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For Japan’s OLs: no bras, no panties, no problem

Weekly Playboy Sept. 16

The results of a 15-year study conducted in France and published in April revealed that bras offer no real benefits to women and could actually pose harm in the future.

Jean-Denis Rouillon, a professor at the University of Franche-Comté, noted that women going without support develop more muscle tissue that in turn creates natural bracing with nipples gaining extra lift relative to the shoulders.

In looking into the matter, Weekly Playboy (Sept. 16) enlists the services of Sachiko Ikeda, the main writer for the magazine’s “OL Moe Moe Club” section, to find out just how many Japanese women are going not only without bras but also panties.

Ikeda, whose social network includes 1,000 office ladies, cites Lady Gaga and Rihanna as women who have recently brought the matter of going panty-less to the forefront in fashion.

“As well, it seems that there has been an increase in the number of women not wearing panties because they feel doing laundry is tiresome,” explains Ikeda.

The writer conducted a survey of 100 OLs in their 20s. In response to the question about whether they had gone bra-less this summer 94 answered in the affirmative.

Of those respondents, the majority said they it was while making short trips to the convenience store or taking out the garbage. Others said it was because they were heading off to meet a female friend or had a date with a boyfriend.

“It is so hot in summer that the tightness of a bra is unpleasant,” said one 25-year-old in the apparel industry.

As to departing their residence with no underwear, 12 women said they had done so.

A 27-year-old working at a consumer electronics company said she did so when she was feeling frisky. An employee at a news wire offered similar sentiments. “I’ll go panty-less when I have a date with my boyfriend in which we’ll probably be doing it later,” said the woman, also 27 years of age.

Yet Weekly Playboy finds that it is not just about sex.

A nutritionist named Miki says that she would go without undergarments on days when she felt highly stressed, such as when she had a test in school. “After becoming an adult, I will not wear a bra or panties if I have a meeting that created a lot of stress,” says the 28-year-old. “Somehow, my ability to concentrate increases and I am able to calm down.” (A.T.)

Source: “Noopan, noobura no ‘no no joshi’ ga kyuzo chu?” Weekly Playboy (Sept. 16)