With an ever increasing role-call of A-listers choosing to ditch their bras and go au-natural, apparently not wearing something is now considered a fashion statement.
Jessica Simpson’s lack of chest support during a recent trip to New York is reported to have made ‘fashion waves’ by the New York Post, yet according to statistics, the ‘trend’ could be taking off (pun intended) with market research company NPD Group, reporting that bra sales in the US fell 3 percent in 2014 to $6.5 billion (£4.3 billion).
It seems that half a century after the boob-liberating 1960s, the once political message has suddenly become a ‘fashion statement’. It was only in 2006 that Drew Barrymore was ridiculed (why?) for letting gravity run riot in a figure-hugging green Gucci gown at the Golden Globes, whereas nowadays everyone from Kendall Jenner to Jennifer Lawrence are ditching their supports in favour of the free fall.
Leandra Medine, of the blog Man Repeller, stopped wearing bras several years ago because she found them uncomfortable unnecessary to support her A-cup bust:
As far as I can tell, the slight glimpse of a nipple appears far more, dare I say, elegant when peeping through my blouse than a bra does.
Medine says that people don’t normally notice, let alone comment, and while curvier women risk a more noticeable appearance, it hasn’t stopped them from liberating their boobs too.
Stylist Nneya Richards, 29, – who has styled shoots for the likes of InStyle – ditched her bra about a year ago despite her D-cup size and told the New York Post:
When I do wear a bra, it’s for the fashion element of it, not for support. One woman came up to me recently and said, ‘You’re not wearing a bra! You go girl!’”
According to stylist Mary Alice Stephenson, when considering the braless look ladies should consider cup size and the particular construction of a top or dress. “If you’re comfortable, go for it,” says Richards. “It’s about time we stopped nipple shaming.”
I think that’s a sentiment we can all support…
