I hit 40 & got so terrified of granny boobs I splashed out £5k on making my breasts perky – now I NEVER wear a bra
WEARING a bodycon dress, Amanda Elias, 43, sips a glass of Champagne and natters away to her friends.
It’s not long before conversation turns to body confidence – and specifically breasts.
Many of the women in the group, all in their 40s and 50s, are desperate to rip off their uncomfortable, underwired bras but feel their boobs need that extra support having breastfed children.
Not Amanda who – for her 40th birthday – treated herself to a £5k boob reduction and uplift because she wanted to join the popular #nobra movement on social media but wasn’t confident enough to do it at her age without some extra, surgical support.
“I wanted the boobs I had at 19 again,” she says.
“Before I got my breasts done I wouldn’t even take the bins out without a bra on – now I’ve binned all 30 of my bras and won’t wear one.
“I hated my boobs. I’d spent years forcing them into constricting underwire bras, spending £100s on maternity bras and never finding a bra that fit and gave me confidence.
“My boobs were floppy and heading downwards at a rapid rate. I was sick of pushing them into bras and being embarrassed by ugly back fat bulges being obvious from tight bra straps.
“I didn’t want granny boobs in my 50s, so I decided to join the youngsters and fight back… only with a bit of surgical support.”
If the Wonderbra – with its infamous slogan ‘Hello Boys’ – was synonymous with the ‘90s then the bralette and freeing the nipple is what’s fashionable now.
Figures back it up with the University of Michigan Business School revealing a Wonderbra was bought every 15 seconds in 1994, making more than £95.2m million in sales.
Now it’s Instagram account has just 25k followers.
Meanwhile Marks & Spencer’s bralette section is bigger than ever.
No-bra movement
Amanda, who supports older women who don’t wear a bra and also don’t have surgery, says she understands why.
“I love the #nobra movement,” the self-employed businesswoman, from Ammanford, South Wales, says. “I’m no longer wearing a bra and haven’t for two years.
“I paid £5k not to and feel so sexy as a result.
“I used to be terrified to even take out the bins without a bra – I just wouldn’t do it.
“Now my bras are in the bins.”
Single Amanda, mum to three children, aged 20, 15 and 10, says she was first inspired to go braless after seeing women on social media abandon them.
But she felt self-conscious, fearing she had “granny boobs” and couldn’t mimic the younger generations as they happily went bra free.
Drastic action
So, in December 2021 Amanda started phase one of what she dubs her ‘mummy overhaul,’ spending £5k on a boob reduction and uplift.
She saved up for the surgery. My friends were supportive and now tried to talk me out of it..
“I didn’t want bigger breasts,” she says.
“I wanted the perk back and to look like I did before I had kids. I was sick of feeling trapped in my underwear. I breast my children. After each child my breasts deflated and lost their shape.
“There was never a supportive and comfortable bra available that I could find.”
I used to be terrified to even take out the bins without a bra – now all my bras are in the bin
Amanda Elias
She had a breast reduction at a London hospital in a two-hour operation with recovery taking eight weeks.
“It was painful, but I didn’t care,” she says.
“Actually I was excited I had given my life to work and my kids and saw it as a gift from me to me.
“I had the surgery for myself. Not for anyone else. It was my decision and a treat to me.”
Going braless
Still, it took her some time to feel brave enough to go braless. But when she did she was so excited. “They were re-perked and that gave me instant confidence,” she says.
Over the next four months Amanda weaned herself off wearing bras and now only has two sexy bras she’s kept for special occasions.
“I’m currently single. I haven’t delved into the world of dating apps but my new outlook on life I hope will serve me well.
“It took a while because I was convinced bras were essential,” she says. “I felt like I was breaking the law going braless.
Then one day wearing a vest top and nothing underneath while doing housework Amanda realised, she looked better, was more relaxed and more confident.
“That’s when I went to my bedroom, pulled out all my old ugly bras in so many different sizes and binned them,” she says.
“I chucked more than 30 bras, and some were 10 or 15 years old. I decluttered my bras and haven’t looked back.”
Whole new Amanda
Amanda also ditched her baggy mum dresses.
“I exercised and lost two stones too – going from a size 14 to a size 12. I have wider hips. I love the hour glass shape I get in wiggle dress,” she says. “I got a new hairstyle and became more confident with my makeup.
“Going braless was my way of saying ‘Hello world, I’m back,’”
“I now feel empowered. I am single again and focusing on my business, a skin care company which ships specialist serums, and chemical peels all over the world.”
“It’s called Bravura London and I feel like I have also given a big bravo to myself with my new look,” says CEO Amanda.
She says there’s additional benefits to going braless.
“I no longer have to worry about tight bra straps showing off ugly back fat bulges,” she says.
But she has been criticised – largely by women.
“I am genuinely stunned at how many women are shocked by my decision,” she says. “I never knew coming out as a non-wearing bra woman could be so shocking for some people. I thought I’d get more grief for having a boob job.
“I’d discovered that not wearing a bra on a daily basis is the last taboo. But for me it’s the best decision I ever made.
“But as women we need to own our decisions.
“I saved and had surgery and got the boobs I wanted and deserved. I can now buy strapless dresses, strappy tops and dresses with open backs and not worry about strap marks, or spending a fortune to find a bra that can be used underneath.
“At Christmas I wore an off the shoulder dress and no one spotted I was braless.
“The freedom that comes with not worrying about straps showing is worth its weight in gold.
“Being braless in my forties is a chance to celebrate my ‘true self’. I’d rather live it, not just post about it. So, I say bravo to being braless. It works for me.
“I’m sexier than ever – I can give those young TikTokers a run for their money.”