# Should It Be Expected or Required That Women Wear A Bra In Public? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 8, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279 "2003-09-08T12:51:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/21 "2003-09-08T15:04:02Z")
Whatever makes you comfortable, so long as you’re not indecently exposed. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/22 "2003-09-08T15:05:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elfkin477 \* > If Miss Manners is so great, why won’t anyone marry her? I mean really, is an old maid someone you really want to ask for advice? To add to **BrotherCadfael** ’s commentary here, she is also married with children. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/23 "2003-09-08T15:14:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Isabelle \* > \*\*Tanookie your comment reminded me of a funny skit from Seinfeld. Do you remember when George’s dad didn’t wear a bra but instead wore a “bro?” \*\* It was a “manssiere” dammit! You must be an anti-Frankite and a rabit Kramerite. ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/24 "2003-09-08T15:30:30Z")
**Isabelle** , do you have a date on that column? I’d like to see it myself, as it does not sound like Miss Manner’s usual shtick. This is the proper matron who wrote in a previous column that, indeed, it is _not_ an offense to etiquette to leave off the undies, especially in hot weather. **elfkin477** , others have already mentioned that the Miss Manners persona is about as real as Ce…uh, Dame Edna, and her creator is married with grown children. But do you really believe that only reason a woman would be single would be if no one wanted to marry her? :dubious: As to the OPs question, well, I’ve seen plenty of women who really would have looked more put together had they not left off the bra. I am of the belief that people generally look their best either relatively covered…or stark naked in the presence of one or more who adore them. But it’s all IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/25 "2003-09-08T15:35:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Isabelle, do you have a date on that column? I’d like to see it myself, as it does not sound like Miss Manner’s usual shtick. This is the proper matron who wrote in a previous column that, indeed, it is not an offense to etiquette to leave off the undies, especially in hot weather. I read it in a back issue at the library. I didn’t look at the date. Sorry. Someone posted here that they thought it was Ann Landers or Dear Abby which has me questioning myself. I read a lot of those columns this weekend. It was raining out. Maybe I confused the column. I will have to look again. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/26 "2003-09-08T15:38:38Z")
Good lord, what idiots. “Miss Manners” is a _fictional creation._ Judith Martin, the author of the Miss Manners column and books, is quite married. Additionally, you’ll notice that the reply (as quoted) very much denies what the complainer was asking: no, women with “perky” breasts **don’t** need to wear brassieres at all times. The “pencil test” identifies women who need continual support; i.e., “hangers.” Without a link, I’m going to have to agree with **RickJay** – it sounds like Dear Abby to me. ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/27 "2003-09-08T15:45:16Z")
I’m searching for a link! Where is Jeff Olsen when you need him? He can find a needle in a haystack. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/28 "2003-09-08T15:48:35Z")
Miss Manners kicks ass. Although she herself would probably not put it in quite those words. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/29 "2003-09-08T15:56:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Thudlow Boink \* > \*\*Miss Manners kicks ass. Although she herself would probably not put it in quite those words. \*\* She would probably quote Queen Victoria’s sentiments at a spontaneous outburst from a working-class man celebrating her Golden Jubilee…“It was of course most inappropriate, but very gratifying”. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/30 "2003-09-08T15:56:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BrotherCadfael \* > \*\*Oh, and the pencil test thing…I recall seeing that in the Ann Landers column at least twenty-five years ago… \*\* What with the general embiggening of the american female, the pencil in this test should probably be replaced with a bean, beef and cheese burrito. ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/31 "2003-09-08T15:56:40Z")
Here is [a collection of her columns](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/style/columns/missmanners/). Maybe one of the tittles…uh, titles will be familar. ---
**Author:** ![ouisey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9fc29f/32.png) [@ouisey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouisey)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/32 "2003-09-08T16:01:25Z")
I’m not wearing a bra today. Actually, these days I eschew all forms of underclothing. I feel so free! ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/33 "2003-09-08T16:11:29Z")
While I don’t think it should be required, I also do believe that you give up your right to get upset if a man happens to notice, and oogle some. And while it’s good manners for a man (or woman for that matter) to not oggle your charms, it’s also good manners not to put them out on display. Just MHO of course. ---
**Author:** ![Palewriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@Palewriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palewriter)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/34 "2003-09-08T16:22:01Z")
Back to the OP…I certainly don’t think women should be **required** to dress any particular way. Isn’t it rather a matter of how she chooses to portray herself? For example, a woman with rather large boobs will look somewhat trashy if she appears in public braless in a tight tanktop. It’s not about public requirements, though, and if she thinks it’s OK to look trashy, then I won’t lose any sleep over it. Some less boob-endowed women can probably get away with being braless and still look classy, although I think that prominent nipples in public are about as tacky as the male equivalent: tight jeans with the obvious and deliberate crotch bulge. Back in the days of bra burning, many women who really **needed** the support of a bra insisted on going everywhere braless. Many of them ended up 30 years later with boobs sagging down to their waistlines. - PW ---
**Author:** ![Breezy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Breezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breezy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/35 "2003-09-08T16:43:43Z")
When I was a freshman/sophomore in college I had several tank-tops that just didn’t look right with a bra. Instead, I covered my nipples with cloth band-aids. No nippage, and since my boobs were pretty small (and perky-for-sure) there was nothing offensive about it. NOW, I wouldn’t even think about going bra-less out of the house. Unless I was wearing a big sweatshirt or something. In any case, I think it just depends on the situation. ---
**Author:** ![sultana\_of\_slash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@sultana\_of\_slash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sultana_of_slash)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/36 "2003-09-08T16:49:29Z")
I walk the dog braless in the morning. This is because the dog looks stupid in a bra - Sorry. This is because I’m too damn lazy-ass in the early morning to get up and shower and put on clean clothes, and I can usually find yesterday’s shorts around somewhere. (Somebody should convince me to put a firecracker up my ass.) Bearing in mind it’s all IMO, not the law, if I am going to go braless, I wear a big, sloppy, husband’s t-shirt, so nobody can tell, or would care if they can tell. In the Pine-Sol example that started this thread, I’d throw on a sweatshirt before I left. This is because there are certain clothes in the USA rated “Do not look at me”. This goes for the bean and cheese burrito example too (major laugh there, and I’m at the office, dammit). If I am going to wear a tank top, I put on a bra. If I am going to go running, I put on a sports bra, which covers far more area than a bikini does, and forget the t-shirt. I think a sports bra is sufficient coverage in our modern society. If you can jiggle in a sports bra, you’re a hell of a lot more Dollyesque than I am. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/37 "2003-09-08T17:00:46Z")
Should we also mandate that amply-endowed men wear athletic supporters? And rather than a pencil, we’d use a ruler. Some people just wanna take all the fun out of life. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/38 "2003-09-08T17:12:02Z")
Well, we certainly don’t have enough rules and regulations in society, so I think and official Clothing Police is an excellent idea. I suggest Joan Rivers as the Chief of Police. And I think we should all have the power to ticket those who break the rules. Or we could not worry about other people’s clothing choices and just get on with life. Decisions, decisions… ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/39 "2003-09-08T17:17:55Z")
I can’t imagine wanting to go out without one, even just to take out the trash. It would be rather uncomfortable. When I see busty women walking around braless, my first thought is generally “Ouch!” I make no assumptions whatsoever about the wearer’s morals, although I may make one or two about their political outlook. When it’s hotter than hell, though, I do envy the A-cup set, who can wear spaghetti-strap tank tops with impunity. Me, I need a bit more architectural support. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279/40 "2003-09-08T17:21:49Z")
Well for thousands of years(and for evolutionists millions of years) nobody wore a bra, and we all survived. It wasnt even invented until the early 1900’s. The bra is a very recent invention in human history, and even today, not all cultures adopt it. Women who need to wear one, will wear one, you certainly dont need a law to make them wear one. The rest will wear one whenever they want to and its nobodys business if they do or dont, or when they do or dont. If you want to change a law, why dont you again make it illegal for the men to be topless (as it used to be until the late 1930’s)? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-expected-or-required-that-women-wear-a-bra-in-public/200279.md?page=3)