Holly Marie Combs, star of the television series Charmed, reveals that she refused to wear a padded bra during filming of the series. Charmed originally aired on The WB for eight seasons from October 7, 1998 until May 21, 2006. It originally followed the three Halliwell sister witches, Piper (Combs), Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), and Prue (Shannen Doherty) as they use their powers to fight forces of evil.
Charmed was the first primetime television series about a coven of witches and had a significant impact on the depiction of witchcraft in film and TV, earning the approval of practicing Wiccans. However, it was perhaps more important for being one of the longest-running hour-long television series to feature all female leads in American history. The late-'90s and early-2000s were a long way from today in terms of the culture that women faced on set, though, in particular how their bodies were portrayed on screen and the actors' involvement in those decisions.
Now, it has come to light that Combs took a firm stance regarding the wardrobe chosen for Piper. Combs tells a 90s Con panel (via People) that the staff on Charmed tried to get her to wear a padded, push-up bra during the filming of the series. She says the wardrobe department would set various padded bras in her dressing room, causing her to remark that "those belong to somebody else." Combs also mentions that she was never provided an alternative to wear during filming, and as a result, Piper often went without a bra. Check out her full quote below:
They tried to be gentle about it, but... the messages would come down through the ranks. And then there would be, you know, that unfortunate person who had to deliver the message to you. Usually, it was down to wardrobe. They were, like, setting these different bras in my dressing room and I was like, 'Those belong to somebody else.' They wanted me to wear a big, padded push-up bra and I was like, 'No,' hence why there are so many scenes of me not wearing a bra whatsoever. Which I apologize for but at the moment, at the time, it was very important.
During the panel, Combs also discusses her frustration with Piper's emotional journey being so attached to her love interest, Leo Wyatt (Brian Krause), saying that she felt as if her entire job at one point was solely to cry over him. It's clear that Combs brought a sense of pride and respect both for herself and her character to the set of Charmed. Her refusal to wear items of clothing which made her feel uncomfortable is important, both for her as a woman conscious of how her body is portrayed on screen and as an actor who can fully focus on the scene during filming.
Combs' stance on making sure she wasn't wearing wardrobe pieces which felt exploitative is part of a long history of actors advocating for their consent to be taken into serious consideration while filming. It is encouraging to see this continuation of that theme in more recent years, such as Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney discussing her input on the show's nude scenes. Still, the fact that even today Combs felt the need to apologize for her character on Charmed not wearing a bra, even if lightheartedly, shows that there are still strides to be made.
Source: 90s Con panel (via People)