Poll:Women with erect nipples visible under clothes: sexy/embarrassing/unprofessional/ no big deal?

In the recent bra thread, many female Dopers said that “headlights” (erect nipples visible under clothes) were a problem for them, and that they would want their bra to have some padding to hide those.

On the other hand, mannequins and dolls in shop windows often do have visible nipples.

I’ve heard men say they think those erect nipples are sexy, because they assume a woman with erect nipples has about the same feelings as a guy with an erect penis.
If that is true, having visible erect nipples (as I do, most of the time) in the workplace would be awkward and unprofessional and I would need to adapt my clothes.

On the other hand, I went to get fitted for a new bra with an old lady who had been in the bra fittin business for thirty years. When I asked her about a bra for me that would hide erect nipples she said “No, that’s just something you are born with or not”.

So, how do Dopers vote?

I’m a little frustrated with the poll choices. I wouldn’t say they are “slutty or unkempt” but having visible nipples is NOT something I want in a professional setting. It isn’t a matter of them not being sexy or natural; it’s that I don’t want to draw people’s attention to my breasts. In a professional setting I want to draw attention to my competence.

Definitely embarrassing.

I personally have a heck of a time with this, as my nipples stick out like corks. I have to get bras with padding so that I don’t go around with visible nipples. It’s very annoying.

I don’t think slutty or unprofessional is the right way to describe it, it’s not something you can really help unless you’re running around without a bra on. It’s more embarrassing than anything, but I wouldn’t use the occurrence to change my impression of a woman’s professionalism.

I’m another person who didn’t like the poll choices. I’m turned on by nipples visible through clothing but I don’t think that saying it turns me on should be synonymous with saying it’s OK in a professional setting. You might as well have had an option about hot pants - “Short shorts - I vote vote beautiful or sexy and OK in a professional setting”.

I also don’t feel the poll options reflect my opinion. Visible nipples are something I’d say should be avoided if possible in a professional setting, but I realize that this isn’t always easy and an outfit that revealed nothing in one situation might allow a woman’s nipples to show under different lighting conditions or in a colder room. But if a friend were asking my opinion of a top she wanted to wear to a job interview or professional presentation and I noticed that her nipples were showing through, I’d advise her not to wear it unless she had a thicker bra or could wear a blazer over it or something.

If I noticed a woman’s nipples showing through her clothes in a professional setting then I’d assume that she didn’t realize what was happening and be a bit embarrassed for her, but I wouldn’t think any less of her morals or professionalism. Not unless she actually said she deliberately wore flimsy tops to distract men at work.

They’re certainly noticeable, but no big deal. I find it to be somewhat distracting, but not sexy in that context.

Exactly.

Woman here. I think they’re as bad as a cameltoe. Seriously, you need to dress to hide them, with the possible exceptions of being at a nightclub or being a very thin woman who can wear an evening gown without any support garments.

I think patterns matter. If someone I work with had visible nipples one day, I wouldn’t think anything about it. If they had visible nipples every day, I’d assume it was deliberate and would seem unprofessional.

Didn’t like the choices either. I wanted to vote for “would catch my eye, but i wouldn’t think any differently of the owner”

Same with me. It’s sexy and can be distracting for the observer, but doesn’t reflect on the owner. If I’m distracted, that’s my problem, not yours.

“Corset- I vote vote beautiful or sexy and OK in a professional setting”.

“Latex Cat Suit- I vote vote beautiful or sexy and OK in a professional setting”.

“Furry costume - I vote vote beautiful or sexy and OK in a professional setting”.

“Sailor Moon Cosplay outfit - I vote vote beautiful or sexy and OK in a professional setting”.

The poll options are indeed silly, except for “no big deal”, which is what I voted for. I mean visible nipples definitely aren’t what I’m going for at work, but if it happens, whatever. I have nipples. What, you don’t?

Yeah, the poll options don’t really work for me. They are no big deal to even sexy in casual environments, but an absolute no go at work.

Male here. Many years ago, I worked in an office where my supervisor, a man, was replaced with a woman with a better resume. This woman, who was approximately 10 years older than me, had the attributes of which you speak. It was very distracting to me. I found myself anticipating her presence every morning, and sneaking peaks, like a hormonally uncontrollable 14 year-old, whenever I could. She didn’t know it at the time, but she was driving me bloody insane. Whenever I had to interact with her, I became sexually aroused and uncomfortable at the same time, sometimes resulting in a partial erection, which made me extremely self conscious.

This went on for approximately 2 weeks, when I realized I was making excuses to be around her. Without thinking too deeply (I wasn’t thinking at all, to be honest), I finagled a way to have lunch with her under some pretense for work. I still don’t believe I pulled it off; believe me, I wasn’t all that smooth in those days. Anway, during our lunch, I absolutely could not stop glancing at her chest. I couldn’t tell you what the heck we talked about, but I do remember feeling like my heart was going to jump out of my chest and my temples throbbing.

After our lunch, I wasn’t productive at all and, I’m certain, got very little work done for the rest of the day. At the close of business, I waited at my desk until I saw she was preparing to leave for the day. I packed up and strode out behind her. My mind was racing, and I acted, I believe, on pure instinct at that moment, and while tapping on her shoulder and asking if she had a second, I pressed the Up button on the elevator instead of Down. We both entered the elevator and as soon as the doors closed, I turned and faced her. Next thing I knew, we were down each other’s throats.

Our relationship ultimately ended, primarily because, in my admittedly one-sided opinion, she was a very unpleasant person. And I guess the fact that she was married, with two children, could possibly have had something, in some small, barely significant measure, to do with it :rolleyes:. No, I had no idea she was married…at first. Anyhoo, it lasted as long as it did, and somewhat into the period after which I found out she was married and a mother, solely because of her physical attributes and the sex, which was the best I’d ever had.

For those needing to respond that (a) she manipulated me and I was too young, stupid, sex-crazed, or a combination to realize it, or (b) it was wrong of me to have continued to ‘date’ her after finding out about her family, don’t bother. I’ve thought and agonized over it many times, and it’s enough.

My point here is to provide a little personal perspective to the OP that I found the erect nipples of my supervisor not only sexy but overwhelmingly sexually arousing. However, I also believe such displays are inappropriate in an office environment and cannot believe there aren’t apparel solutions.

I voted no big deal. I notice poky nipples on both women and men, but don’t have strong opinions about them.

I’m not really involved with much that could be considered a ‘professional’ setting, though.

My nips just don’t quit, and often still show moderately through ‘molded’ bras (with a thin layer of foam/stiff lining). I used to only wear cloth bras with no padding and they showed all the time then - they don’t stick out far, but they’re visible. I don’t care enough to wear bras with 3/4" of foam just to make sure they aren’t ever visible, and I don’t notice my boobs getting attention even with poky nips - they are tiny after all, and don’t bounce or anything.

Within reasonable limits (there is such a thing as dressing inappropriately for the workplace), I tend to think being distracted by or attracted to a good-looking person or appealing parts of their anatomy is your issue, not theirs.

I also think it’s ridiculous for women to have to wear thickly padded bras all the time (or use adhesive nipple ‘shields’) just so no one can ever see that they have nipples.

Why did you put “embarrassing” in the title but then not have that as a poll choice? They’re not slutty, or unprofessional, or sexy or no big deal. They’re simply embarrassing, like, I don’t know, accidentally leaving your fly undone or having a piece of food caught in your teeth. Something that doesn’t really *matter *but that you don’t want to happen.

This, although I’m a guy. I think it’s hot, but I’d definitely raise an eyebrow if I saw it in the office.

Why would you raise an eyebrow? Like she’s doing it on purpose, or somehow it’s happening due to some poor planning on her part?

You would be amazed. If I walk into any random store, Target or Macy’s let’s say, throw on a typical, functional yet supportive bra and you are less than 5 feet away from me, you will be able to see me highbeaming it like mad. Even if your vision is 20/40, you’ll be able to see them. I’m not horny, I’m cold.

It was horrible for me in high school; I wore thick shirts and often crossed my arms. It wasn’t till college that I discovered Victoria’s Secret IPEX bras, where the bras have gradual thickness in the middle but remain thin yet supportive throughout the cup. I could never wear a fully padded or push-up bra - I was a C/D cup and a size 4, more padding would have looked very fake and drawn more attention than I was already getting.

Thank god for graduated padding. Right now my Bali or Playtex bra (not sure which) has these center “petals”. I’d say it solves 95% of the problem - on a very cold day, with the wrong shirt and the wind blowing…

I wouldn’t call it slutty, but it’s highly unprofessional.