Is it unprofessional not to wear a bra to work? by ALISON GREEN on NOVEMBER 3, 2015
A reader writes:
I have a disability that makes me highly sensitive to touch, and I find that wearing a bra is extremely uncomfortable. (I don’t know my cup size, but I’d estimate that I’m pretty much average-sized.)
I was told by a career advisor that not wearing a bra looks extremely unprofessional regardless of field, and I’m unlikely to get a job unless I can figure out some way to tolerate wearing a bra. I’m a psychology major in university, and would like a job in that field once I graduate.
I might be able to tough it out and wear a bra to a job interview, although it’ll make the interview a lot harder. But there is no way I could handle wearing a bra from 9-5 every weekday. Is this really such a show-stopper?
I would like to point out that I never wear low-cut or revealing clothing. Apart from not wearing a bra, my dress style is quite modest.
Not wearing a bra only comes across as unprofessional if people can tell that you’re not wearing a bra. If people can pretty easily tell, then yeah, in most lines of work, it’s going to be seen as unprofessional.
We can debate whether it’s right that standards of professional attire require women to mitigate the impact of having breasts, but the fact remains that that’s the standard, and it’s unlikely to change anytime soon. For better or for worse, our society expects certain body parts to be kept behind the scenes, particularly in professional settings. And that’s not just for women; men aren’t supposed to wear, say, very thin pants that visibly outline their contents to the office either.
Anyway, some women can look professional without wearing a bra (because their body type and clothing choices mean that no one can telling they’re not wearing one). Others would have a much harder time.
Can you try wearing a camisole or tank top under a not-flimsy shirt and see if that minimizes the normal tell-tale signs of braless-ness? You could also try other types of layering, a blazer or cardigan, and/or scarfs. If you’re not super busty, I bet you’ll be able to find a formula that works for you reasonably
I have a disability that makes me highly sensitive to touch, and I find that wearing a bra is extremely uncomfortable. (I don’t know my cup size, but I’d estimate that I’m pretty much average-sized.)
I was told by a career advisor that not wearing a bra looks extremely unprofessional regardless of field, and I’m unlikely to get a job unless I can figure out some way to tolerate wearing a bra. I’m a psychology major in university, and would like a job in that field once I graduate.
I might be able to tough it out and wear a bra to a job interview, although it’ll make the interview a lot harder. But there is no way I could handle wearing a bra from 9-5 every weekday. Is this really such a show-stopper?
I would like to point out that I never wear low-cut or revealing clothing. Apart from not wearing a bra, my dress style is quite modest.
Not wearing a bra only comes across as unprofessional if people can tell that you’re not wearing a bra. If people can pretty easily tell, then yeah, in most lines of work, it’s going to be seen as unprofessional.
We can debate whether it’s right that standards of professional attire require women to mitigate the impact of having breasts, but the fact remains that that’s the standard, and it’s unlikely to change anytime soon. For better or for worse, our society expects certain body parts to be kept behind the scenes, particularly in professional settings. And that’s not just for women; men aren’t supposed to wear, say, very thin pants that visibly outline their contents to the office either.
Anyway, some women can look professional without wearing a bra (because their body type and clothing choices mean that no one can telling they’re not wearing one). Others would have a much harder time.
Can you try wearing a camisole or tank top under a not-flimsy shirt and see if that minimizes the normal tell-tale signs of braless-ness? You could also try other types of layering, a blazer or cardigan, and/or scarfs. If you’re not super busty, I bet you’ll be able to find a formula that works for you reasonably
