Shelf bra: Wear or not, and when?

Gina in Phoenix, Arizona, asks, "I have heard from several of my girlfriends that they have switched to shelf bras and they love it. While I would like to try them out, I am not sure if they are appropriate underwear for a woman of my age (I am 33). What do you think?"

As you know, the function of a bra is threefold:

1. Support
2. Modesty
3. Feel-good factor

Women wear bras for one or more reasons, but we always tell our clients that no matter what your size, you must try to wear a bra as often as you can. The larger you are, more often should you wear one, since support is critical. However, a lot of women these days are opting not to wear one at all and that may not be a good thing long term. But a shelf-bra literally gives you the best of both worlds. You get the support but you can sill have the kind of look that you want. (Related article: Women and their relationship with intimate apparel)

Sammie in Anchorage says, "I like a shelf bra since I like to show off to the guys. They are always trying to peek down my top. I have rather large breasts but they are firm. Thus, with a shelf bra I get the support I need but I can still show off what I want. I understand the value of underwear but there are always tricks you can play."

Sarah in Ontario is not so bold. She still dresses conservative at work due to a strict dress code and always uses underwear but in the evening or weekends, she says, "I love to show off my assets in a shelf bra. I get a big kick out of the fact that guys look at me with their jaws dropped."

Inger in New Mexico says, "I learned about shelf bras from your website. I love the feel of a shelf bra. I love watching men trying to see me better. My husband likes that too as he watches others sneaking at me. In fact he shops with me when we shop online for lingerie.

So as you can see, different women that we spoke to for this article are choosing shelf bra for different reasons but one common theme that is emerging in their selection of underwear is that you need to be self-confident to wear something like a shelf bra. Our society is far more accepting now, so unless your office is very conservative, there is no reason to worry. In any case, you can always start off by wearing this type of underwear at home first and then being a little adventurous and going to the mall. Very soon you will realize that you will be able to wear a shelf bra almost anywhere, maybe not the church though.

Related articles:

Lingerie for women

How to stuff your bra

Lingerie for couples