New research from Echo Falls found that 73% of Gen Z women have at some point tucked their phone into their bra on a night out, while almost one in three women aged 18–29 leave their bags at home.
Why women rely on 'boob storage'
From phones and house keys to lip gloss and spare change, 'boob storage' has long helped carry the load on messy nights out. Slotted safely into push-up bras, belongings can survive an entire night without worry.
Some studies discourage women from keeping phones in their bra due to concerns over overheating, irritation, and sweat-trapping. However, the National Breast Cancer Foundation has definitively stated that currently there is no link between phone use and cancer.
Pocket inequality
Women often get the short end of the stick when it comes to practical clothing. In 2018, a study from The Pudding confirmed that women's pockets are significantly smaller than men's. Across 80 different pairs of blue jeans, women's front pockets were found to be an average of 48% smaller and 6.5% narrower than those in equivalent trousers for men. Only 40% of the women's jeans surveyed could squeeze an iPhone X into the front pocket, compared to a flawless 100% success rate for men's pairs.
Real-life experiences
Josie de Kock, 27, has been using the strap of her bra to carry her house keys for over a decade. 'I've always kept them there, I just split open the ring and slide it onto my bra strap – it's a method that's never failed me,' the Londoner shares.
Fleurine Tideman, 29, tells Metro that she regularly used to 'slide [her] keys into her bra.' 'But then one time I tried attaching them to my bra strap at the back and by the end of the night they were gone.'
Others have stored more unusual items. Mary-Anne Weeds, 25, once successfully held onto a 'bottle of rum' in her bra all night. Emilia Di Matteo, 26, remembers keeping 'a duck egg stolen from the pond at the Pear Tree Café in Battersea Park' in her bra all afternoon. Sophie Khaleeque, 27, tells Metro that she once 'got home from a night out and found a £10 note' in her bra. 'It definitely wasn't mine,' she adds, 'but I wasn't complaining.'
One Reddit user, @OddEnd, noted that boob storage tends to only be worth the payoff if your bra size is 'above an A cup', noting 'Being a D+ allows for your cell phone or wallet – it's very convenient when your hands are full and you're in a hurry.'
Summer warnings
With scorching temperatures expected to continue plaguing London all summer, one thing to remember is that you might receive a dirty look or two if you try to pay with 'sweaty boob money.' Businesses have increasingly begun putting up signs stating that they will not accept 'money carried in a bra.' A few years ago, Dublin bedding salesman Michael Flynn issued an official warning to customers: staff would no longer be accepting any money that had been stashed in someone's bra. The businessman went as far as to say that the decision was made for his staff's 'personal safety.'
