Goodbye, 'Jogbra'...

May 2015: First up, though I still try to put up blog content whenever I can, it has been easier to more regularly visit the the Twitterverse. Follow me at @barethomas10 and let's keep the shirtless running flag flying. Of course, the blog still attracts very interesting comments, and good discussion. Keep it up.

Second, in the years since this venture launched, and as shirtless running among women has gone increasingly mainstream, the term "jogbra" has clearly declined in use. I will thus prefer "sportsbra" henceforth - as has already been the case on Twitter, and in recent posts here.

I continue to welcome guest posts (sent to barethomas@gmail.com) on any related topic, including from those who would discourage stripping to the waist. I am myself of course a fervent convert to the joys of running bare. But let all voices be heard!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

From the Net: A revealing poll?

In a post (since removed, but for the original URL, just click here) on his blog, Alias Basil: Just another running weblog, aliasbasil reports on the results of an experiment he ran in Edmonton, Canada:
On my lunch break today, I conducted a small survey. I walked down to Jasper Ave and showed the following picture to random passers-by:

I asked them which of the five bodies they preferred. 9/10 women and 7/10 men said that if they had a choice, they’d go with the second from the right. What distinguishes this person from the other four? The lack of a shirt, that’s what.
If the weather forecast is to be believed, then this weekend the temperature may creep very close to 20°C. For some, this will signal the first day of the shirtless running season. Time to witness bouncing guts and jiggling moobs, as they come huffing, puffing and sweating along the river valley trails. Is shirtless running really necessary?
Perhaps the shirtless runners know something that those who always cover up don’t. Much less laundry and, of course, the skin is the ultimate technical fabric. It wicks moisture out of your body and provides a surface from which it can evaporate, enhancing the cooling process. Why interfere with what millions of years of evolution has perfected? Shirtless runners, it would seem, also know how to dramatically increase their risk of skin cancer.
I’m not sure that I ever really saw much shirtless running until I arrived in Canada. I definitely never saw it in races. It gives me a chance to be grumpy and mutter “put it away” as the shirtless runner passes by. It is, in many ways, still a novelty to me. One of the last Neanderthal acts of bravado. And because of that fact, it is one of the 52 reasons to love running in Edmonton.
- aliasbasil

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ew the one second from the right is fat. Would prefer the far left.

Shirtless Robbie said...

Interestingly, the guy on the left probably has the nicer body, but most people go for the shirtless guy anyway.

I would note that sun exposure is linked to LOWER risk of many cancers (and other diseases), and sun burn is the major risk factor for skin cancer (at least the most deadly forms), rather than over all exposure.

Anonymous said...

The shirtless guy is much better off. It doesn't matter if your body looks great or not. Mine doesn't but I still prefer shirtless running.

Anonymous said...

Ewwwww who would pick that fat guy where you can see all that fat.