Bralette Explained

A bralette is a lightweight bra without an underwire, designed primarily for comfort.^[1] Bralettes are also sometimes worn as outerwear top,^[2] and are also designed as undershirts for girls developing breasts.^[3] The size of the bralette also differs from that of a bra: Instead of band width and cup size, normal clothing sizes are commonly used (S-XL or even larger).^[4]

Popularity

In the 2010s and early 2020s, bralettes and soft bras started gaining in popularity, at the expense of underwired and padded bras.^[5] Some brands such as Victoria's Secret failed to follow this trend and adjust, as a result of which their sales decreased significantly.^[6] In 2017, the sales of cleavage-enhancing bras fell by 45% while, at Marks & Spencer, sales of wireless bras grew by 40%.^[7] Some have attributed the rising popularity of bralettes to a new focus on the "athletic body, health and wellbeing", more than "about the male gaze,"^[8] while others suggest a connection to the

1. MeToo

movement.^[2]

Bralettes also became popular during the COVID-19 lockdowns due to a focus on comfort while remote working.^[9]

See also

• Bustier
• Choli
• Corset
• List of bra designs
• Sleeveless shirt

Notes and References

1. Emma Seymour, 17 Comfortable Bralettes of All Shapes and Sizes to Wear at Home, Good Housekeeping, 2020-05-18
   Bernadette Deron, No Underwire Here! You’ll Wish You Bought This Plunge Bralette Sooner, US Magazine, 2020-06-18
   Abigail Southan, Best bralettes to shop for women of all bust sizes, Cosmopolitan, 2020-03-27
   Tembe Denton-Hurst, This $20 bralette actually supports my big boobs, Nylon
2. Linda Dyett, The Bralette Is Back. This Time Blouses Are Optional, The New York Times, 2019-07-31
3. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/fashion/Bras-for-Grade-School-Girls-Bralettes.html The Playground Set Gets Its Own Bras
4. https://stylespree.com/pages/bralette-vs-bra-and-sports-bra Bralette vs. Bra
5. Georgina Safe, Cup half full: the lingerie brands ditching padding and underwire, The Guardian, 2020-02-06
6. VerityJohnson, Woke millennials didn't kill Victoria's Secret, pale stale males did, Stuff, 2020-02-07
7. Harriet Walker, Push-up bras prove a bad fit for women in era of #MeToo, The Times, 2018-10-27
8. Kate Finnigan, Soft focus: the new lingerie evolution, Financial Times, 2020-07-08
9. Alicia Lansom, Trade In Your Underwired Bra For Something A Little More Comfortable, Refinery29, 2020-04-19