Going Braless: How a New Study Links Bra Choices to Perceived Attractiveness, Fidelity and Harassment Risk

A Frontiers in Psychology study surveyed 686 Slovak adults (409 women, 277 men; mean age ? 35) about bra-wearing and its social impact. Participants rated paired photos of the same woman in a white shirt, with and without a bra, for sexual attractiveness and perceived fidelity. Women also reported their bra-wearing frequency, breast traits, media exposure, sociosexuality and harassment fear.

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Researchers cite evolutionary accounts that view breast size and firmness as signals of health, youth and fertility, especially after bipedalism heightened visual focus on the chest. Prior work on nipple visibility and toplessness shows overt breast cues can trigger objectification, lower perceived morality and higher judgments of promiscuity.

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Participants were recruited via social-networking sites and asked to invite acquaintances. Men and 158 women completed the photo-rating task; all women answered questions on bra habits, breast size/shape, silicone-implant status, pornography use and harassment fear. The survey relied on self-report.

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78.5 % of women reported wearing a bra almost always in public, while at home usage was split. Women with smaller, firmer breasts or silicone implants were more likely to go braless. Higher fear of harassment strongly predicted consistent bra use. Both genders rated braless images as more sexually attractive but also as less likely to be faithful. Men preferring larger breasts found braless photos especially appealing; men who self-reported an intention to harass were especially sensitive to the braless cue, seeing it as a sign of sexual exploitability.

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The pattern suggests many women use bras as a protective strategy against unwanted attention, reflecting a double standard that judges women’s bodies through a moral lens. Visual cues thus influence both attraction and perceived harassment risk.

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The authors say the results align with evolutionary ideas of male sexual jealousy, where provocative clothing signals infidelity. They note that reliance on self-report may inflate socially desirable answers and that cultural norms, comfort and fashion were not fully considered. They recommend daily-diary methods and cross-cultural samples for future work.

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Critics note reliance on self-report, which can be biased by social desirability. The exclusive evolutionary framing may overlook contemporary cultural influences on dress. The Slovak, online sample limits generalizability.

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The authors identify gaps: no objective behavioral tracking, no non-Western perspectives, and limited analysis of media exposure’s interaction with bra choices.

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• “Going without a bra can increase sexual attractiveness by making the breasts and nipples more visible to observers.” — Pavol Prokop

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• “Women who expressed a higher fear of being harassed were significantly more likely to wear a bra in public.” — Ivana Cergetová

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• “When evaluating the photographs, both men and women consistently rated the braless images as more sexually attractive.” — Jozef Balcercík

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• “The researchers also found that men who reported an intention to sexually harass women were highly sensitive to the braless photos.” — Jozef Balcercík

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