Why do the actresses in Friends not wear a bra in many episodes?
Throughout Friends’ 10 seasons on-air there was more than one time that you could see someone’s nipples sticking out through their shirts; cough, Chandler, cough. Seriously though, did any of them wear bras?
Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, and Courtney Cox all say that they wore bras throughout the filming of Friends. However, the type of bras that they were wearing could have certainly allowed for their nipples to be visible. Despite their claims that they all wore bras, Jennifer Aniston’s no-bra rumors led to the entire ‘Free the Nipple’ movement.
Scroll down to read more about the types of bras that they could have been wearing and the ‘Free the Nipple’ movement.
The ‘Friends’ Cast’s Bras
If you know anything about bras, you know that not all of them are super thick padded ones that cover up any sort of pointiness. There are bras that are basically just a thin piece of fabric that provides extra support underneath and is there to hold everything up.
If the female cast of Friends were wearing these types of bras, it would stand to reason that certain things would be visible through their shirts.
A style of bra that is becoming increasingly popular is known as a bralette. What exactly is a bralette though?
Well, Slate asked the founder of the website Lingerie Addict, Cora Harrington. Harrington says that “A bralette is an unstructured bra. It’s usually unlined, unpadded, wire-free.”
The Slate article goes on further to say that the very first bras in existence were what we would consider a bralette under today’s standards. Due to a bralette’s lack of lining and padding, it is highly likely that members of the Friends cast were wearing bralettes during filming.
Another type of bra that they could have been wearing on Friends would be a balconette bra. While today most people purchase the style lined, it is still possible to find some that are lace and unlined with no padding.
Again, this is a style of bra that would allow for the look that Rachel, Monica, and Pheobe all have going on in Friends.
In fact, a season 5 episode of the show called ‘The One When Everybody Finds Out’ had one of the only scenes where we ever see a character in her bra. In the episode, Phoebe is shown wearing a lace balconette bra.
You can watch the full scene from the Season 5 episode ‘The One When Everybody Finds Out’ below. Spoiler alert for anyone who has yet to finish the show.
While many have criticized Jennifer Aniston for not wearing a bra throughout the show, she has consistently maintained that she did wear one. She has also gone on to say that the tabloids’ obsession over things like her nipples being pointy in the show is body-shaming.
Interestingly enough, the fact that the cast’s nipples were visible through their shirts in some episodes seemed to spark an entire movement.
Free the Nipple
Sine 2012 there has been a movement called ‘Free the Nipple.’ A lot of people say that the criticism actresses like Jennifer Aniston have put up with because their nipples were visible through their shirts is inequality.
That’s why a lot of people refer to her as the original ‘free the nipple’ supporter. What exactly is the ‘free the nipple’ movement though?
Well, it’s actually a fight for women’s rights. The driving force behind the movement is that in some places it is illegal for a woman to walk around topless with her nipples showing, however, it is totally fine for a man to do the same thing.
Tons of female celebrities have actively supported the movement. Miley Cyrus has been a huge supporter and has shared photos of her breasts stating that it is oppression to force women to cover up.
Kendall Jenner has supported the movement saying that she barely ever wears a bra anymore. Her good friend, Cara DeLevigne, is another supporter who has posted photos in support of the movement as well.
And, Alanis Morrisette has supported the movement by showing photos of her breastfeeding online to advocate freeing the nipple for breastfeeding mothers.
While some people have said that they found it annoying that they could see the nipples of the Friends actresses, they really helped pave the way to a more open conversation about gender sterotypes. They’ve also helped to pave the way towards more body positivity and acceptance.
