Pencil test (breasts)

Social implications

Some girls see the ability of their breast holding a pencil (or even a box of cereal) as a sign that they are finally a grown-up woman.

No evidence has been offered as to its validity, but some people consider it a method to determine whether a young girl should begin wearing a bra. The theory is that if the girl places a pencil under her breast and it stays in place, then wearing a bra is recommended; if it falls to the ground, a bra is not yet needed. Other factors when choosing whether to wear a bra include physical support of very large breasts, pain when exercising, and general comfort.

Breast sagging

Main article: Ptosis (breasts)

Some women use the pencil test to determine if their breasts are sagging. However, some degree of ptosis is normal and natural. Sagging is partly determined by inherited traits like skin elasticity and breast density, which affects the ratio of lightweight fat to heavier mammary glands. Some sagging is due to the aging of the glandular tissues that produce breast firmness. The public and the medical community define sagging differently. Plastic surgeons categorize the severity of ptosis by evaluating the position of the nipple relative to the inframammary fold. They don't consider a woman's breasts to be sagging unless the nipple is positioned below the inframammary fold. In the most advanced stage, the nipples are below the fold and point towards the ground.

Wearing a bra does not prevent breasts from sagging. Many women, in the mistaken belief that breasts cannot anatomically support themselves, think that wearing a bra will prevent their breasts from sagging later in life. Researchers, bra manufacturers, and health professionals cannot find any evidence to support the idea that wearing a bra for any amount of time slows breast ptosis. Bra manufacturers are careful to claim that bras only affect the shape of breasts while they are being worn.

In popular culture

In 1975, the student senate of the University of Texas at Austin passed a dress code that among other things made it mandatory for women to wear a bra if they could not pass the pencil test. The decision was filibustered by a female senate member, and she was physically removed from the room before the vote passed 11-9.

References

References

1. (December 27, 1971). "To Wear Or Not To Wear? Try Pencil Test". [[The Dispatch (Lexington).
2. (27 January 2016). "Sticking pens under your boobs is the hot new trend in China". The Daily Dot.
3. Manteuffel, Rachel. (2006-11-12). "Getting an 'F' in Biology". The Washington Post.
4. West, Richard. (June 1975). "Texas Monthly Reporter: Low Talk". Emmis Communications.
5. (January 1995). "Vanity fair". Condé Nast Publications.
6. Younai, S. Sean. "Breast Sagging - Ptosis".
7. "Why do women wear bras?".
8. "What Causes Sagging of Breasts? How to Define what is Saggy?".
9. "Bras, the Bare Facts: A documentary by Channel 4 UK, aired November, 2000".