among some older women, too. For a generation of girls born in the Noughties, trussing them up is less appealing than letting them hang free.
In this, there are commonalities with the bra-burning movement of the late Sixties – an era when women didn’t burn nearly as many bras as history has recorded, but did, at times, go braless as a feminist statement that favoured the “natural” look over restrictive bras and the symbolic idea that they oppressed women.
But if these women were taking a stand on women’s rights and viewed their bra-free status as a symbol of their independence from men, their granddaughters are taking a very different view. “I wear one when I want to, and don’t wear one when I don't want to,” says 16-year-old Freya. “I don’t even think about it – it’s not a big deal to me, and it’s somewhat surprising when it matters to other people.”Her friend Lucy agrees. “If someone’s not wearing a bra, I literally wouldn’t notice.
It’s just not a thing.”Their mothers might seek to politicise their lingerie choices, but Gen Z views this as yet another example of “deeping” – a word they use to describe their parents’ proclivity for attributing hidden meaning and subtext to behaviours that, in their eyes, have none. “No one’s trying to make a statement,” says Emma, 18, who is hoping to study history at Edinburgh University. “More likely is that they won’t wear a bra if it doesn’t work with their outfit.” She explains that the Noughties-style racerback vest tops that she and her friends currently favour look better without bra straps cluttering up the look.
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