New research from Echo Falls reveals 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. The phenomenon, widely known as 'boob storage,' has become a common hack for carrying essentials like phones, keys, lip gloss, and spare change during messy nights out.
Why women rely on bra storage
According to the study, many women find bra storage convenient because it keeps belongings secure without worrying about losing them. Slotted into push-up bras, items can survive an entire night out without risk of falling out of imaginary pockets. However, some studies discourage keeping phones in bras due to concerns over overheating, irritation, and sweat-trapping. The National Breast Cancer Foundation has definitively stated that currently there is no link between phone use and cancer.
Pocket inequality: women's pockets are smaller
A 2018 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 100% success rate for men's jeans.
Personal stories of boob storage
Josie de Kock, 27, from London, 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,' she shares. Fleurine Tideman, 29, tells Metro that she regularly used to 'slide [her] keys into her bra,' but once lost them after attaching them to her bra strap at the back.
Beyond keys, women have stored various 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, adding, 'It definitely wasn't mine, but I wasn't complaining.'
Size matters and summer challenges
A Reddit user, @OddEnd, pointed out that boob storage tends to only be worth the payoff if your bra size is 'above an A cup,' noting that being a D+ allows for a cell phone or wallet. However, 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.'
During the summer, businesses have increasingly begun putting up signs stating that they will not accept 'money carried in a bra.' Just 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.'
