# visible bra straps--is it tacky? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 28, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-bra-straps-is-it-tacky/178070 "2003-05-28T17:53:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Black\_Train\_Song](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Black\_Train\_Song](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Train_Song)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-bra-straps-is-it-tacky/178070/81 "2003-05-30T02:40:09Z")
I’m not reading this whole thread but I say Go with the bra straps. I love when I can see bra straps. Even better when they’re loose enough to almost fall off the shoulder. ---
**Author:** ![lilbtagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@lilbtagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilbtagna)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-bra-straps-is-it-tacky/178070/82 "2003-05-30T04:01:41Z")
The picture of Kelly Preston linked by **chukhung** is very tacky. I don’t see anything wrong with bra straps showing if they match the tank top, but I would never wear a top like the one in the picture. I think showing bra straps is okay only in casual settings. But if the shirt itself has no straps, then showing bra straps is extremely tacky. Those tank tops with the built-in shelf bras don’t work for me either. It makes me feel smooshed and uneven ☹ I’ll have to look into the ones with a built in underwire though…those might help out. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-bra-straps-is-it-tacky/178070/83 "2003-05-30T04:38:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Mermaid \* > **The camisole style tank tops with the built-in bras are my newest favorite summertime tops.** I love them too, though I wear them under jackets or loose shirts because I’m all about modest dressing. As such, I think it goes without saying that I do not go for the Visible Bra Strap, Visible Bra Back, Visible Panty Line, Visible Thong Top, Visible Lower Back Skin And Top of Bikini Panties When I’m Sitting In My Too-Low Low-Rider Pants or the My Boxers Are Around My Waist But My Pants Are Somewhere Mid-Butt. Underwear. What you **wear under** your clothing. Not alongside, not in adjunct to. Get it and keep it under control. Or, what **lovelyluka** and **davebear** said. And Kelly Preston should be ashamed of herself. Of course, considering who she’s married to, the concept of shame has completely eluded her altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-bra-straps-is-it-tacky/178070/84 "2003-05-30T05:39:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lovelyluka \* > **If you see that I see your strap, and you don’t care, that is also tacky.** :smack: You have _got_ to be kidding! Are y’all this anal with everything? ---
**Author:** ![Inanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inanna)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-bra-straps-is-it-tacky/178070/85 "2003-05-30T06:27:02Z")
Today’s temperature was 98 degrees. I wore a black spaghetti strapped shirt with a black bra because it’s really wicked hot. If the bra is clean and discrete, then who cares? If I’m a tacky woman for exposing my straps, then haul me off to a cooler climate. In the meantime, I choose comfort over “class”. I never imagined this many women would be anti-strap. With lovelies like Christina and Britney whoring up our public schools, I think a little strap action is the least of our worries. ---
**Author:** ![vasyachkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c5a1d2/32.png) [@vasyachkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vasyachkin)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-bra-straps-is-it-tacky/178070/86 "2003-05-30T06:45:45Z")
a guy’s opinion. if you’re young and good looking you dont need a bra. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-bra-straps-is-it-tacky/178070/87 "2003-05-31T04:42:04Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Inanna_ > \*\*Today’s temperature was 98 degrees. I wore a black spaghetti strapped shirt with a black bra because it’s really wicked hot. \*\* I’m cross-eyed at the idea that heat + skimpy clothing = comfort. Have you ever checked out what people who live in the desert wear? The standard costume for desert dwellers, for instance? Loose fitting longer sleeves and long skirts and pants in lightweight, light colored fabric. Why? Because they’ve logically deduced that hot sun hitting exposed skin raises body temperature. Synthetic fabrics trap heat within. Dark colors absorb heat and light. A close-fitting black shirt with arms and shoulders fully exposed is the complete reverse of that idea. This is not optimal dressing if coolness is your goal, by any stretch of the imagination. And yes, the exposed bra strap is still tacky, even if it’s 98 degrees outside. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-bra-straps-is-it-tacky/178070/88 "2003-05-31T05:27:22Z")
As a guy, I have found that if I like it, most women consider it tacky. So I’m a pretty good barometer. I don’t much care either way about bra straps. I don’t inordinately like them, but they don’t bother me at all. So I would have to say that visible bra straps are fundamentally not tacky. By the same principle, visible thongs are tacky, but visible granny panties are not only not tacky, they’re the height of good taste. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-bra-straps-is-it-tacky/178070.md?page=4)