First was the toilet paper debate: now comes the bra debate. A person using Twitter handle @nakaimosu posted a query about how other women put on their bras; by hooking it in front and then shifting it to the back (whom I refer to as Swingers), or simply reaching around the back and hooking it (or Back-Hookers).
I’m a Back-Hooker from day one. And excuse the TMI, but I was one of the first girls in those last months of elementary school who used a bra, so I’ve got a few months of extra experience. Never was a Swinger.
I don’t think anybody puts on a skirt with a zipper in front and then moves it to the back, so why do that with a bra? You want it to be in the right position from the start, the “girls” well contained and supported, without the added exertion.
Imagine exercising before you’ve got the exercise clothes on. Why bother? You’ve already worked up a sweat.
Bras are designed with elastic support on the bottom band, so all that extra motion and tension moving it around your torso can’t be good for it. Nobody has to be a contortionist to hook a bra in back, either: if you feel it’s not worth trying, perhaps you should go for a front closure model; they are out there. You put it on like a vest.
Hooking in back can be done from the bottom up or the top down and, depending on whether the bra has two, three or more hooks, takes seconds to accomplish. Of course it takes practice but, since even guys practice how to unhook them, let’s try getting them hooked one step sooner.
If trying to hook something that fights back bugs you, see if you can get a slightly larger size to practice with, or simply practice with an extra bra and don’t try to put it on. Keep your arms down and bend at the elbows. Try holding the left and right tabs at their middles, and reach under and up behind you, then try to hook one set. Once you get the hang of hooking one, you can move to the others in turn. Know how many hooks you have before you start, and pick one set to hook first.
There may be videos out there, too. I’m not going to try starring in one, though.
In olden days, women had assistants to dress them. That meant the dressers probably hooked their own. Modern times have introduced Velcro®, but I have yet to see those on a bra. Why not, I don’t know, but hooks have nearly always been the go-to. We’ve dealt with the contraptions themselves since the first bras were introduced in the 19th century. It is said that an early bra was patented in 1863 by a fellow named Luman L. Chapman from–of all places–Camden, New Jersey. So Camden gave us drive-in movie theaters and bras. Of course, bras often were misplaced in cars at drive-ins, so it figures.
It is also said that many women wear the wrong size bra. This often explains back problems and poor buoyancy under one’s clothing. Retailers still offer consultations with experts trained in how to fit one with the proper bra. It can be worth the time.
If you can expend the effort to be a swinger, waste some more being a Back-Hooker with the right size bra.
Girls, including your own, will notice.
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