of not feeling anything.

@papayalily oh, I confused you with someone else. Maidenform isn’t very good. Nordstrom’s used to carry a good assortment of Wacoal when I worked for them, and their sales people were trained in measuring, hopefully they still are. We also used to have Komen fit events at Nordstrom. You have to be willing to pay at least $50, but the bra will last.

Underwires hurt! I prefer the sports bra-styles better. But the ones that I have are not actually sports bras, they’re shaped like that, but they are not so tight. Joe Boxer used to make them, but I haven’t been able to find them in awhile. They’re just like the training bras that little kids get, but they’re sized for adults. They also kind of look like the square-ish bathing suit tops that Gidget used to wear.

I don’t like them. Who does?

I don’t think I could wear a bra without underwire. I have big boobs. The underwire helps, and if you buy the right bras, they’re pretty comfy. I love them.

So to answer your question, @Aesthetic_Mess, I do.

@chels makes a great point. When I have been willing to spend the money on good bras (read $50 or more) the underwire is much more comfortable.

@Aesthetic_Mess ; Me, too.

@SuperMouse I’ve gotten some from Target for ~$12 which are absolutely WONDERFUL. More comfortable than any $50 bra I’ve ever owned.

Worn them for years and got no problems with them.

I do, i think they keep things up a little better. I don’t have big boobs at all but i still prefer them. As long as i get one that’s comfy – some just aren’t, maybe my boobs are skew or something.

@chels seriously? That is awesome! The only cheap bras I have ever owned did nothing for my figure admittedly there isn’t much to work with and were incredibly uncomfortable.

@SuperMouse Yep! They’re seriously super soft and totally comfy. These are what I wear normally. I have some others too from V.S. but I don’t wear them as often. I was skeptical even trying them on since I can’t usually find a bra my size that fits nicely (usually the straps, etc, are too long for me which is really annoying. Plus big boobs/small frame is hard to fit correctly without spending lots of money) However these are literally perfect! Plus they come in a ton of different colors and patterns.

@chels I like Gilligan & O’Malley, too.

Wireless bras are more comfortable, but underwire bras are a necessary evil for those of us who need the support. I do wish that someone could invent a wire-free bra with good support.

I don’t like underwires, but like many of the ladies who’ve responded, I do wear bras with wires because I feel they offer more support for my large chest. I haven’t bought a bra without underwire in years; in fact, I can’t clearly remember when the last time was.
I’ve seen ads for bras without wires that are meant to offer support to the more well-endowed of us, but they’re usually so expensive that I don’t want to try them. I can’t afford to spend money on something I won’t use, so I generally stick to the same “model”.