I’m a fashion pro – the new squoob trend is so tacky it’s criminal, please wear clothes that fit you
NOT so long ago many women welcomed the joys of the push-up bra – boosting busts and maxing out cleavages.
But a new trend is taking hold in celeb-land, which seems to be more about squashing boobs DOWN rather than pushing them up.
Celebs including Maya Jama, Zara McDermott, Rochelle Humes, Lily James and Nicole Scherzinger are pouring their boobs into tiny dresses and tops that leave their poor breasts looking like they’re gasping for air and ready to pop. Maya, 28, has been wearing knock-out looks all summer while presenting Love Island, but attending a Dolce & Gabbana dinner last month, she wore a fringed silver dress that looked two sizes too small and left her chest looking more than a little constricted.
It isn’t just me who is bewildered by this new “squoob” trend.
Love Island viewers hit Twitter to express concern for 22-year-old winner Jess Harding’s cleavage when she wore an ill-fitting red bikini on the show that didn’t accommodate her boobs adequately.
The programme is no stranger to girls showing off under-boob or side-boob, but one fan said, “Jess’s bikini top genuinely looks painful to wear”. Another chimed in with, “Why hasn’t anyone given Jess a bikini top that actually fits?”
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It’s not just those with larger busts who are opting for the squoob trend, though.
Singer Dua Lipa, 27, hit the red carpet for the Barbie premiere in LA wearing a silver chainmail dress that left very little to the imagination in the squashed-boob department.
It was undeniably a stunning gown, but her boobs looked like they were being held prisoner by the painful-looking chainmail.
Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney also got in on the squoob action while attending the Cannes film festival this year.
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The 25-year-old has all the glamour and beauty of a 1950s pin-up — and the cup size to go with it — but she wore a white silk strappy dress with a blue bra beneath it that looked several sizes too small.
In the past, women have fought against restrictive clothing, ditching their girdles and burning their bras as a sign of liberation.
‘Could potentially cause premature sagging’
So why are celebs now so keen to undo this revolutionary work?
The truth is it’s a catwalk trend and, as is often the case, the stars are quick to bring the latest designer looks to the red carpet.
Leading labels such as Versace, Nensi Dojaka and Elie Saab have sent models down the runway in constricting tops and gowns at recent shows, so it stands to reason celebs have quickly followed suit.
However, this new boob trend does come with a warning.
While stars are showing off their squoobs at showbiz parties and on the red carpet, the reality is they probably aren’t wearing these restrictive outfits for much longer than it takes to get papped or take a selfie.
And, according to experts, neither should we.
Some 81 per cent of women in the UK wear bras that don’t fit and those in the know have warned that a failure to support your bust properly can lead to sagging.
Cosmetic surgeon Paul Banwell says: “Wearing the wrong-sized bra can change the appearance of your breasts and if your bra isn’t supportive enough, it may cause them to sag or droop.”
Meanwhile, experts at Portsmouth University undertook a study on women running in various types of bras and found that our busts move up to 21cm in every direction.
So we need to strike the perfect balance of not letting them be too free and not pinning them down too tightly, either.
Lingerie expert Katie Weir, known as The Bra Whisperer, says: “Wearing a bra that is too small can dig into breast tissue and cause pain.
“Cups that are too small will dig into the top breast causing ‘double boob’, which can change the shape of your outfit. In general, wearing a bra that is too small will reduce the comfort level, contribute to poor posture and low self-esteem, and potentially cause premature sagging as the breast tissue isn’t supported, meaning the Cooper’s ligaments are stretching.”
All in all, it’s uncomfortable, unsightly and let’s be frank — who wants to fast forward mother nature by bringing on droopy boobs before their time? Not me.
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So let’s hope these celebs heed the advice, have a quiet word with their stylist and pick up a frock that actually fits them.
Otherwise, they face falling into the booby trap — committing one of fashion’s most alarming and confining crimes.
