Over Easter weekend, Padma Lakshmi posted a video where she was making a glorious looking chicken tagine (a classic Moroccan dish). I enjoy all of these cooking-show experts showing off their home-cooking skills in quarantine, and you can definitely see who is enjoying the challenge and who is not. Padma seemed a bit frazzled as she made the tagine and as you can see the screencap and video, she was just wearing a lowkey stretchy cotton dress. And no bra.
Which brings up an issue that’s been going around for weeks: are we, as women, just going braless in lockdown? Many women say yes, that they haven’t worn bras in weeks and their girls are going free. Some people – like yours truly – have been going braless more often, but are still generally trying to keep some semblance of bra-wearing normalcy. It helps that I’ve worked from home for years and I find that “putting on a bra” signals, to me, that I’m in “work mode.” Am I the only one keeping up that small marker of professional responsibility? Or is everyone simply letting it all hang out?
That being said, if my girls looked as perky as Padma’s, I would be going braless every single day, no matter what. And obviously, Padma is cooking IN HER OWN HOME. She was just bumming around her own kitchen, trying to teach people how to cook tagine. But that didn’t stop people from making nasty comments on her Instagram about her perky “immoral” breasts. So Padma made another cooking video and this time she wore TWO bras (one of them a sports bra) and she wrote this:
(I got some comments last time that it was immoral for me to not wear a bra in my own kitchen during the quarantine. So those people should be happy to note that I’m wearing two today 😂) But seriously, let’s not police women’s bodies in 2020 ok?
Well, she dealt with that as well as can be expected. Honestly, her boobs are slightly distracting in the tagine video… but of course she has every right to wear (or not wear) whatever she wants, whenever she wants. It’s not a question of morality, for the love of God. Also: I think her boobs hypnotized me into wanting to make chicken tagine.
Photos/videos courtesy of Padma’s Instagram.
bras are the devil.
that is all.
First two weeks I wore them, now I am free and happy like that.
The end.
Bra’s had to have been created by a very evil man!!!!😂
True words!
If I had breasts like hers I would never wear a bra. Mine are just small, flat and sad, so I wear a bra to shape them more than anything.
She could have worn something to make it less obvious, but honestly, who cares.
Less obvious that she has breasts?
She looked fine.
Yep, I think she looks beautiful!
And I think no woman should be forced to hide her breasts (whatever they look like!) or any other part of her body. Same goes for every gender.
I love when I see women not wearing bra’s because the more we do it, the more normal it will become. She looked great and I’d bet that most people complaining that she wasn’t wearing a bra were other women.
This. And it would be fine whether she was at home, running errands, on an instagram live, or hanging out with friends. If you want to wear one wear it, if you don’t, don’t.
Yes Nahema! Thank you! I feel the same about armpit hair on women too. I wish that were normalized…I get so tired of shaving and I have eczema so my skin hates it every time!
Although wearing a somewhat compressive bra while working out feels better IMO- the bouncing is painful and I feel like I perform better? But maybe that’s psychological.
Oh and I never care about camel toe on women. Why is everyone so concerned about that 🤷🏻♀️
True, it needs to be normalized. I have a male roommate and I hate that I consider how appropriate it is above my own comfort.
Lol, what?! Less obvious she has nipples like everyone else on the planet? Please. Men are free to show their hairy boobs and nipples, women should not have to cover them, it’s absurd and so outdated.
I rarely wear a bra, I cannot stand the way they restrict me and I genuinely feel like I can’t breathe when I wear one. I will put on a bralette if I wear a white t shirt but only so I don’t expose young children, otherwise I couldn’t care less who sees my nipples. If you don’t like it don’t look where you know boobs are.
IKR? I see dudes bouncing down the street with their braless boobs and ungirdled bellies (not recently obviously but in the before time). Literally the only difference is that no one is sexually aroused by it , so jesus hasn’t been offended or something something.
Agree with Jess and BettyRose. What’s the big deal about a gal’s nips?
Agree,I haven’t worn a bra in two years,since I had a double mastectomy,I went for reconstruction and my new breasts are too large,uncomfortable,and wearing a bra makes me feel like I’m being squeezed too hard to breathe.
I’m having implants removed for much smaller ones with another doctor soon,and you can bet I’ll remain bra less!
And can I please say Padma is just gorgeous…
I think it should be normalized for small children too.
I agree with Keiji, seeing nipples is not gonna traumatize the children. Actually, the earlier they’re exposed to breasts in a non sexual way, the less they will perceive them as taboo as they grow up.
And tons of children have been breatfed, so they’ve already seen boobs, it didn’t kill them, jfc.
Less obvious? This is a joke, right?..?
It doesn’t even matter that she’s in her kitchen at home- everyone has nipples, so what if we see them! They’re part of her body!
It makes me sick that people are harping on her freakin nipples and not appreciating her delicious food.
came to say the same…. omg people, who cares. why post this on instagram, why troll back to the trolls. in midst of a global pandemic, this is what people focus on.
She can still point out sexism in the midst of a pandemic though. Just like people can talk still about problems that impact men, or minor annoyances from famous strangers on the internet.
see my above comment on trolls…
Make what less obvious? Who is bothered by this? Are you wearing your corset and hoop skirts at home?
Oh, FFS!
You like bras? Wear ’em all you want!
Let her live her life. What is so bad about boobs?
And don’t even start with “won’t someone think of the children?!”
Babies have been seeing boobs since literally Day One.
It’s ridiculous.
I love a pretty bra but i take them off as soon as i come home.
After shoes, comes the bra. I wear a cardigan over Zoom. Only time I put on a bra is when I go walking.Bralette to avoid sense of an elephant on chest feeling.
Same! It’s such a good feeling to come home and whip off the bra!
I basically only ever wear one if I’m leaving the house, and even then if I can get away with a bralette (like I’m just popping over to the pharmacy for 10 minutes) I will wear that instead of my regular underwire bra.
That said, I do live alone and never really cared too much about how my boobs were behaving in the privacy of my own home. 😛
Her daughter asked every question I wanted to know. So sweet.
*stares and blinks*
Why the criticism?
Sorry Tina. I unintentionally clicked reply instead of making my own comment.
I was just about to go online and search for “comfortable no wire stretchy comfy no bra bra for isolation purposes”… but I thought I’d stop by here first. Straaaaange.
I love Knix bras, I have about 10. I work from home all the time, and really feel uncomfortable without some support. They’re a bit pricy but have a ton of sales, and if you don’t like it or it doesn’t fit they have an awesome return/donation policy.
I’d love to try, but I’m on the fence about ordering a bra I can’t try on. I’ve filled my cart with a couple bras numerous times, but always end up cancelling haha.
I looked at their website, I think I will order some
Thanks so much Roma! I will have a look. Hopefully they ship to Oz.
I’m with you on this. And also what’s her secret? Strong pecs? Does that help?
Genetics or surgery. Unfortunately.
Wearing a bra more here because my husband and my children are home all day and I want to look pulled together and presentable.
Lol
People have odd lives and priorities lol
I’ve got serious boob-envy. Would love to go braless – but when I unstrap my 38DDs, my back soon complains about it.
YASS! Same exact sized boat, haha. I am sitting here in a decent impact sports bra, but that’s the minimum for me to feel comfy. I have major envy of smaller chested women. I’ve never gotten the “I need to rip this bra off” joy because the opposite is true for me.
Me too. I haven’t worn my usual underwire, going to work bras in a month, but I’m always in a sports bra of some sort. I am just so uncomfortable without. If money were no object, I would totally get them reduced!
+1
Same! I sometimes wander around the house without one (my SO loves it) but I prefer the support of a sports bra.
I was also diagnosed with breast cancer 2-3 weeks ago (time?) and am having both breasts removed next Friday , and reconstructed at a smaller size. Wish me luck!!!
Also, ladies, I am going to get on my soapbox now: GET YOUR MAMMOGRAMS EVERY FLIPPIN YEAR!!!! I am 44 – VERY young for breast cancer (but I have family history). My cancer is literally Stage 0 because the amazing radiologists caught it while it’s microscopic. I have two other friends who were diagnose in the past two months; one is 44 and the other 41. MAMMOGRAMS!!!!!
Also: tagine is delicious. I make it once a week. Definitely try it.
Embee, best of luck and so glad you caught it so early! That’s amazing. Sending you best wishes.
I also have a family history and am nearing 40. Once this pandemic is over, I’m getting a mammogram, that was a good reminder.
Embee, very best wishes and prayers for you!! Hope you enjoy your smaller reconstructed boobs, and hope you have a great recovery. Please be very diligent in doing your arm exercises in recovery; it really makes a difference for future mobility.
@Embee,thinking of you while you are facing this,two years ago at 42 I was diagnosed with stage zero (dcis) and underwent double mastectomy.
Although hard at times I recognize how fortunate I have been.
Be kind to yourself and know we all heal at different rates,and as I said above I am going in soon for reconstruction revision bc first plastic surgeon went too large and I’m going smaller,for comfort as much as anything.
Many many thoughts and prayers to you ❤️
Good luck Embee!
Embee – best of luck to you. I had a partial mastectomy 4 years ago then had reconstruction surgery (look up DIEP Flap surgery). They basically transplant tissue and skin from your abdomen into your breast. Long recovery but well worth it.
And tagines rock – I too make it once a week!
Good luck Embee!!
Hugs to you, Embee!
@Embee I’ve just seen this – wishing you the very best of luck. Please keep us updated. So much love, and prayers, to you.
Same here, I need the support or my back hurts after a while. Having the right bra and the right size makes a big difference too. I like Soma, and once I found the style I liked, I bought a bunch. No cutting in, no itching, nothing – they’re super comfortable, but still very supportive.
Same! I work from home even under normal circumstances and always wear a sports bra around the house. I’m uncomfortable if I’m not wearing one during the day.
ya me too. I’d love to, but it kills my back
Me also, but I find that bralettes are fine for around the house unless I’m exercising.
Yeah, I’m 44 with 36 D, and I am uncomfortable without at least a bralette. I haven’t put on my normal underwire bras for over a month tho.
I haven’t worn a bra since I had a boob reduction last year, just a tank top under my shirts. I honestly could not care less if the suggestion of nip-nops distract anyone. Bras are the devil!
I don’t functionally need one anymore so I’m not going to make myself uncomfortable.
Don’t functionally need one. Exactly!! I remember my 90 pound Aunt telling me stories about having to wear a girdle as part of her work uniform when she was young, when I was in nursing school they talked about how a girdle and hose were required daily etc.
And you know it was women bitching about this.
I don’t wear a bra at home, at all! Or in my yard, or taking out the trash. If my neighbors see me braless I don’t care.
Same here. Same with pants.
Same Joanna,same.
I hate bras. I wear a comfy sports bra to walk the dog and work out. Otherwise nope.
Yes! I’ve been wearing sports bras the whole time during quarantine. I’m going to have a hard time going back to regular bras.
Me too. I’m 34D and like my sports bra or the athletic tops that have bras built in. I haven’t gone bra less since middle school to be honest.
6 months ago I randomly ordered about 10 sports bras, ranging from high to low impact, from Old Navy. They were so inexpensive, I thought why not? I was BLOWN AWAY with how much I like them. The high impact have divided cups so you don’t get mono-boob. The low impact have removable lining and really cute cross-cross straps on the back. The medium impact also have cute straps and kind of squish my cleavage in a very flattering way. And they are all super comfortable. (I’m 34E).
I feel like my old self gave her future self an incredible gift in the form of sports/lounge bras. 🥰
I wear one during the day even thought I’m not even working from home at the moment. It does add to the feeling of a semblance of normalcy/structure to my day. I take it off and put on pjs right after dinner, which is about the same as pre-quarantine.
My good bras signal work-mode as well. The crappier ones are for weekends. And now that I’m spending so much time inside (pretty much 23h), I’ve finally invested in two very expensive but cute and comfy bras without wire etc. I never wanted to spend the money but hell, if not now, when? I rarely go braless even at home. My breasts are really quite large and if I wasn’t terrified, I’d get a lift. So it’s just not comfortable to have them reign free.
Having said that, if a woman wants to ditch the bra, DITCH IT! People need to mind their own damn business.
Emmy, what brand/where did you get the ‘very expensive but cute and comfy bras without wire etc’ you mentioned?!
Triumph. I bought a new one they have, it’s called Fit Smart. I’m in Germany though, I don’t know what they sell elsewhere. I wear no other brand anymore, they just fit me best even if they are pricey.
If I go outside and wear a shirt for example, the comfy ones aren’t looking too hot tbh. Boobs are just too big, I need a wire. A pulley system sometimes. 🙂 But at home they’re great.
Historically, as soon as I walked through my front door the bra would come off. Now? What’s a bra?
I have not worn a bra since (checks calendar) March 13. And I have been showering and dressing everyday so it’s not because I am hanging out in my jammies.
Shes 50 yrs old basically, how does her breasts sit so high up? I’m almost 40 and my girls have dropped down a bit than where they sat in my 20s. I just gotta know
I think surgery. No way they naturally look that good at her age
Mine do and I’m only a couple of years younger than her. I’ve gotten bigger lately and I plan to lose the extra weight. I have been skinny all my life – with medium sized breasts and I very seldom wore bras – and I feel extremely uncomfortable now. Really can’t get used to carry around 1/2 extra of my former weight. Breast still perky AF. Genetics. My mother is also not bad for 70. My point: I don’t want to be either envied/condemned for braless perky breasts nor judged/supported because I’m fat. Let people be. Everybody’s different.
She’s not overly huge in the chest, so that likely helps, but since she had kids, I’m betting she had a lift at some point. It’ll give you that perkier look without resorting to implants. It’s possible she does have implants, but they’re sitting low enough that I could see otherwise.
Not everyone resorts to surgery ya know. She may be blessed with excellent connective tissue and perky titties.
I love how she is teaching her daughter to cook ❤️ Re bras – it physically hurts me to go without, so I always wear one. I sometimes even wear it to bed. It’s not comfortable, but it’s more comfortable than no bra. I don’t know how I will handle advanced aging.
Considering I’ve been in the itty bitty titty committee since puberty (like double A here 😂). I don’t ever wear a bra. I wear whatever t shirt or tank top and if I get cold oh well. It’s not like I have enough boob to have cleavage or have them hang out of my shirts lol.
I don’t care If people do or don’t wear one, but I personally wear one everyday, I like feeling contained, and i have sad saggy post bf’ing boobs.
Your boobs are not sad. They just did something beautiful and amazing for your baby. Lucky you to have such great boobs! #saggyboobsmatter
36DD – I recently got a large back tattoo finished and couldn’t wear a bra to work for a week. I was very self conscious for the first couple of days, wore an undershirt etc. after two days of scurrying around hunched over, I finally got over myself and thought this is bullshit, I’m not inappropriate or unprofessional. Now if I don’t feel like it occasionally, I don’t wear one.
I wear a bra at home usually, because after breastfeeding two kids my boobs are so saggy deflated and flat I can’t stand the way they feel and sound flapping against my body.
However, if I was Padma with those Perky Puppies, I most certainly would not.
At 38 C-D, I’m uncomfortable going braless too long, so I’ve been wearing a bra, as comfy as I can wear, every day. Not wearing the schmexy, underwires with f*ucking straps that want to constantly dangle off my shoulders, though. Totes unnecessary when I’m wearing t-shirts, or turtlenecks, every day, and alone here with wee Fergus, my dog.
Wow! The fact that this was even a thing is infuriating. Boobs are normal! Nipples are normal! Bodies are normal!
I can’t for the life of me understand what is “immoral” about breasts. They give life to babies, half of the world’s population has them…
Oh, wait. Our culture is designed to shame women to believe that what is natural is immoral in an attempt to make us follow a specific agenda that favors (mostly) white men? Got it. That makes more sense.
Yep. it’s always been pretty creepy and sexist how teenage girls and women are automatically accused of seeking male attention (and sometimes worse) both by other women and by men just for not putting on a bra before presenting themselves publicly. It’s one of many examples of how people allow the male gaze to dictate their treatment and perception of women.
Great comments from Alexandra and Otaku Fairy. Y’all express things so well.
Exactly Alexandra!! Shame women. Honestly. If I had a hot body like that … I would be wearing that “sketchy” grey dress to the ice rink for my children’s hockey and ringette practice. XO
Yeah the “immoral” thing is insane.
They’re just breasts. Grow up, Internet.
She’s 50 and her boobs look spectacular!
People are bored so online judging & shaming is a hobby now…
She’s just all around gorgeous. That face, that skin, I would have never guessed she’s 50.
Good for her!
I never wear a bra, like ever, except when I work out, and boy let me tell you that comes off as soon as I get home. I always wear two layers of shirts if I’m going out or dealing with people, which probably does nothing at all, but it makes me feel a little bit better that they aren’t flapping around in people’s faces. Years ago, a guy friend of mine told me that dudes notice, and recently another guy friend confirmed, but whatever. I’m 43, I’m practically invisible.
So, in her position, I probably would have had a sweatshirt or cardigan on over the dress. Unless I looked like her in that dress. Holy smokes, she looks great!!
It bothers me that people accused her of being immoral 🙁
I never wear one at home, unless I’m working out or if they feel larger during my period. I’m always warm feeling, plus living in FL makes bras very uncomfortable for me; they are almost always damp. If I can get away with not wearing one out in public I will (which is about 1/3-1/2 the time, i.e. flowy enough shirt, cardigan, etc.) or sometimes use nipple covers instead of a full bra if I’m concerned I might offend/distract someone else with my nipples but don’t want to wear a full bra. But I do wish going out braless was more normalized, it’s definitely not immoral.
Is there a product you use, or just bandaids? I bought a bandeau that I keep by the door in the summer if I need to put something on quickly. Bras are such a pain!
Those fake boob circles she’s got look uncomfortable. I’d be embarrassed that the implants were so obvious. I have real boobs and I wouldn’t do vids with them.
I’d be embarrassed to be you and have your weird hangups about people’s bodies (including your own), so there you go
That’s exactly how my breasts looked like for most of my life. I can send you pictures. No implants here.
It looks to me like she’s got some kind of coverage. Am I the only one that sees a perfect circle of material under her dress? I think she’s wearing some kind of sticky nipple cover type thing, made out of the spongy material they use as bra inserts. That material against my nipples makes me scream. I wear a “Curve-Tech” from Mark WorkWearWorld. I remove the underwire immediately upon receipt. Because my skin is so reactive and the label on the back of my jeans will cause a hives breakout, I always need to have something between me and any label (it’s either the thread they sew with or the material in the label, but the hives will spread once started if I do not remove the irritant immediately, so best to simply avoid). If I am wearing a bra, then I must have an undershirt tucked into my underpants. It’s not so much for the girls, though I have stupidly sensitive nipples, also. I’ll do anything to prevent hives…right now though, my biggest struggle is being reactive to my hair, which desperately needs cutting and is giving me hives along the side of my face and the back of my neck and my chest. Why can’t women appreciate other women’s beauty? Are we homophobic by nature? So threatened? I think an above poster got it right….we are subjects of the white male patriarchy and are brainwashed. I’d love a breakdown…is it white women shaming a woman of colour? How very sad, if so
PW: I always cut labels out, always, because I have the same problem as you. It’s both things: the heavy-duty thread & the scratchy material. I use the little scissors on my small Swiss army knife, start at the corners, snip as close to the label fabric as possible, and gently pull up the label which takes up a lot of the stitches so I have to cut as little as possible. It takes practice, and it’s especially tricky on sweaters, but this is the first thing I do when I buy something new–cut off the labels.
@Prayer Warrior: Great post. Sometimes the discrimination/silencing comes from our own communities, and other times it comes from outside with the dynamic you mentioned. In some ways, white women have more freedom- or more specifically, less hurdles to overcome/things to avoid when it comes to standing up to that kind of misogyny. That’s one of the reasons why there’s always an imbalance of power when they choose to enable it instead, and try to keep everyone else from rejecting it. There are certain double standards that they just don’t experience as much…hearing one message sent to male relatives about progress while a more submissive one gets sent to their female relatives.
Also, LMAO, her follow-up wearing two bras but showing her bare tummy! Take that, b*tches. She’s awesome.
Her calling out T.I. over that virginity test foolishness was pretty awesome too.
I have barely worn a bra at all the last month. I dont know what I’m going to have to do when I re-emerge and try to integrate back into society..
I hate bras! They are so so uncomfortable. Right next to girdles, whoever designed them must have hated women so much. I haven’t worn them in years unless I am wearing a thin shirt or sweater in public. And even then… I have definitely gotten backlash even though my breasts are tiny. People are very judgmental and close-minded. I honestly think this is jealousy because Padma is so gorgeous and successful and there’s definitely some desire to police and control her as a woman of color too. I feel bad she had to deal with that.
Yep, on so many levels.
“I hate bras! They are so so uncomfortable. Right next to girdles, whoever designed them must have hated women so much.”
Not quite!
The history of the modern bra is curious. The inventor hated corsets and invented the modern bra as a result.
It’s funny, because Mary Phelps Jacob, the woman in question, would’ve probably been a bra-burning feminist had she been born a few decades later.
She had an interesting life, btw. She founded the Black Sun Press, which was instrumental in publishing some of the early works of many authors, such as Ernest Hemingway, Anaïs Nin, and Charles Bukowski, among others.
I wear bras for zoom meetings. Just seems like we’re supposed to. Now I’m questioning it.
I just ordered some tanks with a shelf bra built in now that I’m working from home. I don’t want to wear a bra, but I don’t feel comfortable talking to coworkers with nothing.
Padma is a goddess. She can do whatever she damn well pleases.
Also, last I checked, it was 2020, not 1920.
Padma is a chef who always trades on her looks, it’s part of who she is. If someone is bothered by it, just watch something else. How she treats her daughter is bothersome however. If her daughter is such an annoyance, edit that out. “How can you criticize my saintly perfection” is the vibe I get from her so I watch Ina Garten.
I also can’t go without a bra, boobs start hurting but a friend gave me a couple of AHHH bras from as seen on TV fame. I find them to be pretty comfortable to wear at home.
People are going to act ridiculous about a woman’s body because it’s a woman’s body, but I think Padma is so unabashedly *stunning* that people will get extra frothy about it. And it sucks even more that the shaming is probably mostly coming from other women. In my experience, that’s where commentary about my body being shameful in some way (usually the boob and butt police) has always come from, and it’s always been hurtful and/or wildly inappropriate.
On another note, I’m finding Padma Lakshmi surprisingly charming and funny, and she’s getting a follow from me today.
True. I’ve seen plenty of it from both sexes though. It seems more and more that in the long run, the ones most controlled by/obsesssed with male attention are the ones most fixated on policing and ‘punishing’ females for possibly attracting it.
Oh, I’m not saying that men don’t do this sh-t or do it less; I was really just talking about my own experience with it. What you said about the male gaze is true as hell, though. I’ve read things about the policing of women’s sexuality and bodies as a form of protection from male aggression and attention (which rings especially true as a WoC with a mother who was hyper concerned with me looking “fast” as a youth), but it then leads me to ask about where the culpability for men’s violent/hostile/inappropriate behavior needs to land, and why it so often lands on our bodies and right to choose what happens to them.
+1. I got worried someone might tearfully hit you with that “criticizing female participation in misogynistic abuse is meanie sexism!” card as a silencing tactic. You’re so right though. My mom, although not perfect, really did put forth effort to not be like that with us. She and her sister went through their own cultural and religious struggles with the type of relative you’re talking about though.
Of course there are women who are misogynists. A system of oppression won’t last long if you don’t make the oppressed hate themselves. That’s why we have women who defend rapists or go off on trans women and gay women even harder than men do.
Men are still the main problem, but women’s willful participation on our own oppression must be called out.
+1.
I’ve been wearing a bralette or a bra with no underwire because it just feels more secure and I like the little bit of support, but if mine were like hers I’d be braless all over the place. People really need to get over the fact that EVERYONE has nipples. What if she was wearing a sheer, unlined bra? Is that acceptable? Does there need to be more padding? Do we have to bind our breasts because some uptight repressed person cannot handle anatomy that everyone has? I don’t get it. Her breasts are amazing. She is gorgeous. People need to chill.
If I had small boobs I would always go bra-less. It’s the only way to desexualize them. My idea of going bra-less is a cotton no underwire bra that I now wear 24-7(even at night). Here is the link. Playtex Women’s 18 Hour Lift and… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DNPHCCR?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
If I had her glorious breasts, I would be topless as much as possible, never mind braless.
Much respect to Padma (her kid is adorbs). I only wear bras because my job expects me too. Otherwise, when I’m home the girls are free to wiggle and bounce without interference.
My boobs are besties with my belly but that hasn’t stopped me from going braless for the past month. Going braless has been one of the rare upsides of this pandemic.
What do you guys say to people who criticize you for not wearing a bra? I am so sick of wearing a bra but I am also a bit afraid of the attention/criticism I would receive. I have 36DD saggy boobs and I think it would be quite apparent if I didn’t wear a bra.
I wear a bra outside my home. I went braless a couple of times in public and, although, I got no verbal criticism, I got unwanted stares from men. I don’t like bras. They’re just so uncomfortable. It took me awhile to switch from underwire to wireless and that made a difference. But outside the home, no, I don’t want to invite stares or unwanted opinions about my choices. I just don’t want to go there. Mind you, I live on the Upper East Side of NYC where there’s a man who goes on daily jogs around the neighborhood wearing women’s lingerie. He probably doesn’t get any comments — women going braless…we get all sorts.
Just say “I AM wearing a bra, you dolt” and walk away, but make sure you see the idiot expression on their face. Or say “Its really creepy that you’re staring at my chest, and even creepier that you chose to comment. How are you allowed out in public?” Honestly though, anybody that has the gumption to say anything to you deserves to be told off. I have big ones, and I go out braless all the time, and nobody has ever even looked at me weird, much less said anything.
I would be asking why anyone felt the need to comment on your breasts/undergarments. Put it back on them, make them feel like a creep for mentioning your breasts. Really, it’s nobodies business what you do with them, they’re yours and you’re free to choose whether they are encased in a bra or not. As long as you’re not flashing anybody inappropriately, I see no issue with going braless.
I’ve traded my normal bras for soft cup sports bras – you have some support (38C) but it feels more like a tight t-shirt.
UH OH, VISIBLE NIPPLES THROUGH A SHIRT!!!! I will no longer be able to read your lovely site as I must now go stab out my eyes for being subjected to such indignity
LOL
I’ve never worn a bra in my entire life, except for special occasions when I’ll be wearing a nice dress and want a bit of cleavage.
Why do bras when I can do a tank top/cami instead? F*ck bras and anyone who cares about mah boobs other than me and my partner. 😉
My boobs were saggier at 19 than hers are now. Goodness. I see no distraction but congrats on her genetics!
this is another “internet: SIT DOWN” for me. who cares that she wasn’t wearing a bra in her own house? just stop with this idea that anyone other than herself has a right to say how she should dress in her own home.
As a woman in her 50’s, this is how in the 70’s and part of the 80’s I walked around. This is an obvious statement, but apparently needs to be re-said. We are going backwards in this freaking country! When I was a teenager and 20 plus I never wore a bra and neither did most of the women my age. Now you have to wear a bra with a shirt/dress that was made for going bra less (it appears to me in the above photo). I hate wearing a bra. What I really hate is seeing these ugly bra straps with uni-back shirts. To each her own. I wear a bra now to Facetime my clients but other than that…off.
“We are going backwards in this freaking country! When I was a teenager and 20 plus I never wore a bra and neither did most of the women my age. Now you have to wear a bra with a shirt/dress that was made for going bra less”
We’re going backwards everywhere because the worst people have caught on this “woke” stuff and now are trying to sell women things they don’t need and labeling those needless expenditures as empowering. They’re putting a price on femininity, which doesn’t have a price; you don’t need this or that overpriced crap to reclaim your womanhood. And they’re pitting women against each other, some times white women vs women of color, other times feminine women against gender non-conforming women, straight women vs gay women, etc.
Re-labeling the patriarchy and other systems of oppression as “woke” or “rebellious” or “radical” is a Trojan horse that’s been around for quite some time now. We need to stop drinking the Kool-Aid.
I’m a DD+ so I need a bra if I’m going to do anything remotely active, or be outside comfortably. That said, I’ve been all about the comfy sports bras (ie low impact ones) as often as possible.
i wear bras when i go out because my boobs are huge and it’s rather uncomfortable to go without one. these things will take an eye out, or atz least give me a nice shiner, swinging about. BUT at home? hell no. a tight top to contain the masses, yeah. but no underwire, my pregnant boobs are killing me as it is.
plus: it’s 2020. i wear bras if i want to, not for men/prudes. c’mon. we nurse our kids with them, but as soon as the kids are older they cannot ever know what boobs look like, alas! sigh.
What’s the big deal? I could see if she was topless…yeah ok…but bra-less? Come on. Are women not allowed to be comfortable? Don’t shave your legs either if you don’t want to. It’s up to YOU.
She looks absolutely fine and her boobs don’t look fake at all. You all forget this is stretch material but also form fitting.
And some comments here not accepting some people have perky boobs even older, as women, you should be ashamed. I live in a 3rd world country and I know quite a few women of different races at her age or over that have perky boobs – despite having children.
I think it helps if the person had small boobs from the beginning and over time they just grow a bit. It happens.
I hate that we’re so jaded we think if it looks good it must be fake 😒
“Good” meaning perky? :_(
So pearl clutchy and dumb. My guess? Jealous Beckies mad at the hot woc. Padma is gorgeous.
If I had her breasts I would wear that to church. If you don’t like it, come out of her kitchen.
I stopped wearing a bra a few months ago. Then I took a lymphatic drainage course and got to feel how the lymph flow gets impeded by bras, sports bras, and even tank tops with shelf bra. I won’t go back and am kind of pissed that I long ago made the decision to protect the world from my nipples after a female classmate commented that I had “headlights” while wearing a tank top with unlined underwire bra.
I like wearing a bra.
I really don’t give a s**t about whether people wear a bra or not…I wish it wasn’t such a big deal yet here we are.
It’s just another way to control women’s bodies,in that good ol’ patriarchal fashion.
Whenever I go out without a bra I get remarks from both men and women, it feels violating and like street harassement, and that’s a way to put women down. I remember when I used to go jog braless during the summer and it was quite traumatizing to have creepy men make inappropriate comments, whether my bra was showing or if I didn’t wear one. People always find a way to try and degrade women.
Again shaming women for going braless is just a way to put them in their place and to tell them their bodies don’t belong to the public space.
We don’t shame men for showing off their hairy belly and sagging “moobs” because they’re the norm. Their bodies aren’t deemed an anomaly or an object that exists either to be commodified or brutalized.
“People always find a way to try and degrade women.”
“shaming women for going braless is just a way to put them in their place and to tell them their bodies don’t belong to the public space.”
“We don’t shame men for showing off their hairy belly and sagging “moobs” because they’re the norm. Their bodies aren’t deemed an anomaly or an object that exists either to be commodified or brutalized.”
All of this.
“Whenever I go out without a bra I get remarks from both men and women, it feels violating and like street harassement, and that’s a way to put women down.”
Also this. Women drinking the Kool-Aid are the worst.
I’ve never bothered with bras – with the exception of the few occasions where I wanted to make more of an effect, with a dress on a special night out for instance. But even then I usually regret it an hour into the night and be dying to remove the horrid thing. If you aren’t used to them, they do feel odd and constraining, whatever the type. I have on occasion been walking down the street with a bit of a bounce going as is natural (mine aren’t very big btw – and granted I may feel differently if they were) and had guys lean out of their car and shout at me to ‘buy a bra’. Charming. But I just think them small minded – it’s really no ones business but mine.
Someone in an earlier comment said that the difference between a man’s nipples and a woman’s nipples is that the man’s don’t arouse anyone but let’s be real, not eveyone has a great body or the same breasts as, say Alexandra Daddario. So I think it’s stretch to say women’s breasts are “always” arousing. It’s not a good or a bad thing, it’s just is. Most women have the same breast as Lena Dunham in Girls and except for maybe a few weirdos, seeing her naked breasts has rarely been titillating to anyone. Also, that’s why I love her nudity on Girls. She’s showing that women on TV shouldn’t be used as props to titillate men.
I don’t think anyone can make a blanket claim that men’s nipples don’t arouse anyone
Right, pecs aren’t my thing but maybe they’re someone else’s.
I am lucky that I have the opportunity to work at home. I wake up and try to make sure I stay on schedule and shower. I throw on the same yoga pants and sweatshirt but I need to have a cute bra on under the ten layers. Weird but I guess a little normalcy in the isolation!
I watched the video when she posted it and didn’t notice her breasts, now that it’s been pointed out it makes me uncomfortable to look at them. What is wrong with people! Let Padma be!
Bras are awful. Period. Unless you have large breast and need the support, I don’t see any reason why women should wear them.
I have small tits and have never wore a bra. Of course, I’ve had the misfortune of encountering men who told me I was (and I quote literally) “begging to get raped” for showing my nipples through my shirt.
Going bra-less MUST be normalized, just like body hair and “imperfections” (scars of all types, stretch marks, etc) on women.
Padma looks amazing! Whatever, she should’ve posted the next video still not wearing a bra. I’m like a AAA, basically I have no boobs. I’ve breastfed 2 kids and now I’m left with Wendy’s burgers. My boobs are like square pecs! I hate wearing a bra and I only do so to cover up my very prominent nipples. Ever since the shelter-in-place I’ve gone braless and it’s been wonderful. I still change in front of my kids (5 year old daughter and 17 month old son) so they see my boobs every day and don’t even think twice. I really want to normalize all body parts so that they don’t grow up with the shame I felt about my own body. F these small-minded people.
Seriously folks need to get over it. And on top of it she’s offering such a gift in the cooking but all the trolls can think about are her nips? Smdh. As for myself I wear one when I’m on video conference for work and sometimes otherwise but wish I was a lucky one who could go without My boobs are so saggy sweaty and uncomfortable I wish I could go braless but there’s a lot of things I can’t do because large sagging breasts are very uncomfortable and often painful If you don’t have to wear one be glad for the choice My mother died of breast cancer and it runs in the family and I just found a lump this week but having trouble finding a place to get checked during covid lockdown. Long story but I’m just spending my time (other than work from home) looking for good doctors who perform bilateral mastectomies (specifically who have a good track record with Black women’s care). If anyone has suggestions in the Chicago area I’m open. I’ve honestly lived in fear so long with my breasts like ticking time bombs that I can’t wait to be rid of them and get to go running again and topless and not have to bear this weight constantly and get migraines from it and so much more.
This really ticks me off. There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING A FEMALE BODY. People who have issues with seeing a pair of clothed, casual boobs bc DIRTY IMMORAL NIPPLES need to get a grasp on their misogyny, internalized or otherwise.