Every month, we take a look at a word in the headlines, in English, for your English. See more at The Word of the Month.
Definitions
An undergarment designed to support breasts, from the French brassière.
Also: A subject as delicate as the material from which it’s made.
Bras in the news
October 13 marked “No Bra Day,” on which women go braless to raise awareness for breast cancer.
It’s one of the rare occasions that removing a bra doesn’t earn enough attention.
Keeping abreast of breasts
Bosoms. 12th-century term for breasts. More refined than “bazookas”.
Cleavage. The visible space between breasts. Attracting the male gaze for millenia.
Teat or Nipple. Protuberance providing milk. Your first and favorite watering hole. Banned on Instagram, but only for women.
Ways to remember “No Bra Day”
Get a calendar
It’s just crazy enough to work.
Get comfortable
Removing a painful, wiry, expensive accessory from your body isn’t hard to forget.
Get the stats
685,000 women die of breast cancer annually.
Show some moral support for breasts by removing a physical support for breasts.