Can Big-Chested Women Go Braless Like Kendall Jenner?
Kendall Jenner lives a mostly bra-free lifestyle. In a post on her paid app and website titled “Free the Nipple,” she defended her decision by writing, “I really don’t see what the big deal is with going braless! I think it’s cool and I really just don’t care! It’s sexy, it’s comfortable and I’m cool with my breasts. That’s it!”
The article includes a photo of Jenner in a sheer black top that exposes her nipples. This free-spirited attitude toward undergarments is one that’s shared by many young and stylish celebrities — Jennifer Lawrence, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, and Rita Ora all regularly forgo wearing a bra in everything from T-shirts to low-cut tops to strappy dresses. They make going braless seem effortlessly edgy — the ultimate “cool girl” move.
Still, those of us with large breasts are more likely to spend most of the summer passing up open-backed sundresses and low-cut tanks because our thick-strapped, only-comes-in-taupe-at-the-bra-store brassieres will show.
Why is it that when small-breasted women go braless, they give off a care-free, confident vibe, but when well-endowed women try it, we come off as looking sloppy or obscene?
Nneya S. Richards, stylist and blogger at ’N a Perfect World, doesn’t think going braless is generally a good look for busty women.
“It just wouldn’t look right for the shape of a lot of dresses. It is a bit of a double standard, because people find it more titillating on a woman with larger breasts. But I do think there’s a line.”
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Jené Luciani, the bestselling author of The Bra Book and Get It! A Beauty, Style & Wellness Guide to Getting Your “It” Together, agrees. “Research has shown that not wearing a bra repeatedly, especially with heavy breasts, can contribute to sagging over time (among other factors), and for women with heavy and large breasts, it can also be painful!”
If a client with a D cup or larger was dead-set on going braless, Richards would recommend tape to help provide support. (On Kim Kardashian, one notable example of a large-breasted woman who regularly goes without a bra, she says, “I’m 70 percent sure she’s a taper.”) She would warn the client, however, that “it’s gonna be a very different look than a Kendall Jenner because of all the amazingness that you’re working with.”
Luciani also mentions tape, which she confirms is how Kim K. pulls off amazing cleavage under deep V-necks and blazers. She adds, “There are some tricks you can do if, for example, your dress or top can’t accommodate a bra. … You can have foam pads (pick up at any fabric store or Amazon.com) sewn into tops or dresses, or get those adhesive silicone pads, as long as they can stay put in what you’re wearing.”
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But the whole point of going braless is giving off a carefree affect. If you have to basically construct an entire fake bra out of tape, you might as well wear a regular one. And, as Luciani points out, “I can’t imagine it’s comfortable! She [Kardashian] wraps it around her like a harness!“
In fact, Luciani isn’t in favor of the no-bra movement in general, asking, “What’s the reason for it? Bras have a lot more positives than negatives, in my opinion!”
Still, a lot of impossibly chic women are embracing the no-bra look, including Leandra Medine of the Man Repeller blog, who says she feels “most powerful” when she’s not wearing a bra. The much-imitated fashion blogger also points out the illusory nature of the idea that large-breasted women don’t have the same choice to go braless. “We all have that choice,” she wrote. “It’s just a matter of growing to love and appreciate the vision you will project and affirmatively declare ownership over.”
Related: Kim Kardashian Says #CorsetLife Is the Secret to Her Slim Waist
Women’s undergarments have often been entangled with politics. After all, we used to strap ourselves into corsets and organ-crushing girdles. While bras certainly have their practical purposes, many cultures have gotten along just fine without them.
In fact, some recent studies say bras actually do nothing to support the chest and suggest that going braless is a healthier option.
It seems as if most of the reasons large-chested women are discouraged from going braless, even when it might be more convenient for a particular garment, are aesthetic. As Luciani says: “If you don’t want to appear saggy — bottom line — wear a bra.”
Related: The Style Advantages of Being Small Chested
So while some women are finding it empowering to reclaim the natural shape of the breast and embrace freedom from restrictive undergarments, women with larger breasts don’t seem to be afforded the same option yet.
Large-breasted women have long known we can’t get away with the same things as smaller-breasted women, but it might be nice to ditch the grandma straps and try some of the season’s skimpier styles for once. For ease and comfort’s sake, let’s hope a celebrity trailblazer will step forth, ditch her bra, and lead the way for big-boob liberation.
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