# Bra-less older women - does this look good? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 2, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360 "2010-07-02T22:50:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DivineComedienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c67d28/32.png) [@DivineComedienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DivineComedienne)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/1 "2010-07-02T22:50:21Z")
Thought about putting this in Cafe Society, but it’s not so much about Kim Cattrall as it is that this photo of her shows the gist of my question. Please check out the fourth photo on this page of the ladies from SATC2 (safe for work, just shows them at various premieres in evening gowns) [http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?blog\_id=1&tag=Sex%20and%20the%20City&limit=10&IncludeBlogs=1](http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?blog_id=1&tag=Sex%20and%20the%20City&limit=10&IncludeBlogs=1) The fourth picture down on this page shows Kim Cattrall in a lovely chartreuse dress. She looks gorgeous, but…to me, it looks like she desperately needs a bra. Didn’t someone mention this to her before she went out? She’s in her 50’s, and looks great, but it just seems to me that the girls could have used some support. I don’t expect her boobs to be cantilevered up to her chin, but…I think she would have looked much better with a little lift. Instead, her breasts remind me of two empty wallets. Is the braless look sexy, even though they’re saggy? Does it say “I’m 50 and damn proud of it”, even though it’s not (in my opinion, anyway) that flattering? I’m in my 40’s, and after time and two kids, my boobs are not as perky as they used to be - it would never occur to me to go out looking like this - yet here she is, putting them out there. What do you say? Once you reach a certain age, is it sexy to show 'em off in their natural state, or is it more attractive to give them a boost? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/2 "2010-07-02T22:56:34Z")
I’m head of the line for thinking everyone needs a good support garment in any outfit regardless of age, but the linked picture doesn’t seem like a particularly egregious example to me. I’ll see if I can find what I consider to be a worse example. ---
**Author:** ![DivineComedienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c67d28/32.png) [@DivineComedienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DivineComedienne)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/3 "2010-07-02T22:58:53Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’m head of the line for thinking everyone needs a good support garment in any outfit regardless of age, but the linked picture doesn’t seem like a particularly egregious example to me. I’ll see if I can find what I consider to be a worse example. Well, I’ve seen several photos of Kim Cattrall looking rather…flattened…and I used to notice it a lot on the series. This is not the best (worst?) example of this affliction, but I wanted people to get the idea of what I meant. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/4 "2010-07-02T22:59:25Z")
Oh yeah, I didn’t think [Susan Sarandon would let me down.](http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y55/silverbeam/A%20CSM%20Blog/susan-sarandon.jpg) I think I know what you mean about Kim - her chestal area always seems to look weird in some way. I thought that was actually a kind of _good_ picture of her. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/5 "2010-07-02T23:02:13Z")
I’m all for wearing a bra if you need it. But I thought that picture was an excellent example of someone who didn’t. In fact it looked very Jazz Age. The hair, the dress. I don’t think they even had bras in the Jazz Age. So for that dress, no. There are women who couldn’t wear it, but I thought she rocked the look (and downright demure, considering some of what you see on the red carpet these days). ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/6 "2010-07-02T23:03:27Z")
[Yikes! This isn’t a good look for anyone, of any age!](http://blog.emitations.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/kc_ny.jpg) I think that’s safe for work - just a lot of cleavage. ETA: Now that I think about it, if that’s NSFW, so is my previously-linked picture for having yards of cleavage, too. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/7 "2010-07-02T23:04:09Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Oh yeah, I didn’t think [Susan Sarandon would let me down.](http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y55/silverbeam/A%20CSM%20Blog/susan-sarandon.jpg) > > I think I know what you mean about Kim - her chestal area always seems to look weird in some way. I thought that was actually a kind of _good_ picture of her. 🙂 Maybe she didn’t let YOU down, but… Perfect example of what NOT to wear. Not that she’s exactly wearing it. It really looks like that dress is trying to escape! ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/8 "2010-07-02T23:04:25Z")
Meh, looks fine to me. Kristin Davis is the only pretty cast member of that show. What? ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/9 "2010-07-02T23:07:07Z")
I think Kim looks good. It’s clear here that she has boobs that are more broad and flat (as opposed to a narrow base and more projection), she always has, and I don’t see that she’d look better with them scooped forward and rounded in a bra… There are a lot of different natural breast shapes at any age, and I don’t mind seeing them. Most bra-less-ness I see doesn’t look as egregious to me as it does to many people. That pic of Susan Saradon is pretty bad. But her dress is actually falling off… ---
**Author:** ![DivineComedienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c67d28/32.png) [@DivineComedienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DivineComedienne)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/10 "2010-07-02T23:09:09Z")
EXACTLY!!! I forgot about Susan Sarandon…and she’s got a lot more on the upper deck than Kim. That’s the question - is this supposed to be sexy - that it acknowledges her age but just flaunts it anyway? I just think it makes a woman look a little pathetic; if the dress is such that I’m even SEEING how droopy your bosom is, perhaps you’re a little too old for it to begin with. Then there is the Queen of Sexy Older Women with Elegance, Helen Mirren: > **[\[2300+\] Fashion Wallpapers | Wallpapers.com](https://wallpapers.com/fashion)** > > Fashion 1080P, 2K, 4K, 8K HD Wallpapers ✓ Must-View Free Fashion Wallpaper Images - Don't Miss ✓ 100% Free to Use ✓ Personalise for all Screen & Devices. Helen does it right, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/11 "2010-07-02T23:14:48Z")
I thought Kim Cattrall looked great in that picture. But to my tastes, anyone pictured on a page with Sarah Jessica Parker looks better by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/12 "2010-07-02T23:18:15Z")
Well if they’re like me, a boosting bra causes wrinkled cleavage so I couldn’t wear a low cut dress like they seem drawn to. Helen Mirren is awesome. She knows how to work it. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/13 "2010-07-02T23:20:39Z")
Meh - next to SJP, Kathy Bates looks sexy. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/14 "2010-07-02T23:22:04Z")
> [@DivineComedienne](#): > > \ > > Then there is the Queen of Sexy Older Women with Elegance, Helen Mirren\ She really is, isn’t she? Which is funny, since she likes to take her clothes off in movies. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/15 "2010-07-02T23:36:15Z")
**Cat Whisperer** , as to the two pictures you shared: [This](http://blog.emitations.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/kc_ny.jpg) is hot. [This](http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y55/silverbeam/A%20CSM%20Blog/susan-sarandon.jpg) isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/16 "2010-07-02T23:38:00Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > **Cat Whisperer** , as to the two pictures you shared: > > [This](http://blog.emitations.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/kc_ny.jpg) is hot. > [This](http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y55/silverbeam/A%20CSM%20Blog/susan-sarandon.jpg) isn’t. What makes the difference? From my hetero female perspective, they both look sloppy and terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/17 "2010-07-02T23:39:49Z")
Here’s another example of what I find inappropriate - [Barbra Streisand braless](http://thefashionablehousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/barbra_large.jpg) - oy vey! Funnily enough, I think older women look just fine with wrinkles and whatever else, but everyone should be in a decent bra. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/18 "2010-07-02T23:47:04Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > What makes the difference? From my hetero female perspective, they both look sloppy and terrible. The former’s boobs are pushed up, not sagging. Plus she’s gorgeous anyway so she can do whatever she wants with her tits. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Here’s another example of what I find inappropriate - [Barbra Streisand braless](http://thefashionablehousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/barbra_large.jpg) - oy vey! Funnily enough, I think older women look just fine with wrinkles and whatever else, but everyone should be in a decent bra. Not sure if hot… ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/19 "2010-07-02T23:51:02Z")
62-year-old male reporting in… Where are all of these older women the thread title seems to be referring to? ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360/20 "2010-07-02T23:51:29Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > What makes the difference? From my hetero female perspective, they both look sloppy and terrible. Speaking for the hetero male perspective: [concave](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concave) vs. [convex](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convex). Actually, that might be more of the hetero _engineer’s_ perspective. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-less-older-women-does-this-look-good/545360.md?page=2)