BRAS have seen a post-Covid decline in popularity matched only by office commutes and handshakes with strangers.
Kendall Jenner has been keen to hop on the trend, and a body language expert says she will not be putting her bra back on any time soon, as without it she feels “liberated.”
Rarely a week goes by without the Hulu star going braless out and about in Los Angeles, heading to a party, or posing for selfies online.
And just like other celebs who change up their style on demand, the 27-year-old supermodel is famed for parading all kinds of nipple-baring looks.
Kendall was spotted in New York on June 30 wearing navy blue pants and a crop top. She also wore no bra underneath it and teamed her fashionable look with a plain baseball cap and comfortable, smart loafers.
Though braless looks are on trend, body language expert Judi James told The U.S. Sun that Kendall is different.
She explained: “Here is a desire to be free-wheeling, relaxed, and casual when it comes to braless style.
“Kendall kicked off her braless trend in 2014 on the runway for Marc Jacobs [just shortly after turning 18].
“From then, her braless look began to make a statement of independence and individuality.
“She has sparked this signature look that might signal a desire to be seen as her own and be free.
“Kendall is behaving like a free woman and away from the Kardashian brand.
“As she’s grown up, she evolved her braless look from non-sexual to something much more sensual.
“Her changes in body language take the braless look to something more provocative.
“The sheer tops now include a body language that is confidently sexy.
“When Kendall appears braless outside in the street she makes a statement about liberation and independence.”
Kendall’s New York outing appeared to show an understated version of the growing celebrity trend.
Our expert noted that Kendall does not always try to be bold.
“Her latest outfit is not an attempt at a sensual or daring look,” added Judi.
“She has her bag and her head is slightly lowered rather than posing in a way that would make the breasts a feature.
“Her arms are bent at the elbow with her hands raised in a partial cut-off ritual as though she is inwardly more self-conscious.
“Whenever she is braless at an event or party, she will pose upright looking totally confident.
“During those times, she gives signals that she knows how daring she is being.
“As a statement, it can show a confident desire to shock but it is also a symbol of liberation.
“Kendall uses her braless look to create any effect she chooses.
“While some of her daytime and evening looks are sexual, some are not.
“But Kendall always shows off her freedom.”
Kendall jumped on the braless bandwagon in 2014 when she hit the runway for the very first time.
During her first high-fashion debut for Marc Jacobs, she was dressed in a sheer, nipple-baring sweater.
Talking to Vogue, she said: “I remember getting a call from my agent saying that Marc and Katie Grand, the show’s stylist wanted to put me in this kind of sheer top.”
Kendall added: “I was like, ‘I’m game. I don’t mind.'”
“Kendall first launched her braless look here in 2014 and the non-verbal messages she sent out as she did it were important,” added Judi.
“During this period of her life, this was emphatically not a sexual signal.
“What it was, was a high fashion statement that was all about the clothes and not Kendall’s visible nipples.
“Any hint of sensuality or female peacocking was outweighed by her body language.
“Kendall kept this deliberately bland to keep it classy.
“Her lips, brows, and features were also bleached out by the makeup to make her look expressionless.
“Her breasts were visible but her catwalk body pose was pretty androgynous.
“Kendall looks great here, but as a model rather than as a Kardashian.
“As a model, she is promoting fashion rather than her own sexuality.
“This could have been a very liberating moment for Kendall though.
“Nipple-baring is a big step in terms of being daring and for Kendall, once it was done there looked like no going back.
“The key mantra of the Women’s Liberation movement was about burning your bra to achieve freedom.”
Overall, the Kardashians are generally known to push the boundaries when it comes to fashion.
Kendall’s older sister Kim is no exception.
The Skims founder monetized the braless concept by launching her money-spinning shapewear line and introducing her own boob tape.
“Kendall’s sisters all go braless at times,” explained Judi.
“But while Kim adores structured and restrictive goddess-style corsets and Skims, Kendall relishes her unstructured look.
“This began as a classy catwalk statement that was very much Kendall’s own personal brand.
“The look made her stand out from her sisters.
“Even Kendall’s selfie poses seem to have a strong theme of white t-shirts or vest tops.
“The braless selfies give a more innocent vibe than Kim’s selfies.
“Many of them make the braless look seem to be more about feeling free and liberated.
“She is enjoying playing around with more glamorous poses.
“Kendall’s poses in the sheer black dress and the dress with the flowers covering her breasts look much more grown-up and sexier.
“The red flowers give a look that mimics the nipple covers worn by burlesque dancers.
“They are probably more shocking than her sheer outfits, despite the fact there is technically less being shown.
“Her eye-gaze is direct and aimed at the camera.
“Her hips are angled.
“The black and strong red of this outfit is a statement contrast to the blandness of her beige/camel look of 2014.
“In the sheer black dress, Kendall lays on a bed or swigs from a glass and the angle of her body is super-glamorous.
“Her facial expression is all about eye contact and the pout.
“The sheer tops might be a running theme from 2014 but the body language through 2022 and into 2023 is confidently sexy.”
As a top model, Kendall’s super-fit shape and style have seen her rise to become one of the world’s most coveted runway stars.
She signed with Wilhelmina Models in 2009 and booked her first gig with Forever 21.
Her debut cover shoot was with American Cheerleader magazine in 2012.
In 2013, Kendall moved into high fashion and was a cover girl for Miss Vogue Australia and Harper’s Bazaar Arabia.
Through the years she has walked for Chanel, Balmain, and Tommy Hilfiger.
While Kendall and others are regularly appearing braless, our expert noted it can switch up someone’s body language.
“The lack of constriction can be genuinely liberating,” added Judi.
“A person’s body language can change giving freer movement and a lift in confidence.
“The way Kendall used to rock it was almost challenging in terms of promoting inner confidence and a desire to do her own thing.
“It can look and feel daring but not always necessarily sexual.
“Bras tend to push the breasts up and inward, creating cleavage.
“This in turn becomes sexual mimicry.
“The cleavage mimics the bum, which is one of the two most sexual parts of a woman’s body.
“The other is mimicked by the plumping and glossing of the lips.
“This is also very much part of Kendall’s look.”
