Many complain that Brassiere Day has become too commercial, so our team straps in to find the true spirit of the season.
This 12 February was a very special day. It was on this day over 100 years ago that the patent for the prototype of the modern bra was filed in the USA, according to Kyoto-based undergarment maker Wacoal. So the company designated this day to be “Brassiere Day.”
However, over the years, humanity has taken the humble bra for granted, and countless Brassiere Day sales at shopping centers, Brassiere Day cupcakes, and of course animated Bassiere Day specials by the Peanuts gang and the California Raisins have diluted the core messages of the holiday.
It was something that really ground the gears of our resident bra-wearer Go Hatori. Go knows well the spiritual benefits that comes with the supporting grip a mansiere offers his upper torso. It’s like constantly being hugged by God.
▼ In 2016, Go remarked: “Today I wore a man-bra. I wore a white shirt so that it would show through and people might think it was cool. However, no one noticed. It was a different kind of lonely.”
Actually everyone noticed, but because Go is a high-ranking editor here, no one had the nerve to mention it to him. But this was all unbeknownst to Go, and as another Brassiere Day approached he would be damned if he let these unenlightened men continue to exist without knowing the bliss of wearing a bra.
“It keeps my mind on what’s happening near my pectorals, which helps my poise and posture. It’s very meaningful for me to share this experience with others. I work hard with this bra on for the day, and look forward to taking it off when I get home. It’s a tremendous sense of liberation to do so, and it’s a feeling I want everyone to experience.”
– [Go Hatori]
So, on the morning of 12 February, Go distributed bras to all the writers with instructions to wear it for the entire day of work.
Being the open-minded group of guys they were, everyone just kind of went with it and started putting on their new undergarments. Right off the bat, a lot of guys struggled to fasten the backs of their mansieres. The learning had begun…
After securing their chests, the boys got to their usual business hunting for story ideas, writing articles, and taking smoke breaks outside, all the while secure in their mansieres. It was just like a normal day, but on this day there was a strange energy running through the office.
As everyone worked, Go went to each staff member to ask them how they felt about their new underwear.
“‘Men’s bras are great!’ …is not what I’m thinking. But it isn’t as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. It feels like a lightweight cast and I think it might be getting tighter. But really, that hook was a pain to do up! The women who do this every day have some skills.”
– [P.K. Sanjun]
“It feels more like a kind of corrective underwear more than an elegant brassiere. But it’s not as bad as I expected. Next time, I’d like to try something cuter than plain white.”
– [Yoshio]
“It tightens my chest like the tank top I use when I practice pole dancing. The feeling isn’t any different. I think a men’s bra would be good for practicing pole dancing.”
– [Mr. Sato]
“I feel like I’ve become Hyuma Hoshi from [baseball manga] Star of the Giants. It’s a strange sensation, but I also feel like my posture is being corrected. But it’s more like a cast than a brassiere…”
– [Takashi Harada]
“I hadn’t felt this kind of tightness until now, but at the same time I don’t really understand the point of it. In all honesty, I don’t think guys need this. There is an empty feeling between the cups and my chest.”
– [Ahiru Neko]
“Because I have bad posture, my back always aches. However, while wearing a men’s bra, my back feels a little better… I can really feel the difference. I don’t find it especially tight, so it might be useful.”
– [Seiji Nakazawa]
“It doesn’t feel wrong to wear it, but I also don’t feel any better wearing it. Maybe because it’s a cotton brassiere, or my expectations were too high for something special? No no, maybe because it’s made for men? I have been thinking a lot about it, and for that reason I can’t get much work done until I get used to it. Sorry boss.”
– [Yuichiro Wasai]
In the end there were both positive and negative feelings about wearing a bra. Some felt it was too constricting, others saw it as an opportunity to feel sexy, and then there were those who saw it as a helpful tool for their particular body types or activities.
Just as there are hundreds of thousands of bras in the world to choose from, so to are there opinions of bra-wearers everywhere. It’s what helps makes make the world as fun and enjoyable as a giant lingerie shop hurtling through space.
But more than that, for this one day, the bra had helped bring this office a little closer together.
Also, having walked a mile in his undergarments, Go’s staff now has a newfound respect for their leader.
Brassiere Day may be over, but the spirit lives on throughout the year in the hearts of everyone.
And it’s in that spirit that we encourage management of male dominated workplaces everywhere, be they oil rigs, organized crime families, or professional sports teams, to distribute bras to all the guys so they too may experience the foreign pleasures contained within.
Happy Brassiere Day, everyone!
Photos ©SoraNews24
[ Read in Japanese ]