It would seem that Japan is experiencing an upswing in men who like to wear bras, according to website My Navi.
Sure enough after searching Japanese online shopping site Rakuten, there were six pages of bras designed specifically for men on sale.
My Navi's bra-wearing woman reporter went to gather evidence of this phenomenon to find out why more and more men a looking to strap on a brassiere.
During her research, the reporter found that this trend was occurring worldwide as she found various websites where men who wear bras share their feelings and experiences. Obviously, her first question was, “Why do some men enjoy wearing bras?”
One guy from England explained, “I feel relieved and protected,” which seemed to be a common reply. Another reader from Italy seemed to have a more physical reason, citing “My back feels supported by my chest and relieved.”
The men also shared the events that triggered this preference such as one man “began doing it after losing a bet.” Other men slipped on a bra the first time after playfully doing so at the request of their wife or during Halloween.
While many of the men felt protected there is also the anxiety of getting caught. Many bra-loving guys refused to wear them to work for fear of being exposed. Others worry about their spouse or significant other catching them raiding the underwear drawer. This leads to a circle of fear: Without the bra, some men lack that comfortable feeling of security, and with them they have to be careful not to get caught.
When the My Navi story hit, Japanese online posters had a range of opinions about this trend. Some cited the “ongoing feminization of men” while others simply wrote these guys off as closet homosexuals, for some reason.
Other commenters expressed a liberal attitude saying if it doesn’t affect their life then who cares, and “this shouldn’t be a problem since men and women are supposed to be equal.” One reader warned “they can’t wear it this summer. The sweat would make their shirts see-through.” Which triggered a “novel” idea for Cool Biz in Japan.
Many comments also alluded to the character of Stefan from "The World of Golden Eggs," a Japanese computer animated series about a rural American high school. Here, Stefan can be seen wearing a bra which he insists is a ‘pectoral supporter’ and nothing more.
Male bra wearing will likely stay in the underground until some huge star besides Stefan sets the trend. Glam, visual-kei, and grunge rock all tried to get guys wearing gowns in to the mainstream, but it never seemed to quite take off. But who knows, maybe someday Michael Jordan will lift up his and reveal that the secret to his success was actually a frilly red bra. Then perhaps a new day will dawn in socially acceptable men’s undergarments.
Source: NicoNico News
Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- The Branomics Bra: Keeping Politicians’ Busty Promises -- Underwear like you’ve never seen before -- Bust-Reducing Bras See Strong Sales In Japan
© RocketNews24
85 Comments
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Ms. Alexander
What the....?!
combinibento
I admit I was first confused by this story, but then I realized that lots of the women in this country don't appear to need bras yet they still wear them. So...why not?
TokyoGas
The Bro?! Looks like Jerry Seinfeld was ahead of the game.
Graham DeShazo
Peeing sitting down. Men's cosmetics. Hair removal. And now this. Does this Herbivore Man Syndrome know no bounds? To be sure, the whole Kyushuu-cave man- "cook me some miso and take your clothes off, woman!" thing is no what I am talking about. (Full Disclosure,: I lived in Fukuoka for three years and I am now a stay-at-home father) Yes, men need to be sensitive, listen (not just nod and say "un"), and (gasp) help out around the house. But jeez, boys. Grow a pair and be a man! And we wonder why so many men have no woman in their lives.....they are already their own woman.
spinningplates
The Bro?! Looks like Jerry Seinfeld was ahead of the game.
Ha! But it's not a 'Bro'...it's a 'Manzeer!'
smithinjapan
TokyoGas: "The Bro" is too ethnic. I prefer "The Manziere".
Anyway, this is ridiculous, and there's no way this is a world-wide 'fashion' trend, although admittedly for physical purposes there are likely more men wearing them than in the past. If it's because you're overweight and support or just having boobs is an issue, then I can see it. Otherwise, no.
Baibaikin
Assuming this story isn't a wind-up... ...Are the bra-wearing blokes a wee bit tubby and require support for their moobs, or are they also wearing briefer briefs to complete the combi?
ChibaChick
Not surprised really given some of the J men I see, but honestly - my heart goes out to the poor blonde model in this ad - can you IMAGINE what his mates are going to say down the pub on a Friday night?!
NeonFraction
I was waiting for a quote that said: "It made me feel pretty." Well, uh, to each his own! I won't judge!
ChibaChick
How do they work though? What is the design? Are they actually designed to make you look bigger? Give you a more "pec-ish" look? Or are they designed to flatten you and make you look less "moob-ish"?
And why is this happening anyway? Has it always been an issue, or has the "feminization" of the environment with hormone-interfering chemicals and phyto-oestrogens caused this to happen. If so - oh to be re-born about 50 years from now and be a 12 year old girl who can snap the bras of the BOYS in school assembly! Karma will get ya in the end buddy, and she looks like Chiba Chick!
borax
Ugh, there's an image I didn't need.
Dennis Bauer
It makes me think of the Golden eggs animation "it is not a bra but a Pectora supporter!"
Jimizo
Dear, oh dear. I never thought I'd live in a time when I'd be telling men to burn the bra.
Virtuoso
I saw the same story in the late 1990s or maybe early 2000s. It's not new, and there's no evidence it's widespread.There are also women who like to wear men's jockey shorts. Writing "more and more" is a cheap generalization with no evidence to back it up. The reporter should have at least phoned Wacoal or Triumph Japan for a comment.
pointofview
What`s with the white fair skinned guy in the add? I guess no Japanese model would be good enough eh?
One more silly trend. Bras on a guy.
lucabrasi
Not interested in bras (well, for myself, anyway) but I have a secret yearning to be able to carry a parasol at this time of year. Nothing frilly, just a strong, manly parasol. Maybe it'll be normal soon with global warming....
Himajin
Ya, ya, more 'isn't Japan freaky?' crap. When you see a guy wearing a bra (or hundreds) then believe it.
Mocheake
Your back shouldn't need support from your chest if you are a man. Non-alcohol beer, sexy yukata for men, dudes wearing bras, herbiverous men, etc. What is society coming to?
kibousha
WTF ? I'm already cooking, baking, cleaning, doing laundry, and giving baths to my kids, on top of working fulltime, now they want me to wear bra ? ... they can go to hell.
nath
INSANEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE....since when male are wearing bras????? SERIOUSLY DUDE????
nath
All I got to say. Bit dated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD9wXJWNPMM&feature=youtube_gdata_player
tmarie
Non-alcohol beer, sexy yukata for men, dudes wearing bras, herbiverous men, etc. What is society coming to? But it is okay for women to do all of the above?
WTF ? I'm already cooking, baking, cleaning, doing laundry, and giving baths to my kids, on top of working fulltime, now they want me to wear bra ? ... they can go to hell. No one is wanting you to do anything. And imagine, you do all the things that many FT working moms do. Do you feel lesser of a man for that?
The gender comments on here are pretty pathetic. Is it hurting any of you that guys want to do this? Why is it okay for women to wear such things - when pointed out that many women here clearly don't need the lift and support - for it isn't okay for men? Right, because being a woman and doing woman like things is seen as less than anything manly? Bravo for not being sexist folks. I don't care what a guy wears as long as it doesn't infringe on me and my life. Clearly male bras does not.
as_the_crow_flies
'Fraid I have trouble understanding this. I've been wearing one of this contraptions for many score years, and I don't think my back has ever felt relieved because my chest is supporting it. In fact, first thing I do when I get home, is change and take the damn thing off. Specially in this weather. On the train, I can just feel the sweat running down from under it. I would bin all of mine if I didn't feel socially pressured to use one. Added to which, medical research seems to be showing that actually there is no evidence bras are any use in "supporting". And if you did want a supportive type one, it would definitely be a sport type one, not the ones in the photo.
The article seems to be very unsure of whether it's talking about cross dressing, or whether moob-men are looking for support, or if we're really talking about cravings for some kind of corset. Weird indeed.
tmarie
As, the fact that you can go home and take it off and don't get relief from wearing one probably means you don't really need one. Some of us do and do feel the relief of chest support - though one needs to make sure they have comfortable shoulder straps. I don't doubt for a minute that overweight men with moobs feel relief when wearing one. Why would they be any different than a female with a large pair who feels the same?
afroengineer
@tmarie
Because they are women. Men and women are different physically. There are toilets for women, clothes for women, etc. Pointing that there are stuff for men and stuff for women doesn't mean being sexist. And as men, you may not understand because you are not one, it bothers some us and our pride to see our fellow men not behaving like real men.
Magnet
The masculinity of men these days... From super tight member-suffocating jeans to full blown transvestites... Real men are becoming a rare breed.
Gaijin Desi
personally I don't think there is much difference between cup size of men and women (bra) , so why there are two versions of bra, men can still use women bra.
tmarie
Because they are women. Men and women are different physically. There are toilets for women, clothes for women, etc. Pointing that there are stuff for men and stuff for women doesn't mean being sexist. And as men, you may not understand because you are not one, it bothers some us and our pride to see our fellow men not behaving like real men. They are more similarities than there are differences. Most of your comments are based on gender restrictions we have come up with recently, not what is natural. Plenty of shared bathrooms, same style clothing regardless of gender... It IS being sexist and so is your comment about behaving like a "real" man. What exactly is that supposed to mean? A few decades ago "real" men were off at wars, hunting animals... "Real men" didn't cook, clean or help look after their kids. Times change. Social constructs shift and it's rather sad that some of you have to make an issue out of nothing.
edojin
Where are the guys who are wearing the bras? I don't see any commenting above. They are the ones who should be explaining why they like to wear bras. From the way the comments are made above, I doubt if any of the above contributors wears a bra.
tmarie
Why do they have to explain anything to people? Why do flat women wear bras? Do you also want them to explain why?
I agree with you on the last part - it seems the men of JT are faaaaar too manly to be wearing bras. Ahem.
davestrousers
If god could have envisioned something as ridiculous as this back in the day, I'm sure he would have made an extra commandment to deal with it.
wtfjapan
@graham couldnt agree more, whats next for the Herbivore Man, makeup kits, doll companions, manicures, oops sorry theyve already got that? how could any woman be attracted to a man than wants to look like a woman. bit like being a lesbian?
aralia
I'm normally all for people doing whatever they like...but I cannot understand this. I personally have stopped wearing these evil things. Some women need them, like my poor sister, but there are many of us that don't. I just don't understand how a man with no chest wants to wear a bra, when women all over the world who have fairly sizable chests don't. I agree with as_the_crow_flies, this was always the first thing I took off when getting home. I don't understand how anyone who didn't actually need the support would want to wear one. And to add more to what as_the_crow_flies said about research about the merits of bras, many women find that they actually have firmer and more lifted breasts after they stop wearing bras. We have muscles there just like men, we just don't use them much because we wear bras. Once your muscles get used to holding up your natural weight, things shape up. Bras make very little sense for most women. And no sense for men.
afroengineer
@tmarie
kidojapan
ha ha ha ah, oh my where are we now?
afanofjapan
Dennis Bauer: Daikyoukinkyousei supporter da yo!! Love that episode
fidaruzki
oh noooo!!! I don't want to start a fight with men in lingerie department any time soon. As it is, it's quite difficult to get something decent for my, ehem, size.
tmarie
Aralia, I'm envious. Plenty of us would rather not wear them but "need" them. We also don't know which men are wearing them. Could be very large men with moobs who DO need the support - and a good diet. Perhaps the musles do develop and the like but I can promise you that a good number of women could not get by without one - me being one of them,
cleo
Apparently Yes. Sad, isn't it - and the he-men fail to realise the more they make a noise about how they can't/won't do 'female' things, the less manly they appear.....
There are no muscles in the breasts themselves. The chest muscles might be able to do something to support sweet little A-cups, but anything worthy of being called a boob is going to droop without support.
Thunderbird2
Er...O.o
sighclops
how about GET TO THE GYM! i mean C'MON SERIOUSLY...
JonathanJo
What next? Y-fronts for women?
Maria
Based on comments here, "Real men" sounds like real tits'n'arses, and I wouldn't care to have anything to do with one, however low and free his moobs swing.
People can wear what they like without caring what others say. Judge not lest ye be judged and found even more lacking and ill-dressed.
Scott Johnson
Trend? I don't care how many pages you find of something on Rakuten, it does not prove a trend!
tripbeetle
Methinks some of the (spluttering, outraged) males on this thread do protest way too much!
BertieWooster
So, what's next?
Diesel powered jock straps for women?
CrazyJoe
"To each his own"
valekt
Would be interested to know what constitutes 'on the rise'. Perhaps they sold two last week, instead of one?
In any case, all this talk of what 'real men' do is rather pointless. I used to get called a pussy, just because I wouldn't get blind drunk with certain friends, in town, back when I lived in NZ. Never was into alcohol, so I would spend time with two or three of my close friends instead of going clubbing.
Just because people have different interests, doesn't make them any less valid than the majority.
On the other hand, I don't think this should be promoted as normal behaviour. If you want to do it, fine, but you have to accept that that is not the norm. It would be interesting to see what kind of other behavioral traits the men who wear bras, as a hobby/fetish, display.
anwar kamal
Very funny and interesting
BertieWooster
Tampons for men?
gogogo
I can't understand who would want to wear this!? But I agree with this point.
The Chronic
Pussification of men times 100!
Pathetic! Truly pathetic.
Jimizo
Some of the alpha males posting on this site seem to have got their knickers in a twist over this non-story.
wtfjapan
the human race has evolved with the alpha male being the leader in both mating and ruling. as chronic stated brilliantly, the PUSSIFICATION of the human male will not evolve the species for the better.
Jimizo
I'm sick of sitting in front of a computer typing like some nerdish 'pussy'. Anyone fancy a dual?
ensnaturae2
There is one tiny thing I think of as odd....I dont understand how bits of fabric acquire essential gender. Theres no item of clothing, no bit of fabric that I would reject as an Impossible Addition to my own wardrobe, if it suited a useful purpose of my own, no matter in which department of the store I might find it. Could be furnishings too (rugs/drapes etc) and the garden dept with glorious deep green hessian yet to be made into a coat... Come along children, let's open our minds a little more, we surely do not need to be so organized by labels? Our own needs are valid & precious, and may be cherished, unless causing hurt to someone else. If a man wears lace undies, bra or panties, will he harm me or you, by doing so? .
as_the_crow_flies
@BertieWooster: codpieces, perhaps? Anyway, as Maria said, to each their own, male or female.
sighclops
@tmarie
Talk about tangential. You seem to be failing to address the elephant in the room here - A WOMAN HAS A CERTAIN ANATOMICAL NEED FOR A BRA. BRAS = FEMININE.
It has nothing to do with the roles of men and women in the household. None of your points thus far have made any sense!
Tom Thompson
I need one
Serrano
"What the...?!"
That's about all that needs to be said here, actually.
Qamar
....why?!! Come on, and in Summer they're on the rise?! As if it is not stifling hot WITHOUT a bra!!
As a woman I must say..the world is becoming mad...men who wax their hair, who love sexy lingerie on themselves and now.. this.
I'm a woman and I HATE bras..they're evil evil things that can poke your lovely breasts with the wire when you're jogging or doing physically strenuous activities. They randomly undo themselves and collect too much sweat in summer causing more pimples than anything else..and here I am reading that some men are wearing them. I switched to sports bras because at least those are useful. If I could not wear one I would, but alas I cannot so sports bras it is for me. I admit though that I only wear one when I need it, air is lovely!
Scott Johnson
I am not sure if all or most do this because of being "feminized".
Bras are man-made devices made for man-made reasons. Plenty of cultures don't have them still.
In the end this could be as feminine as long hair or make-up on Halloween, depending on why the man is wearing it. And there are plenty of reasons that have nothing to do with being "feminized".
Yardley
It's possible they get a feeling of security from the tightness around the chest, like they are being held, or it brings back the feeling of being wrapped tightly when they were infants. If so, they may be able to get the same feeling from just wrapping their chests with an elastic bandage, which might be more socially acceptable, but definitely uncomfortable in summer. (I see old Japanese men in winter wearing stomach/chest wraps and no one seems to mind that.) Anyway, if wearing a bra brings them comfort and security, who cares? It doesn't affect me or my life.
ensnaturae2
To help out here, maybe... One very good reason that women choose to wear a bra - is that two droopy bits of torso, not well toned, possibly bigger than they need to be to serve any useful purpose - can be hellishly uncomfortable. Any article of clothing that keeps them painlessly in place and out of the way - can make life more pleasant. Yes - of course a few months sessions at the gym might deal with them once and for all - but thats quite a long project. I have seen lots of men whose boobs might easily cause them the same kind of discomfort on sweaty days - so I understand perfectly - that a well fitting bra could provide a good solution. Just give it a different name if it bothers you...pecstrap or similar.
gelendestrasse
The only issue I see here is that the men should lose weight and exercise. And I never much cared for lager louts either.
jpshepherd
“ongoing feminization of men”
...This is what it is alright. It's wrong. The people mentioned in this article weren't doing it to deal with an issue of being too large in this area (which would mean ahhh lose weight and do some exercise!). Instead, however, It said they feel "comforted" and feel "secure!!" It's perverted is what it is.
diuneahma
I like to collect bras...
Jaymann
well, I couldn't make it through all the comments... did anyone else bother to suggest that this is all about lingerie companies trying to manufacture a new market? Seems the most likely answer to me. Men don't need bras, but there have always been fetish types who wear women's garments; and generally women's clothes are better made as they are more discerning shoppers, maybe they're more comfortable? I wouldn't know. I could care less what some simpleton trend-following tragic wishes to wear... but, it seems pretty obvious this is all part of a marketers 'bold new plan'
Magnet
Well said jpshepherd, Jaymann, wtfjapan, and sighclops!
Skeeter27
It'd be a cold day in h3ll before I try one on!!! And an even colder one before I admit to trying one on!!! As to one previous post " no self respecting man would wear this crap"!!
Jeez!!!! The photo makes me sick!
gogogo
Agreed, perverts would wear this, no normal person would, men do not need to wear bras.
Maria
One main brand is/was called Femidoms, Very comfy, once you get the slippery little thing in.
Serrano
I bet the guy I saw on the train the other day curling his eyelashes and using a mirror was wearing a bra under his shirt.
Daffy_Duck
Well I sure wouldn't wear one, but live & let live I guess.
nath
Of course! Sell the bras to MEN! Once again, I find my lacking business sense landing me in the wrong industry. Who wants to open up a mens panty store with me? We'll rake in the money!
Dennis Bauer
Some overweight may need a bra!
JoiceRojo
I'm not against of some clothing to help support large men with moobs or some of them that need to straighten out their backs, what makes me feel discomfort is the picture where clearly the designed bra is very feminine, pink, white with the wire underneath (you don't need that!) even in lace and white with pink or blue flowers... This article seems to pint out that the fetish of some men is becoming more evident.
If it is really for support, the design should be on the lines of sport or orthopedic bras, otherwise it's a fetish for men...
Ah, and in the case of women that don't need to use them good for them! I have to use them because in addition of support (my muscles cannot lift themselves) they protect me from friction of synthetic fabrics, since they have to be 100% cotton....
25psot
This story sound like Kinky-joke but men over 300 lb may really need it and especially in their 50's.
Scnadal.Lova
Hmmmm, makes enough sense. Though I dont wear one.
Dagoberto A Borja
I am now scared for humanity. I don't even know on what sort of mindset you would have to reach as a guy to wear a bra. i can't digest it.