For many late millennials and early GenZ women, those in their early teens in the 2010s, wearing a bra is quietly adorned as one of the symbols of transitioning to womanhood, a growth stage marked by certain bodily changes girls long for.

Though not directly told, Damilola Adebayo said seeing how wearing bra for the first time usually laced ecstasy on the faces of older girls around her community made her consider it an important part of women’s growth.

“As a teenager, I used to see bras as a sign that you have entered another stage of life, and that made me eager to start wearing one too,” she said.

But the excitement she once longed for gradually faded. As time passed by, the 26-year-old Damilola said she became more exposed and wearing a bra felt less appealing and more restrictive.

“At this point, I feel more at ease without a bra. Wearing one can be uncomfortable for me most of the time,” she added.

What’s in a Braless world? More women speak…

Unlike Damilola, more women say their choices are increasingly shaped by how they feel rather than what they were told to expect or any beauty trends.

For Ngozi Okafor, a 23-year-old woman in Ibadan, ditching the idea of wearing a bra is simple. She said her decision filtered down to one conclusion: she “just wants to be comfy.”

However, Ngozi noted that social configurations and expectations make prioritising such comfort difficult, especially when stepping outside private spaces without a bra.

Speaking to this reporter, Perpetual Eze said although she feels more comfortable going braless, aligning with social expectations is a challenge that usually compels her to trade comfort for averting social condemnation, especially when stepping out to the public eyes.

For 21-year-old Barikat Adeosun, the stress of maintaining bras and health concerns influenced her decision to opt for bralessness.

“For me, it’s always stressful washing bras, and these days, you hear of cancer of the breast from all the things they use to make those bras. Aside from that, it’s always more comfortable to be without a bra, so I like going braless like this,” she told Tribune Online.

Monlisa Ngozi does it for love. Her  boyfriend believed wearing is a tool of deceit employed by women. The 25-year-old explained that she makes her own decisions, but not wearing a bra is partly influenced by her partner.

“My boyfriend prefers me braless rather than wearing a bra. He always says bras are deceptive,” she told Tribune Online.

Zainab Wasiu, a 28-year-old hijabite sister, said  wearing a bra would be a self-inflicted punishment due to her usual style of dressing.

According to her, choosing comfort was an easy decision for her, especially in hot weather.

“I’m always on hijab, covering everything. So, adding a bra to it is too much during this heat. I choose comfort since nobody will know,” she said.

Away from medical concerns and comfort, the 21-year-old Ease James, blames trends and attraction. According to her, while many women go braless copying their favourite celebrities, some do it to attract men.

“How would I attract good guys? You see those guys now, this is what they like,” Ease told our reporter.

“Besides, the world is changing. You see all these celebrities, they are always without bras, and they look sexier that way,” she added.

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However, Sophia Adeyemi disagreed with Ease James, describing wearing a bra as a sense of completeness in dressing that no reason is morally justified for anyone to ditch.

“Ladies who intentionally go braless, especially for fashion, either have issues with their upbringing or their association,” the 42-year-old woman said.

“I have never felt comfortable going out without a bra. It is just not something I see myself doing,” she said.

Going bra-less; a silent global trend

While there’s currently no countries where women completely wear bras or go bra-free, a 2026 World Population Review report lists bralessness as common in global regions, with no fewer than 13 countries considered to have the common and or prevalent trend in 2026.

According to the report, Indian, United States and Brazil top the list while others include Japan, France, Canada, Peru, Hungary, Venezuela, Haiti, Afghanistan with the remaining two countries from Africa — Kenya and Tanzania.

Meanwhile, a IFOB study conducted between 2020 2022, which documented a spike in how women in France go braless due to COVID-19 pandemic, described the ‘No-Bra’ practice as a lasting social shift rather than a temporary lockdown fad.

According to the study, the number of those going braless rose among French women under 25 from 4% before the 2020 lockdown to 13% by 2022.

The study further reveals that 53% of the over 3,000 respondents cited physical comfort (avoiding pain or irritation) as the primary reason, while 32% of younger women viewed it as a rejection of the sexualization of female bodies.

However, a 15-year study from the University of Besançon, led by Professor Jean-Denis Rouillon, suggested that bralessness may improve breast firmness and support by allowing supporting muscles to develop naturally.

Medical experts weigh in

While more women who spoke to our reporter linked the shift in how they wear bras to desire for comfort, some expressed concerns over the health risks for wearing a bra.

Speaking on the concerns, Taiwo Adebanjo, a retired Matron at General Hospital, Ijebu Ode, dismissed claims linking bra wearing to cancer risks.

“There’s no health risk associated with wearing a bra, especially breast cancer is not related to wearing a bra,” she clarified.

However, she believes wearing bras is important, especially for nursing mothers. “When breast milk starts sprinkling around, it makes the environment unfilthy… creating an unhealthy environment for the mother and even the baby.”

Reacting to a question on social constructs associated with how a woman dressed, she noted that men “would rather go for well-packed breasts rather than the ones going all round as if they were beating drums.”

Continuing, the retired matron agreed with the 42-year-old Sophia Adeyemi, likening not wearing bras to a “careless” signal that suggests a woman is not “dressing up completely.”

On the other hand, Dr Aliyu Shehu of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Birnin Kebbi, told our reporter that no medical rule confirmed not wearing bra causes any disease. He said, “No. There is no particular disease whose risk has been shown to increase by not wearing a bra.”

Speaking on breast sagging as a common concern among women, the medical expert told Tribune Online that “breast sagging is due to age, genetics, pregnancy, and weight,” adding that “There is no strong evidence that bras prevent sagging.”

While not wearing a bra is not harmful, another expert, Med Odukunmoju Oluwafemi of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) warned that it may also lead to discomfort because of the weight the body carries.

tribuneonlineng

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