Most women can relate to looking forward to getting home after a long day at work and whipping off their bras before collapsing on the sofa.
While they can work wonders for our boobs when it comes to providing shape and support, they’re often uncomfortable and can dig in if they don’t fit quite right.
But a growing number of ladies around the world are ditching their underwires altogether – even at the office.
On a recent episode of the American reality TV series Vanderpump Rules – a spin-off of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – cast member Dayna Kathan, 29, described bras as ‘breast prisons’.
On a recent episode of the American reality TV series Vanderpump Rules – a spin-off of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – cast member Dayna Kathan, 29, described bras as ‘breast prisons’
The waitress claimed she hasn’t worn one since she was 26, and told the New York Post: ‘If my male co-workers don’t have to wear a bra, then neither do I.’
She’s not alone; Olivia Grizzle, a 25-year-old graphic designer told the publication she too has chosen to ditch her underwire, admitting she keeps a scarf in her desk in case she gets cold.
Writer Nadia Bokody, from Sydney, claims she refuses to wear a bra to work because it’s ‘bad for women to spend a life dutifully strapping down your melons’.
She previously told The Sun: ‘Bras serve to reinforce the pervasive idea that our bodies need to be manipulated in order to be fit for consumption.’
There’s certainly a growing appetite for a bra-free life, with several Instagram accounts and hashtags dedicated to the trend.
Nadia Bokody, from Sydney, claims she refuses to wear a bra to work because it’s ‘bad for women to spend a life dutifully strapping down your melons’
New York-based career coach Judith Gerberg says more relaxed workplace dress codes and a growing body confidence among millennials is partly to do with it.
‘Just like men aren’t wearing ties as part of their uniform, some women are forgoing bras,’ she told New York Post.
Here FEMAIL brings you a selection of women from around the world who have chosen to go bra-free.
Alex Floyd, from Los Angeles, who ditched a bra due to the pain it caused her, shared this defiant photo on Instagram in October, admitting moments before when she was walking down the street, a man shouted at her: ‘Wear a bra!’ She explained: ‘This is not the first time this has happened. But it was the first time I turned back and shouted, “Why?” … but seriously…why the f*** do you think you can shout at other people how to dress?! Why do you think you can tell women what to do with their bodies?’ She went on: ‘My breasts aren’t going to be any smaller or bounce any less with a bra. So get over it. It’s my body and my choice what to wear. We shouldn’t have to change our clothes because you feel uncomfortable. My back pain has been significantly lessened by not wearing a wire cage around my ribs! This is my natural body and I shouldn’t have to walk around ashamed of it’
Crystal Patrick, a writer from the US, openly shares the fact she chooses not to wear a bra on her Instagram page @robearsgirl, and regularly shares selfies with the hashtags #brafree and #brafreelife. On one post she wrote how ‘bra-freedom’ makes her future ‘even brighter’, admitting her undergarments used to cause her pain
Instagram user Shana Janelle, from Washington DC, shared this photograph of herself going bra-free last month, using the hashtags #saggyboobsmatter and #brafreelife
Jennifer Harman, from the US, shared this photo on her Instagram page illustrating her thoughts on bras
Sophia Szabó, from the UK, also subscribes to a ‘bra free life’, sharing bra-less selfies on her Instagram page like the above
Blogger Nadine Duke, from South Africa, includes the quote ‘free the nipple’ in her Instagram bio and shared this photo, taken in Cape Town, in December, tagging it #brafreelife
Journalist Kellie, from Australia, who blogs under the handle hairlossboss, has also ditched her bra after trying it out for a story. She captioned this photo: ‘I’m usually bra-free on the weekends anyway so I did already have a taste of the good life. And I know going bra-less full-time isn’t groundbreaking… but I love tapping into something many of us are thinking/feeling and starting some chats about it’
Hair and make-up artist Leila Halbert, from the US, shared this bra-free snap to Instagram earlier this month, captioning it: ‘Haters will say “Put a bra on that’s disgusting”‘ and received a stream of positive comments and 186 likes
This photo of a woman going bra-less was shared on the Instagram account NoBraLife, which accepts submissions from women for its posts and claims on its page: ‘We do not want to wear bras just because society demands it! DM your selfie if you agree’
Michelle, an ambassador for camisole company Ruby Ribbon, from Arizona, regularly shares posts on Instagram urging her followers to ‘go bra free’, captioning this shot: ‘Underwires are so last year’