The pandemic year was a reboot for women and how they felt about makeup, hard pants, grooming and bras. I’ll admit that during the pandemic, I still wore a bra every day, but that was mostly because I tried to take a walk every day. I have big boobs, as I’ve discussed before, and try to wear a bra in public. Now, as soon as I get home, sure, the bra usually comes off. Now that vaccinations are underway and people are “getting back to normal,” will the pandemic-era bralessness and soft-pants-intensive lifestyle stay? Gillian Anderson says yes, absolutely.
Gillian Anderson is prepared to let nature take its course, as she’s officially done wearing bras, calling the undergarment “too uncomfortable.”
“I don’t wear a bra anymore. I can’t wear a bra. I’m sorry,” Anderson, 52, explained in an Instagram Live video Monday. “I don’t care if my breasts reach my belly button. I’m not wearing a bra, it’s just too f–king uncomfortable.”
The “Sex Education” actress was met praise from other women who’ve also disdainfully given up on the brassiere, especially after months of quarantining at home left the undergarment essentially useless.
“i never wear a bra and i get a lot of distasteful comments about it, so knowing gillian anderson doesn’t wear a bra anymore is an information most pleasing to me!” wrote one fan, with another adding, “if two time golden globe and emmy winning actress gillian anderson says no more bras, who are we to disagree.”
For many small-busted women, this is a sort of breast privilege, to ditch the bra and “not care” about being out in public braless. If you’re a B-cup, it doesn’t actually matter that much and people won’t stare at you, and your clothes will fit the same and all of that. But Gillian is actually well-endowed in the chest department. I bet she’s a C-cup? And so people will notice. And I’m glad that she’s like “f–k this, I don’t care.” I will say this… if she’s so “uncomfortable” wearing a bra, she’s probably wearing the wrong size? But anyway… yeah, I’m fine if we hold on to this post-pandemic. No bras, no hard pants, no makeup. Let’s f–king go.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.
There’s no law saying a woman has to wear a bra. Don’t wear one if you don’t want to. Your choice. About the make-up…man I had bought a bunch of new make-up rightttt before the pandemic started and now I had to throw it all away because it’s old now. I kept my foundation but all the eye make-up I tossed. I don’t think I’m going to replace it either. F*ck make-up…unless it’s for a special occasion. I’m just realizing like why the hell did I feel the need to wear a full face to go to the damn store? For who? F*ck it !
the problem is while it may be our choice to not wear a bra, we don’t get to choose how people react. I would prefer no reaction whatsoever. But I have small nipples that always show through my shirts, and I’m not always in the mood for other people’s reactions. Rightly or wrongly, it isn’t considered professional either.
Exactly grniewnie.. I am self conscious about my bra, my boobs have always been saggy (I became anorexic in my early tweens and the weight loss deflated my boobs permanently from a D to an A) and I wouldn’t bear to be stared at because they touch my belly. I even wear a bra during the night, although a sports bra, and have done so since I was 14.
@ AlpineWitch : years ago, I switched to sports bras. I’m almost 60 now and I don’t own any “regular” bras. But I don’t like going bra less – I have the perception of that as a tacky thing. Like Grnie Wnie, it’s not what I want people to notice about me.
A bra is generally a torture device that women feel obligated to wear due to social pressure and social norms. It boils down to whether a woman feels personally able to defy these norms and deal with the negative reactions or not. I personally hate bras, always have, I wore it at a minimum (for work) before pandemic and then stopped. I am the type of person who doesn’t really give a * about what others think though, so I am a bit unusual. I will say that if I am specifically exercising I feel a lot of pain if I don’t wear a bra for literal, physical support but that is the only time I wear one (to avoid pain).
Please please please let this be a trend that stays. I’m f..ing done!
Yes. Let’s normalize this!
I am a F-cup but I ditched the bra about a year ago. Best decision ever! I only wear them to work out or I’m in the mood for a lacy bralette. I don’t want to go back to underwire bra
I have a larger bust and I find bras to be uncomfortable, too. And I’ve been measured so I’m wearing the correct size. I wear bralettes now and I can’t ever go back. I will never go back, it is my solemn vow.
Bralettes and sports-like bras are the way to go! I have a bunch of stretchy, wireless no hook-and-eye closure bras that I wear daily. True, my boobs don’t look quite as polished as they do in more formal undergarments, but damn they feel so much better! Soft pants and sports bras for LIFE!!!
Same! I wear good non underwire bras tarely. The rest of the time I am in soft bralettes and no I am never going back. I promise this to myself. Make up too, I wear the minimum make up now. I can’t see spending 30 minutes on make up again. Soft clothes forever!
Busty gal here too. Have ditched the underwire and moved to bralettes too. I’m looking for some that will offer a little more support without suffocating me. Any recommendations?
In 2020 I bought a Spanx underwire bra and it is fabulous. It gives support and is comfortable. I can’t go without my breasts droop and it looks awful.
I like the Third Love bralettes as they are a bit more substantial than others I have tried, but very comfy.
My best friend and coworker had a surgery to get a chest where she does not have to wear a bra anymore, she only wears tank tops now, so her nipples are not starring at people.
She did the surgery to be more comfortable during the day and while sleeping, but it made her look really great.
She also got blue contacts to enhance her light blue eye color, so she wears a lot less eye make-up, only mascara now and a tiny bit of medium brown pencil smudged with a cute tip.
She ditched all of her lipsticks and lip glosses and replaced it with a peppermint lip balm, which punches up her lip color and plumps up lips nicely, but not fake.
Lovely, gentle make-up that looks professional, classy and makes her appear much younger.
She is very focused on having great skin, hair and nails groomed nicely without nail color.
It is wonderful.
Do you feel like the bralettes are supportive enough? I’m a 36DD in one brand, a 36D in another, but I’ve nursed three and two of those littles were twins, so mine have taken a beating!😂
I would love softer garments, but need those puppies sung in the under breast areas.
Have you tried Knix or True and Co? They are a little pricier, but I’ve heard really good things about knix in particular.
I wouldn’t go for a jog in a bralette or go dancing for that matter. But a walk, housework, gardening, grocery shopping? All day long! I still wear a real bra for work because I work with preschoolers and you never know when you might have to run.
I am 36FF and used to wear expensive bras from Freya, Panache, Prima Donna etc and during the pandemic I started wearing the bralettes that I used to only use for sleeping in.
They were so comfortable but offered zero support so when I went back to work in March this year I put my old bras on again and went straight back to being miserable and uncomfortable.
Cue to a few months ago and I have found the most amazing sports, cross-back style of bralette from Kmart of all places!
They hold my boobs firmly in place, have no straps to constantly pull back up and I now wear them 24/7.
And the most amazing thing of all is they cost only $5 whereas one bra used to cost me around $130.
I’ll never go back BUT I am also 52, so the days of me giving a ‘hoot’ about what my boobs look like are now behind me.
This feels so good to read this from fellow larger chested ladies. I’ve been off underwire for several years but the pandemic has made even the soft ones going-out only. I really don’t care anymore what people see or whether they judge me, I see guys with their moobs out all the time and we manage not to gawk at them.
Looking for tips where to find bralettes for saggy F-G that won’t make me burst into tears either by the price tag or the view, pls!!
The website Etsy has some nice ones at a variety of prices.
I just posted my story above yours McGee so hope you see this.
Try the Kmart black sports bralette with the cross back.
Nothing to lose with a $5 outlay.
Because they are strapped in so tight I also now no longer have to worry about my nipples being uneven.
But I also must add, that with a bralette they are no longer riding ‘up high’ anymore but for me, comfort has trumped vainity because of my age.
Me too Gillian, me too. Let the itties breathe 🙌🏾
B cup here and I’m self conscious going braless in public. Some of my shirts would show a full boob outline and Im not going to meetings like that. But I may switch to soft sports bras forever.
“I don’t care if my breasts reach my belly button. I’m not wearing a bra, it’s just too f–king uncomfortable.” AMEN!!!!!!!!!!
I have to wear a bra due to size and gravity but most of the time it’s off if I can get away with it.
And I too am ready: No more makeup, no more sausage casings (stockings), no more heels. Bring me elastic waistbands and sensible footwear. And do not get me started on the blowouts and flat ironing in the Virginia heat and humidity of summer. WAY OVER-RATED.
Big breasted woman here and I have been bra free since March 2020- it’s for us too!
If you think bras are a torture device I really encourage you to check out the subreddit or facebook group “A Bra That Fits”. It’s so lifechanging to find a bra that really truly fits like it should, and suddenly they’re not uncomfortable death traps but actual tools that make you feel better and usually look better too. I went from wearing boob hat DDDs to properly fitted UK G cups and it was incredible, almost overnight I no longer felt like I needed a reduction.
I sometimes wish I could go braless but I’m honestly more comfortable in one than not, but I appreciate women who do…I just try not to feel too snubbed when they say things like “I can’t imagine why anyone would wear one!” and it’s like…some of us need support, Janet.
@just a small town girl, AMEN! That subreddit is great. I used their calculator, read posts and asked for tips, and voila, I realised I’d been wearing the wrong size all along and that my cup size was bigger and my band size smaller than I thought. Plus I got tips on a better fit and cup cuts.
(Side note/vent on bra discussions in general: it’s so so frustrating that many people think that the cup letter is all the info you need, like all D cups are the same. They’re not! A 28D is nowhere near a 38D, just like 1 pint isn’t the same as 5 pints even though the unit is the same. Or that any letter over D is automatically HUGE. Nope. Without the band size, that info is useless.)
Yes! We’re so under-educated about how bras and sizing works and it’s very insidious in all of culture and it just makes me really sad.
YES! I just discovered it. I’m small busted but all my bras were uncomfortable too. Turns out I need a 28DD, which is never carried by a chain. They always put me in an ill-fitting 32B.
Life changing to wear the right size — and shaped – bra.
How in the world does a 4″ difference in the ribcage circumference occur? Not a sarcastic question- I’m genuinely baffled.
@notsosocialbutterfly
They were probably measuring her with the 4+ measurement which US retailers came up with to sell more bras instead of properly fitting bras. They take your underbust and add four inches to make you fit into a bigger band, which then provides zero support to your breasts. All to sell more bras.
They also don’t tend to carry below a 32″ so if you are below it then they give you the closest they have, which is a 32″.
There’s also info on tiktok. I just found out at 47 that I’m a 32D and not a 34C. I’ve been wearing the wrong size my entire life.
I’m done with underwires and clasps. I’ve been wearing sports bras that keep them in place well enough but aren’t all that supportive, and I love them. I used to be so concerned about my boobs being saggy and I’m finally over that insecurity. The reduced neck and back pain beats worrying about what direction my nipples are pointing for sure.
I just want to thank you for that last sentence. I feel your pain and appreciate your humor.
Awww, thank you 🙂 Seems like a lot of the other big boobed ladies here are like me with the no underwire/hooks bras. As soon as I found one that fit a few years ago I never went back.
Brava! Same here – no more underwire or clasps digging in. I’m all about the wire-free life – never going back.
I definitely don’t feel the bra hate. I’m only a C cup but I definitely feel more comfortable going about my business with a (underwired) bra on. It’s not so much about being out and about with people as I’ve done precious little of that over the last year and a half, I just find it more comfortable.
Let’s just do what makes us comfortable!
I’m a c cup and would never go braless for an extended period of time. It just isn’t comfortable. I wont do underwires except on a special occasion. I’m currently on a plane wearing a Gap medium impact sports bra. It’s very comfortable
Yes! I find my heavy, dangling breasts to be uncomfortable without a bra. To each his own
@Astrid, I’m another one with boulders for boobs. I tried going braless in the initial days of pandemic lockdown, but the weight and gravitational pull made my nipples sore. I feel much better in a soft, stretchy, non-wire bra.
I agree. I’m a D-cup and even when I’m lounging around the house, it feels more comfortable to be contained in a bra than not. I think the structure just makes it more comfortable for me, like an ace bandage or something lol.
This is awesome, but I’m also pretty sure she has implants, so she may not really be at much risk of having them sag to her waist.
Looking at the natural sag in them, I don’t think she does. They’ve kind of always looked the same, lol. I think she’s just wearing a good bra and is probably a little taped up under that dress, but when she wears lower-cut clothing, they don’t look as if they’ve had the help of a surgeon’s knife.
I can’t imagine not wearing my bra. I love it. It fits perfectly and always feels like a soft hug. I wear it almost 24/7.
I also prefer wearing a bra, a comfy one though.
Yes, comfy everything! When you find the right size and brand underwear and tights can be very comfortable
Since the pandemic, I’ve compromised by purchasing a lot of soft, comfy bras without wires and have been wearing those, although some days I go with just a cami. My office reconvened pretty early on, so I was going no makeup, no bra, casual dress. Now I’ve gotten some nice, but casual drawstring pants and I’m slowing rolling out a “low makeup” look because I can’t be bothered anymore.
Good for them and for anyone who doesn’t like wearing a bra, no one should be forced to. Although – unpopular opinion, I like to wear a comfortable, sporty top bra, or simple design without wire etc. (C cup). I don’t like feeling my boobs on my stomach, sorry. I like them separated by a fabric.
I’m am on the small side of breast size but f that. I hate not wearing a bra. I always always wear a bra every day …. buuuut I am always picky about the bras I wear regularly for comfort reasons …. soooo it’s up to everyone’s individual tastes
I have huge boobs, DDD or G actually probably bigger
I’ve been wearing snug tank tops or tighter camies under my tshirts in public
I’m thinking of a “sleep bra” softer and looser than a sports bra.
I haven’t worn an actual bra since Christmas 2019
This has been my go-to since covid too and it’s been life changing! Large breasted but pretty firm so this works, and has healed neck and back issues from bras for years. Do you have any brand suggestions for good cammies or tank tops tho? I’ve been using sugar lips but would love upgrades. Thanks!
I’ve not been wearing one for nearly ten years. I just use nippies. But I use a sports bra when I cycle. And of course sometimes for uh sex lol.
I’m super flat. Like they don’t even make bras for me. I would be a AAAA. I’ve worn bras mostly to cover my nipples but I’ve gone without for the last year and a half and I don’t really want to wear one. I’ve been braless when I’m out and no one even cares. I might wear one while I’m at work but if I wear all black, maybe not.
I don’t mind wearing a bra, but it’s definitely off the second I get home.
Pre-pandemic, I wore underwire thick-lined bras. Now I wear a soft bralette with elastic support. I am a c cup. I also go one day a week (at least) without – usually on days I’m not working. I will never wear tight pants again, and my makeup routine is almost completely obliterated. It is what it is!
I ditched the bras too. If I need to go out I would just wear silicon patches on my nipples. I guess I can pull off that because if have small boobs. I even throw some of my bras away
does anyone have any good recommendations for soft pants? I’ve been living in yoga type things but would love something a bit dressier too.
Beta Brand have yoga pants that look like dress pants!
thank you! and they have petite sizes too, looking forward to trying them!
Lysse! They are amazing! You can find them on Amazon at a discount. But they are carried by Nordstrom etc. I have a pair of the ponte leggings and they are so flattering and comfy.
these look nice too, thank you!
I have some Elisabeth and James cargo pants from kohl’s that I love. I also have a few pairs of elastic waist pants from h and m. One light weight and one pair sweater pants.
Yea this is def small and/or perky boob privledge. My 36F bust needs some kind of support or else my back hurts. Running involves 2 sports bras or ouch! My bras aren’t cheap (which is annoying) but they are comfortable. I’m just looking forward to having enough $ where I can get these suckers reduced.
A bralette or a sleep bra just doesn’t provide enough support for me, but if it works for you go for it! Let the ladies fly!
Sometimes I like wearing bras and sometimes I don’t. What I do thoroughly enjoy is the normalisation of natural boob shapes.
I’m an A-cup, and I would never ditch my bra. I don’t feel comfortable going without one in public.
Good for her, should absolutely be a person’s choice if they wear it or not. There’s tons of clothes that can make it look fine, regardless of whether there’s a bra underneath. I mean, maybe not tons, especially for larger size, but there is some.
F girl here! And here I thought I was being rebellious by refusing to wear a tank under my white tee. Yes, I’m wearing a bra, I am a woman. Why do we go to such efforts to hide it? I refuse to wear a tank in the middle of summer under a tee just so men can’t see my bra. It’s as hot as the pits of hell here, I’m not doing it anymore.
I’ve mostly transitioned to bralettes and sports bras and often don’t wear a bra at all BUT I do try to wear something if I’m out because I get cold easily and don’t like people seeing my nips.
Once i got sized at a department store they got me a correct fitting bra wasnt the cutest sure but man it felt like i wasn’t wearing one. Underwires? Straps? Nothing it was amazing
As an aside, does everything have to be a privilege now? C’mon. We shouldn’t be so generous as to apply the word to something like this. The word will lose all meaning if we keep treating *everything* as if it were an exclusive club. Your boob size is the result of genetics (and maybe weight), nothing more. Going braless isn’t a privilege, it’s a choice, just like the choice to wear one is.
I have DDs and don’t wear a bra most of the time that I’m not in an office because I just don’t want to. I like structured clothes and layers and I dress so that it’s not obvious, but even if some people think it is, I’m well beyond caring.
For me discomfort from bras has nothing to do with the fit or the type of bra. Nobody would tell a man that if he’s uncomfortable wearing a jock strap all day, that he must simply be wearing the wrong fit.
I also have to point out that there are millions of people with larger breasts than me, who never wear a bra, jiggle all over the place, have visible boob sweat, and nobody gives them any shit about it at all or even suggests that they wear any kind of bra, because they are cis men.
People should wear a bra or not wear one according to what they personally want and that should be the end of the discussion.
In the house I very rarely wear a bra and if i do its a sports bra, but in public no way could I go without. Im a HH and theyre not a perky HH hah! so theres a need for one. Wish I could just let them be free but nope, too sweaty on warm days.
There is a lot of comfortable options nowadays in the bra department. Just ditch the wired torture devices. Sure, when you are relaxing at home it’s fine. But I don’t like feeling my boobs giggling when I’m being active and I’m a small B.
I stopped as well! I don’t think the pandemic had anything to do with it since I’ve been a SAHM for 14 years now, but I was just tired of having to stock up on different colors, different strap styles and no matter what I always had overhang and it looked terrible, so now I just buy $7 pasties off Amazon that last a few months.
I’m never wearing one again, despite having larger boobs. Can’t go running anymore so don’r need it for walking. So much cooler and more comfortable. And yes, I’ve had them fitted and tried all kinds and none work in the Texas heat. Everyone can just live with it.
It’s a choice to wear one or not. I prefer my girls to be contained and not swinging around when I move.
A good fitting bra is the key. I thought I was a 36b when I’m really a 34d. Nordstrom fitters are great. If you feel the underwire, you’re wearing the wrong size. And most people need a wider back strap with three hooks instead of two.
I agree with what anyone chooses to do but I’m sorry, she wouldn’t be saying that if her breasts actually were down to her bellybutton. I just went through surgery to remove a tumor and fix a condition of misshapen breasts from my teens. After decades of dealing with the weight, the pain, the migraines, the sweating underneath, not being able to find bras that fit, not being able to go without because they flop around like pancakes: I finally feel like I have the body I’m supposed to have, that I always wanted and that has already reduced all of these symptoms. Going braless, while somewhat freeing, could also be a nightmare with the sweat and the pain from them flopping around, never staying inside a bra, definitely no demi-cups, and on and on. So I am overjoyed buying B-cups in beautiful styles that were never an option before. The doctor says if you don’t wear the bra, gravity will do the most and I want to preserve the beauty I’ve finally achieved. I don’t fault anyone for doing what they want with their bodies. I just think that she might be starting with a nice pair to begin with, but jokes about boobs to your bellybutton are not really funny if you’ve been through it and especially at a younger age.
Never forget: Makeup, Heels, Bras, etc… is part of the tax on being a woman… All of this stuff is expensive.
My favorite thing about the pandemic was stopping giving a F what I looked like all the time. I’ll still doll up once in a while, but everyday? Nah, I’m good.
I am 52, and had my daughter at 29. I was a 36B then and now I am a 38DD. Some of that has been slight weight gain due to getting a little older, but not much. They just got bigger since I was pregnant, but I have always been fit (12-time All-American NCAA finalist in college for swimming). Yes, they are not as perky, but I was pregnant, and breastfeed my daughter, WHATEVER lol! I hate bras, and only wear them when I have to. I accept my breasts are not as perky, but I also have way more self-esteem and sexual confidence as a woman today, then I did as a 20 something woman with a tight ass body LOL
I would gladly not wear a bra but even being on the smallish side, I nip out pretty often and I’d rather deal with a bra than deal with men staring at me.
I think someone above might have said this, but nipple covers work well, discreet and comfy and solve that issue.
pasties changed my life!
I gave up underwire bras in 2007 after I had a reduction (36 E-cup to C) and now I could never get back into wearing anything but soft cup supportive bras. I actually get a really good Warner’s brand at Walmart of all places — they’re around $25 and fit like they were made for me. Plus they’re not totally utilitarian looking and the nips don’t show…I guess it’s a side effect of having had huge boobs but I REALLY hate it when men gawk at them.
I just finished the Crown, and now she is just Thatcher for me. So seeing the British Prime Minister saying she won’t wear bras anymore is both jarring and amusing.
the actual Maggie Would! Never!
I haven’t worn a real bra in years. I wear a tank top shapewear type thing that I get from Amazon. I love them. Comfy but gives me a smooth line across the tummy. Lessons bulges but not too tight.
This interests me because the pandemic really has changed how I feel about clothing and makeup. First for me…soft pants. Do not want anything strangling my belly. Then, minimal makeup. Lotion with sunscreen, lipbalm, and eyebrow pencil. Fancy days I add powder, lipstick, and mascara. Next, non underwire bra. Do not want anything strangling my torso. Comfortable but cute shoes. I will wear heels but they need some memory foam,and not more than twice a week. I do like to do my hair tho.