National No Bra Day falls on Oct. 13 and is meant to bring awareness to breast cancer. It serves as a reminder for women to get screened because often when breast cancer is detected early, it is treatable. Leaving bras at home has become more embraced by women over time. Several celebrity women have gotten comfortable showing off their bare breasts at important events and in their work. From red carpets to magazine and album covers, here are 12 women who dared to go public with their braless looks.
Rihanna is one of the first people who come to mind as it pertains to ditching bras. The new mother-of-three has long been revered as a trendsetter in the world of fashion. It’s because she has no fear about wearing bold looks. Some of which have included outfits where her nipples are the main character.
One example of this is back in 2014 when she wore a see-through custom made Adam Selman gown to retrieve her CFDA Fashion Icon Award. Both her breasts and her cheeks were on display leaving the world gagged. It’s possible that the nudity factor is what elevated the look overall. That and the fact that she was literally shining bright like a diamond. Selman designed the dress with more than 200,000 Swarovski crystals.
2. Naomi Campbell at Valentino’s Spring 2019 Couture Show, 55
Naomi Campbell surprised the world with her return to the runway at the 2019 Valentino Spring couture show. That was the supermodel’s first time doing a catwalk for Valentino in 14 years and no one was aware that she was hitting the runway. It was only right for Campell to wear a bold ensemble to complement her surprise appearance. She walked in an all black gown designed by Pierpaolo Piccioli. The top half of the dress was designed with loose sheer material. Besides the oversized sleeves, what also drew attention was the fact that Campbell had nothing on underneath. Her breasts were out for display. Plus, the bottom half of the dress had a layered ruffle finish.
3. Lori Harvey at Ferragamo’s Show for Milan Fashion Week, 28
Lori Harvey is another person who quickly made her mark in the fashion industry. She’s often invited to shows and has even modeled for brands like Michael Kors, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry and more. She attended Ferragamo’s Spring/Summer 2026 Show on Sept. 27 for Milan Fashion Week. The 28-year-old stunned in a black fishnet gown adorned with hanging fringe tassels. The fishnet material was see through and while she had on undergarments for her bottom region, the top was left bare.
Keke Palmer’s BET Awards outfit gave a bedazzled bosom effect. At the summer event, she wore a vintage Chanel Haute Couture mini dress. The base was black and featured a sheer halter neckline that started at her chest. Though she wasn’t wearing a bra, gold sequins were embellished in that region, which gave her some coverage. The gold sequins also appeared on the hem and the tulle of the dress.
It’s no secret that Megan Thee Stallion is very confident and comfortable with her body. She exudes these feelings even in the way that she dresses. She’s often in something form fitting or revealing, and her outfit for the Oscars this year was no different. She slipped out of an orange gown earlier that evening and into a green dress for the Vanity Fair Oscars Party. The ensemble featured a long green skirt with tall feathers decorated around the bodice area. But the top half of the look appeared to be nonexistent. The dress simply had a small piece of material come in between her breasts and around her neck to form a halter. However, her bust remained free with no coverage except for green nipple pasties.
6. Janet Jackson on cover of Rolling Stone in 1993, 59
Janet Jackson stopped the world with her iconic 1993 cover on the Rolling Stone. The sepia-filtered photo showed a soft-faced Jackson tapping into sultry side. Everything about the image screamed risqué. She posed topless with her arms up while her then-boyfriend Rene Elizondo’s hands covered her breast. The only other piece of clothing she had on was a pair of jeans, which were left unbuttoned at the top.
Gabrielle Union turned heads last year with her see-through maxi dress. She attended the premiere for her film Riff Raff earlier this year wearing a sheer chocolate dress with pink satin trim at the bottom. Underneath, she opted to go without a bra wearing only a pair of skin toned underwear.
There is high speculation that Beyoncé’s third act will be rock and last year for Halloween she only fueled that theory. She dressed like several Black rock artists like Betty Davis, Prince and Apollonia. In one of the pictures of her portraying the latter singer, she went topless, using nothing but her purple latex-gloved hands to conceal her chest.
If there was a movement to normalize women going topless the way men can, Janelle Monae would probably be a part of that somehow. There are number moments where the singer is just…topless. For instance, on the cover of her 2023 album The Age of Pleasure, a smiling Monae is swimming naked in a pool in between three sets of legs. That same year, she graced the cover of Rolling Stone where she covered her bare breasts with nothing but her fingertips. After shutting it down as one of the best dressed at this year’s Met Gala, she attended the afterparty and let her chi chis free. She ditched the shirt only wearing nipple pasties and a tie. In her Rolling Stone interview, she opened up about going topless “I’m much happier when my titties are out and I can run around free.”
Lil Kim is still known as one of the trailblazing women of Hip Hop. It’s not just because of her lyrics or vocal control on a track. It is also the way she took charge of her own style. Her looks often consisted of vibrant and colorful wigs. Plus she wasn’t too shy to strike a provocative pose or wear suggestive clothes. And her aesthetic has been imitated by some as a way to pay tribute. One look that has since been emulated was her 1999 MTV VMAs outfit. Styled by Misa Hylton, she wore a lilac, seashell embroidered jumpsuit that left one of her breast largely uncovered. A pasty in the shape of a lilac colored seashell was all that covered her nipple.
Zoë Kravitz has a style that is typically inspired by bohemian fashion mixed with some added edginess. She turned up the sex appeal for the premiere of “The Batman” back in 2022. Kravtiz, who played Catwoman in the film, slipped on a custom Saint Laurent black dress designed by Anthony Vaccarello. The gown fit tight around Kravitz’s frame, and had a wave sculpted halter neckline. But the true eye-catcher was the cutouts around her chest. There were two half shaped openings where her under boob nestled. A thin piece of fabric connected from the top to the bottom of the cutouts perfectly covered her nipples. It nearly gave the illusion of two cat eyes (a potential nod to her role).
Speaking of Zoes, Zoe Saldana also left her bra at home when she popped out at the Vanity FairOscar Party in 2023. Her look consisted of two pieces: a black maxi skirt and a gold top, which was the clear stand out garment. It was a gold Cartier chainmail capelet that was carefully crafted from 67,000 chainmail gold links and 150 diamonds. No other fabric was added under the gold links, so naturally it was see-through. Styled on Saldana, her breasts remained uncovered with no bra or pasties.
