Gillian Anderson Is Done Wearing Bras

Not wearing underwear is one of the hottest trends of summer 2021, with multiple celebrities going public with their underwear-related grievances in recent months, and even divesting themselves of the oppressive undergarments altogether. British actress turned no-undies icon Emma Thompson kicked off the trend right around Memorial Day weekend, calling underwear “torture” and revealing she hasn’t touched the stuff in years. “I don’t like underwear, full stop,” the actress announced during an appearance on British morning show Lorraine. “I stopped wearing underwear a long time ago, it’s not my scene.”

Following in the footsteps of this iconic moment, fellow actress Gillian Anderson (who is also kind of British) has recently gone public with an anti-underwear stance of her own, speaking out against bras, specifically. “I don’t wear a bra anymore. I can’t wear a bra. I’m sorry,” Anderson announced on Instagram Live Monday night. Why? Because, not unlike Thompson, who claims there’s no such thing as comfortable underwear — “I don’t like comfortable underwear. I find comfortable underwear uncomfortable.” — Anderson says wearing a bra is “just too fucking uncomfortable.” The star also expressed her sheer indifference for any adverse effects forgoing bras may have on her figure. “I don’t care if my breasts reach my belly button,” she said. “I’m not wearing a bra.”

Bras have gone in and out of style periodically since their invention. Growing up in the early 2000s, when every female celebrity’s breasts appeared to be pushed up to her earlobes by underwire stronger than God, I remember being confused that everyone’s nipples seemed to be on display in reruns from the ’90s. Why weren’t they wearing bras? Like all fashion trends, bra-wearing is cyclical, and underwire has once again seen a significant decline in recent years as lighter bralettes have taken over the market, and many women, like Anderson, have foregone bras altogether. Pandemic-era work-from-home style obviously dealt the bra another significant blow, with many even declaring it dead. Of course, every time the death knoll rings for the bra, larger-breasted women have to remind us that a braless lifestyle isn’t practical for many women above a certain cup size, and that sweeping generalizations declaring the end of the bra tend to ignore larger-bodied individuals.

Anyway, the bra may currently be out in this, the summer of celebrities ditching their underwear. But don’t worry, it will almost definitely come back. When it does, however, Gillian Anderson, presumably, will not be wearing one.