What's the difference between a bralette and a sports bra?
Some argue that a sports bra is essentially a bralette with more support, but it goes beyond that.
A bralette is a less structured version of a bra – it’s a hybrid garment that lies somewhere between a bra and a tank top. It doesn’t have any under-wiring, and has less structure, moulding or padding than a conventional bra.
Sports bras are designed to protect breasts during exercise. In order to do this, a sports bra typically minimises breast movement, which in turn helps to ease pain. This can be achieved by either encapsulating or compressing the breasts. The encapsulating technique tends to be more effective at reducing discomfort, whilst compression is sometimes more effective for short, intensive bursts of exercise.
To avoid the problems of varying pressure points during movement, sports bras are generally crossed at the back or worn with a halter neck style. This allows for much greater flexibility and it also prevents the bras form from cutting into sensitive muscles that surround the breasts.
You may experience this problem with bralettes that haven’t been specifically designed with exercise in mind.
Can I wear my sports bra as a bralette?
Although it is possible to wear a sports bra as a bralette (already prevalent in today’s society), it would be advised not to do so. It is ideal to have natural, breathable materials close to your skin for most of the day.
Most sports bras are made of synthetic performance fibres, so you may experience some discomfort with this if worn over long periods.
Another heads up you may want to think about when it comes to wearing a sports bra as a bralette is that wearing a sports bra for too long can also cause pain.
Some sports styles are designed to compress the breasts which is great when doing something like running, but if worn for too long (and when not necessary), this can become overly restrictive and painful.
After reading this, we hope your bralettes are being kept out of the gym and the sports bras chained to it. Happy breasts, happy life.
