The trope's popularity comes originally from the pin-ups American soldiers brought with them during World War II; a common motif were titillating shots of women in otherwise normal domestic situations, such as cooking or cleaning. These pinups were emulated by Japanese artists around the same time Manga began to develop as an art form in the years after the occupation of Japan (1945-1960). In Japan this trope is called "Hadaka Apron", which, unsurprisingly, translates to "Naked Apron".
The appeal of the trope (outside of the obvious) is due to it allowing for the character to appear with modesty preserved from the front, but with a risqué surprise awaiting the viewer. In a somewhat meta sense it is just as frequently used as a surprise for the audience. Examples can be split between a character holding a perfectly casual conversation with another character who, upon turning around, reveals that they were in fact, nude; and the character being fully aware of it but the audience not seeing it until a certain panel — a Reveal Shot of a very revealing shot.
Frequently mixed with other such risqué Japanese tropes, such as bloomers and school swimsuits, or more generally, lingerie or a bikini (for when the character wants to pull this off, but is too modest). This trope is extremely popular amongst couples in Japan, as it is considered a traditional form of foreplay between newlyweds. As such, it comes up extremely often in anime and manga for Fanservice, especially in Harem Genre and Magical Girlfriend shows.
A traditional outfit of Ms. Fanservice and The Vamp when attempting to attract a more innocent target, or when attempting a more long term relationship. The Innocent Fanservice Girl also might end up dressed like this, because she doesn't understand you're supposed to wear something under an apron — in which case the viewer will have to explain it before any misunderstandings occur. The Shameless Fanservice Girl might choose to wear this, because it's technically required wear for cooking (splatters hurt), but has no qualms about how technically risqué the ensemble is.
All in all, a frequent source of nudity as comedy — often without actually showing any nudity!
Very similar in theory and practice to Theiss Titillation Theory; whereas Theiss's Titillation Theory states that the higher chance of a Wardrobe Malfunction causes an outfit to be sexier, a large portion of the Naked Apron's appeal is the fact that it's a nude body that's "covered, but only technically", and any number of poses or gusts of wind would cause a Wardrobe Malfunction. The fact that almost all shots of Naked Apron are also examples of Vapor Wear (almost invariably due to Sideboob and "Sidehip" being shown) also adds to the Theiss Titillation Theory element.
Can also be worn by men, in which case it's usually played up either for laughs or for Ho Yay — sometimes both.
Compare and contrast Theiss Titillation Theory, Body Paint, Godiva Hair, Scenery Censor, Sideboob, Stripperiffic, Barely-There Swimwear, Toplessness from the Back and Vapor Wear.
Examples:
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Women:
Anime & Manga
- Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero: In an OVA, Chikage instructs Miu to wear this while cooking, claiming it is a time-honored tradition. Miu is embarrassed when Kuzuha points out Chikage only wanted to see her naked. When Akatsuki finds out, he forces Kuzuha and Chikage to wear it too.
- Ikki once fantasizes this on Simca in Air Gear.
- In the Enishi sequel series for Ai Yori Aoshi, Kaoru has a couple of Imagine Spots of Aoi wearing this.
- Senjougahara of Bakemonogatari offers to cook for Araragi while wearing nothing but an apron.
- In Chapter Two of the first volume of the manga version of Blue Drop, Kenzou wears an apron naked to try and seduce Shouta into having sex with her.
- Brynhildr in the Darkness: In an OVA, Neko, Kotori, Kazumi, and Hatsuna all wear these to try to seduce Ryouta. Neko and Kotori get embarrassed, while Kazumi is shocked to learn Hatsuna is just as much of a Shameless Fanservice Girl as her, enjoying showing Ryouta her ass.
- Lilika does this in Burn Up! Scramble. For some reason, she takes off the underwear that was all she was wearing before. She then realizes Maya is out of salt and goes out to get some. Lilika should definitely be kept away from alcohol.
- In Change 123, Kosukegawa imagines Motoko as his future wife in a hadaka apron a couple of times.
- Chi of Chobits is sort of naive about this and sort of not — she picked up the behavior from one of Hideki's hentai manga, but she doesn't understand anything about it other than that Hideki liked the manga.
- In Chocotto Sister, Choko believes her handbook (apparently written by a perv) when it claims that older brothers like this.
- Demon King Daimao: In Special Episode 3, after Kena eats all the rice in the cafeteria before lunch, she and Korone decide to cook more and ask Akuto to block the door until they are done. He finds this task hard when the two girls strip naked and put on aprons, and Korone even teases him by turning around to show him her ass.
- The "apron over underwear" version was used at least once by Moro from Dotto! Koni-chan, trying to use fanservice to pull a sword out of a stone. It doesn't work.
- Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?: A slime monster destroys Mamako's clothes, so she angrily kills it. Afterwards, her son Masato asks her to Please Put Some Clothes On. Porta hands her an apron. Masato complains it just makes it worse, and asks if she's trying to kill him.
- In the Too Hot for TV episode 26 of Excel♡Saga, "Going Too Far", Watanabe has an Imagine Spot of a seductive Hyatt (or rather, Miss Chihaya Ayasugi) wearing just an apron.
- Siesta, the Meido from The Familiar of Zero, uses this in one episode to attract main character Saito. Works really well.
- Fire Force: Tamaki Kotatsu tries to help out in the kitchen and puts on an apron over her uniform. She somehow ends up losing everything except the apron.
- In chapter 4 of Gacha Gacha, there is a sequence in which Clara is trying to thank Kouhei for his help thus far and begins cooking for him and dons an apron, however one of her personalities overtakes her during and when Kouhei reenters the room, Clara is wearing nothing but the apron and begins heavily flirting with him pointing out her "breast meat" as she cups her breasts underneath her apron, and her "thigh meat" as she strokes her thighs. Clara manages to regain control as Kouhei becomes flustered and panics, and as one would expect she is absolutely mortified. As this isn't a hentai manga, but rather an ecchi, you never actually see much of anything, but there is a rear shot of her when she panics that shows off her butt.
- Several of the gynoids in the Ghost in the Shell manga (although, being robots, they don't mind).
- The Goddess of Victory from Gintama ends up in one of these. Of course, this being Gintama, it was played for laughs as well as fanservice.
- Girls Bravo:
- In an episode of the anime, Innocent Fanservice Girl Miharu dresses this way to cook breakfast after finding a magazine of Yukinari's.
- In the manga, when Lovable Sex Maniac Fukuyama is giving cooking lessons, he does one of his trademark Instant Cosplay Surprise to put Kirie, Koyomi and Miharu in aprons, though he let them keep their underwear (at first). When Lethal Chef Kirie proves still resistant to his teaching, he strips her nude save for the apron, under the pretext she needs her full freedom of movement. This ends up as a Congruent Memory situation: Kirie learns to cook properly, but can do so only when otherwise naked. (Her Home Economics teacher is not amused.)
- Good Luck! Ninomiya-kun: The girls wear aprons and School Swimsuits (seen in the page's picture) in one episode while cooking dinner for Shungo's sister. Pity anyone who walks in on them because they get roped into wearing them as well. (It's implied that the mushrooms they were using in the stew were intoxicants or aphrodisiacs.)
- Played for Laughs in Gourmet Girl Graffiti. When Akira told Ryou Kirin maybe staying with her in the weekends in episode/chapter 1, Ryou said her cooking may not be good enough for Kirin. Akira said any problems with cooking can be made up by this trope.
- Great Teacher Onizuka: When Fuyutsuki puts him up to help him cram for his exams, Onizuka fantasizes about having her wear nothing but an apron.
- In GTO: The Early Years, Eikichi has an Imagine Spot of Misato in one, cooking dinner for him. He slips up behind her and she asks if he's poking her with a cucumber. Later in the chapter she wears one for real.
- Hungary from Hetalia: Axis Powers seems to be wearing one when she and Taiwan go check on her land's famous hot springs.
- Yoshinoya-sensei, the Cosplay Otaku Girl of Hidamari Sketch, also does this once after seeing that another class was engaged in baking. To be fair, the aprons those girls are wearing ARE rather cute. And she reassures her students that she is wearing a swimsuit underneath — it just doesn't show when viewed from the front.
- In High School D×D, Issei sees Asia wearing one during season 2. When he protests that his parents would be mad if they saw her like that, his mom pops out from the kitchen, stating she was the one that came up with the idea. Rias then decides to do the same as well. It is later revealed that Issei's parents were very naughty when they were younger and his mother wore this at times.
- In Highschool of the Dead, Saeko Busujima wears this and panties when she has to do the cooking for the group while her clothes are drying from being cleaned for the first time since the Zombie Apocalypse started. Even funnier in a bonus chapter in the manga when Takashi's friends say that they want to see Saeko in just an apron. Even more egregious when the plot conspires to have Saeko make a Big Damn Heroes entrance riding on top of a Humvee, still in just the apron and panties, and proceeds to do battle with a zombie horde wielding a wooden sword. It's that kind of series.
- Hungry Heart: Wild Striker manages to pull similar imagery when, during the Beach Episode, the Hospital Hottie Kaori puts on a bikini and then an apron over it as she helps Kyousuke and Co. to handle a kakigori
stall.
- Infinite Stratos:
- Tatenashi tries to seduce Ichika by surprising him wearing an apron, though she is wearing a swimsuit under it.
- During the World Purge OVA, Laura has a fantasy that she's married to Ichika and he convinces her to wear only an apron. During the end credits, she's still wearing it, and she runs while holding it down with her hands.
- In Is This A Zombie?, Yuki's friends suggest that she serve Ayumu food to get him to fall for her. Yuki imagines herself serving him food while wearing only an apron and freaks out. Her friends wonder where she got the apron idea from, they just said to serve him food.
- Samataro's goddess mom in Kamisama Kazoku wears it at her husband's request. But then, when her son and his female angel guide Tenko come home to see her in it, she doesn't mind at all. She even proudly explains that "It's called being naked under the apron. It's a romantic gesture that really tickles mortal men's hearts."
- When she appears in Kämpfer, Mikoto wakes Natsuru up like this, having already made breakfast. Natsuru offers her his shirt when she tries to force him to react.
- Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl
- Sora-sensei wears this in the Beach Episode, under the impression that it's supposed to be done that way. Everybody's squicked out, of course.
- Also, Hazumu and Yasuna wear these in the "Curry Party" chapter; that was taken out of the anime, along with other things.
- In Kotoura-san, Manabe had a Imagine Spot on this when she saw Haruka cooking, progressing from buruma, School Swimsuit, to completely nude.
- In the Love Hina manga, Keitarô at one point has an Imagine Spot in which he fantasizes about being waited on by Naru, Mutsumi, and Shinobu, all wearing Naked Aprons.
- This is a fetish for Kumagawa of Medaka Box, to the point that he eventually names his clique in the school the Naked Apron Alliance, and continuously makes wagers where one or more of the losing females will have to serve him in this state.
- When Kumagawa ended up absolutely dominating a character popularity poll with more votes than 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place combined, the celebratory artwork had all the girls in lower-ranking positions wearing hadaka aprons (and clearly not happy about it) while Kumagawa shed Tears of Joy.
- Subverted in My Wife is the Student Council President, when Hayato arrives home to find Ui seemingly wearing nothing but an apron. After teasing him a little, she reveals she's wearing a school swimsuit underneath.
- Chikage from Nagasarete Airantou. Having lived on an island her entire life without ever having met a male, everything she's learned about intergender relationships was from note books and magazines that washed up on the shore.
"But it says in this magazine that you don't wear anything under the apron when serving dinner..."
"Don't listen to that kind of magazine!" - Negima! Magister Negi Magi:
- Konoka Konoe, being one of the more maternal girls, does show up once in this. It's invoked again later, as a part of Setsuna's Cosmo Entelechia a.k.a. the world she wants the most: she fantasizes about Konoka cooking for her in this, which shocks Negi and embarrasses Poyo when they find out..
- Haruna is definitely going for the look, although she's wearing a bikini underneath it.
- Fate's followers Homura and Shirabe try this look to impress Fate in Volume 0. They fail miserably.
- Ninja Nonsense has this in episode 11, when Sasuke takes over the show and turns it into an Unwanted Harem. Kaede's mom is wearing only an apron.
- Nyaruko: Crawling with Love!:
- There's an official figurine of Nyarko decked out this way; while she hasn't done it in-series yet, it's exactly the kind of thing she WOULD do if she thought it would score her points with her Love Interest Mahiro.
- Episode 4 of the Haiyoru! Nyaruani series is titled "Mahiro's First Naked Apron", but actually doesn't contain anything of the sort; instead it's about Mahiro's goldfish growing human legs after he entrusted it to Cuko's care.
- In Oku-sama wa Mahou Shoujo, for some reason, Ureshiko's apron is the only piece clothing left while using her powers to start the vacuum cleaner in the first episode.
- In one episode of Oruchuban Ebichu, while Ebichu is cleaning house, Ebichu gets an anonymous call from a creeper asking what they're wearing (not knowing that the caller is a talking hamster), and Ebichu replies innocently, "Well, all I'm wearing is an apron, but besides that, I'm naked..."
- The three heroines of Psychic Squad unleash a school-swimsuit-under-apron variation on their supervisor Minamoto. Freakout Ensues.
- Ranma ½:
- In one chapter of the manga, a mirror image of girl-type Ranma come-to-life tries to seduce the original Ranma wearing this outfit. Nabiki hangs a lampshade on the trope and its popularity in Japan on this occasion.
- Ukyō, one of Ranma's suitors, wears it at the beginning of the second Ranma ½ Non-Serial Movie (subtitled Nihao My Concubine in the U.S.). Partly justified in that she is a cook by profession, she is cooking at the time, and she is wearing a bikini-bottom underneath — they are at the beach.
- The movie Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0: when Asuka attempts to prepare a meal she enacts this trope, opting only to wear a pair of Daisy Duke shorts and a bra under her apron.
- In Sakura Diaries, Urara uses this outfit several times as a method to try to seduce her cousin Touma, with little success.
- Kazehana of Sekirei does this to greet back Minato one day. Miya immediately forbids it.
- Seven Heavenly Virtues: Sandalphon cooks for a student in only an apron. She is oblivious to how this really distracts him.
- Tira has a dream involving her wearing this in the Sorcerer Hunters manga. It kind of comes to a sudden halt when she ends up being the newlywed bride to her sister, Chocolate.
- In So, I Can't Play H!, Lisara and Quele serve Ryousuke breakfast in bed while wearing aprons in one episode. They were wearing bikinis underneath, which he doesn't mind.
- Soul Eater:
- When the heroes enter the Book of Ebion to rescue Kid; the first chapter they run across is titled "Lust", in which they run into a succubus with just an apron and little else underneath.
- In the very next chapter, "Gluttony", they meet another demon in the same outfit... except it's a morbidly obese, lumpy Pig Man.
- In the hentai manga Super Taboo, the protagonist Yuu comes downstairs from sleeping with his sister to find his mother making breakfast wearing nothing but an apron.
- Maria subverts this in the first episode for The Testament of Sister New Devil. She teases Basara with this initially, but then reveals that she's actually wearing clothing underneath.
- To Love Ru:
- One episode has Lala wearing this when preparing to make a meal for Rito. When Rito tells her she's supposed to wear the apron over clothes, she adds a bikini bottom. She also does it in a recent chapter of the manga, saying her friends told her boys like it. And the last time, Rito accidentally forces her into one a second time when he takes over Peke.
- And again in one of the OVAs, where Rito actually takes an interest.
- A bonus chapter of To Love-Ru Darkness has Haruna teaching Rito to cook. She starts to imagine using this to seduce him.
- One episode has Lala wearing this when preparing to make a meal for Rito. When Rito tells her she's supposed to wear the apron over clothes, she adds a bikini bottom. She also does it in a recent chapter of the manga, saying her friends told her boys like it. And the last time, Rito accidentally forces her into one a second time when he takes over Peke.
- Umi no Misaki: Soyogi has a female classmate with a crush on her who regularly cooks for her. She once met Soyogi at her own door wearing just an apron.
- The eponymous Ai of Video Girl Ai does this fairly early on in the series. After an untouched first printing, the Japanese publisher declared it scandalous and made Masakazu Katsura draw panties on her for all subsequent print runs. Because that makes it better.
- Deconstructed along with a lot of other nudity tropes in Waiting in the Summer: it's not intended as fanservice so much as an accurate depiction of what a nudist would wear while cooking.
- In chapter 53 of The Wallflower manga, Sunako, of all people, does this when suffering from a strange delusion: she was so humiliated that she ended up buck naked on top of Kyohei (due to a cursed gem that made her act like an exhibitionist — long story) that she forcibly blocked it out of her mind. Unfortunately as a side effect, when she bathes the next day, she blocks out the fact that she's naked afterwards, and hallucinates that she's instead already dressed. Seconds later, she's wandering around the house wearing nothing but her apron, making breakfast for the guys. The four Bishōnen who share the house with her can't believe it, either, and Kyohei has to chase her around school keeping her safe — in her mind, she's already wearing her school uniform under the apron, in reality, she just flashed her roommates and was a few minutes away from streaking the entire school.
Comic Books
- Buck Godot: Zap Gun for Hire. A catgirl can be seen wearing one while Buck Godot is hiding at The Velvet Fist.
- Empowered features this, when the title character is cooking blueberry pancakes for ThugBoy. With a "Piyo Piyo"-imprinted apron straight out of Maison Ikkoku.
- Wonder Woman (1987): Io of the Amazons makes armor for Wonder Woman. She wears a leather blacksmith's apron but not a shirt (or bra) under it. She still wears pants so it's not a literal example of Naked Apron, but it's close.
Comic Strips
- In an early InSecurity strip, Sedine sports this to her husband Sam, but his only thought turns out to be baking a cake.
Fan Works
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Fate/Grand Order crossover Demon Slaying Servants: Tamamo-no-Mae taught Mitsuri Kanroji about this, and Mitsuri goes in only an apron in an attempt to seduce Obanai Iguro. Meanwhile, Tamamo Cat only wears an apron, much to the chagrin of Shinobu Kocho. Cat starts teaching the girls of Shinobu's estate about the technique while Shinobu tries to stop her. Following Cat's instructions, Kanao Tsuyuri shows herself to Tanjiro Kamado while wearing only an apron, causing him to pass out from a severe Nosebleed before Shinobu shows up and orders her to get dressed.
- Hero Academia D×D has Ibara and Ochako give Izuku a double-team. Then Rias also joins in.
- Hetalia: Axis Powers fanfic Kaitō Kokoro: Feliciano has nothing but an apron on once while cooking breakfast. Let's just say Kiku isn't hungry for the food.
Films — Live-Action
- Leah Cairns' character in 88 Minutes does this at the beginning to cook for Al Pacino's character.
- In a deleted scene of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Ron fantasizes that Veronica is married to him, and works in an apron — and nothing else.
- In Bridget Jones's Baby, a flashback shown Bridget surprising Mark Darcy for his birthday by wearing a frilly apron that covers her front...and a big bow above her naked butt; she is chagrined to see that not only is working on his birthday but also brought his colleagues over. She backs away to change into clothes embarrassingly. Not the first time Renée Zellweger wore an apron in the nude.
- In City Baby, Cloey ends the night of her boyfriend's birthday by appearing in nothing but a kitchen apron. "I wore this when I made your cake..."
- Jane March's character in Color of Night surprises Bruce Willis's character by showing up unexpectedly at his home and is cooking him dinner while wearing only an apron. It becomes very apparent when she turns around to retrieve an item from the oven and then feigns modesty by covering her rear with a potholder after she exposes her backside to him.
- In Empire Records, Gina (which is the first time Renée Zellweger wore an apron in the nude) puts on a MusicTown apron with nothing but stockings on underneath and dances around, saying "I think MusicTown is torn on the revealing garments issue".
- In French Twist, Victoria Abril's character is seen wearing an apron while otherwise naked. It's a turn-on both for her husband and her Butch Lesbian girlfriend.
- Happens in Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.
- Done in McVicar, a mostly-true story of a prison escapee, by a woman who wants to make sure the on-the-run lead character doesn't leave the house.
- In The Quiet Earth (a 1985 sci-fi film from New Zealand), Joanne serves Zac breakfast in bed, wearing an apron. When she turns to leave, we (and Zac) see that she is not wearing anything else below the waist, causing him to spill hot coffee on himself.
- Technically, it could be said that Chewbacca's wife wears one about 5 minutes into The Star Wars Holiday Special, but it's just confusing — like the rest of the show.
- In the 1986 hockey movie Youngblood when Rob Lowe's character goes to the boarding house used by newbie hockey players, he meets the landlady Miss McGill, who answers the door wearing an apron with a nice blouse visible under it. When Miss McGill (who is an attractive brunette in her 30s) turns and walks back into the house with Lowe's character following her, both he and the viewer can see that she is wearing very tight short-shorts under the apron.
Literature
- In one of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Alice books, on the the main character's older brother's birthday, his girlfriend cooks him dinner while wearing only panties.
- In Bridget Jones's Diary, Bridget has a nightmare where she has to take A-level French while wearing nothing but her Domestic Science apron. When she tells it to Daniel (her boyfriend) he asks her to "run over the bit" about the apron again.
- The Master and Margarita: Hella wears this when she's not completely naked.
- In The Otherworld, Karl wants Hope to cook him breakfast naked for his birthday. She refuses — bacon grease is hot. So he puts her in his shirt, nothing else, no panties, which barely covers her butt.
Hope: Having sex with a woman while she's cooking your breakfast? Your fantasies are showing your age.
Live-Action TV
- An episode of Bewitched, "Bewitched, Bothered, and Baldoni", features a statue of Venus being turned into a real woman and ending up as the Stephens' maid. Samantha hands her an apron and asks her to put it on. When Venus comes out of the bathroom, Darrin gawks and Sam is shocked.
Sam: When I said, "Put on an apron", I didn't mean just an apron! Now why don't you be a good girl and go out... [Venus starts to turn around] backwards! And we'll make sure you get a uniform to go with that apron.
- The Canadian cooking show Barely Cooking, hosted by a couple (a man and a woman) who wore nothing but an apron.
- There was another Cooking Show, Cooking Naked, who featured this with their (rotating) hosts.
- Referenced, but not actually seen, in an episode of Frasier. Roz is putting together an audition tape for an advice show gig and asks Daphne and Niles to pretend to be a couple who've lost their spark. Daphne has her character describe some of the things she's tried to do to spice things up including serving "Fred" dinner wearing only heels and an apron. Niles, who's secretly in love with Daphne, is very distracted by the mental image.
- The current popularity of this trope in Japan may be traced back to the aforementioned Gilgamesh Nights, wherein a pornographic actress named Yuki Hitomi would do a cooking segment wearing nothing but an apron.
- In Highlander, Amanda once did this while crashing in Duncan's place. Duncan was not pleased by this. (The fans, on the other hand...)
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Played sadistically in the episode "Authority". The manager of a fast-food joint receives a phone call from a police officer, who tells him to bind, gag, and strip-search a female employee until police arrive, leaving only her apron on. He complies, then the police arrive... to arrest him for sexual assault. The call was a fake. Ripped from the Headlines: The Strip Search Prank Call Scam.
- Soap: In a conversation with her sister and daughters, Jessica tells the story of how she tried to invoke this trope. She had read about a woman who wore a see-through apron and tried doing the same thing to spice up her marriage. Unfortunately, it didn't work; her husband just asked her if she was cooking dinner. Her daughters look completely shocked.
Corinne: You wore just a see-through apron?
Jessica: [pauses, confused] Just the apron?
Corinne: Yeah, Ma, just the apron.
Jessica: You mean, that woman wore just the apron?
[lets the implications sink in] I hope she wasn't cooking bacon! - Superstore: In "Spokesman Scandal", Amy and Jonah engage in a prank war during work that ends with Jonah walking through the store wearing nothing but an apron... which he only finds awkward when he runs into Amy's husband.
- In an episode of Wings, Joe and Helen, having kicked Brian and Casey out of the house, decide that they will celebrate their newfound privacy by being "all nude, all the time" while at home. This later leads to an argument when she comes out of the kitchen wearing an apron, but nothing else. (He's covered up by a newspaper he's conveniently reading at arm's length while walking down the stairs.)
Joe: Helen, what is with that apron? I thought we agreed, all nude all the time!
Helen: I am not cooking bacon naked.
Music
- The Garth Brooks song, "Somewhere other than the Night":
She was standin' in the kitchen with nothin' but her apron on
And in disbelief he stood and he stared a while;
When their eyes met, they both began to smile....
Music Videos
- The video for Genesis song "Jesus He Knows Me" features a woman dressed just this way during the pool scene at the bridge. She's the one working the barbecue. In case you're not familiar with the video, she's a housemaid of a TV evangelist.
Pro Wrestling
- When Stacy "The Kat" Carter was married to Jerry Lawler, she did a photoshoot for his website wearing just an apron. This included butt shots, nipple slips and Hand-or-Object Underwear.
Video Games
- In AdventureQuest Worlds Harvest Festival Feast event, Oishii looks like she's wearing one of these. At the very least, she's wearing it over a Stripperiffic outfit of the same color.
- Tyria from Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel wears one over a swimsuit in her true ending.
- For some reason or another, Toy Chica from Five Nights at Freddy's 2 seems to be doing this. She's an animatronic meant to entertain children, at a children's restaurant. Max Gilardi takes this to its most logical fanservice-y conclusion in "Fazbear and Friends".
- One of the available looks for Brooke in HunieCam Studio is this, and is also what she wears in her eyecatch.
- In Knights of Xentar Luna — the female lead — appears this way in "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue (cooking for her husband). The game doesn't come any closer to showing her naked.
- In Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 equipping an apron results in female's characters bikini top disappearing.
- Equipping an apron but no other top on a female created character in Soul Calibur IV and Soul Calibur V results in their usual bikini top disappearing. Oddly, if the apron is broken, their bikini top reappears.
Visual Novels
- In Fragment's Note, Kazuhide talks Mischa into doing this for Yukiha.
- There exists a VN called Hadaka Apron Gakuen (literally Naked Apron School). Take a guess what the uniform for female students is.
- In Majikoi! Love Me Seriously! on Yukie's route she prepares breakfast one morning like this. Yamato is delighted and decides breakfast can wait as after seeing her like that he other things on his mind.
- One of the costumes the player can make Sonico wear in Soni Comi is a naked apron. It's an all ages game, though, so it comes with panties. It's actually a bowdlerized version of a costume worn in one of the official illustrations, which had a thong in place of the panties. Taken even further with an official figure based on the illustration, in which the panties are removable for full effect, though so is the apron itself.
- In YU-NO, Takuya encounters a Cute Mute girl named Sayless and they begin living together. The girl wears nothing but an apron while making food, in a scene that marks how close they've become. Later, she stops wearing it naked once their kid is born, which Takuya is slightly disappointed by.
Webcomics
- Shown in a strip of A's Nano, the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Fan Webcomic, where costume changes are discussed.
- Not actually used, but imagined by Robert with Sam in Cheer!.
- Used in the first page of DevilBear when Lucy, the Daiva of Lust, is filling in for the Daiva of Gluttony position.
- El Goonish Shive:
- A genderbent Tedd wears the scantily clad version while cooking.
- Elliot subconsciously morphs his undershirt into a apron (which given the nature of his shapeshifting abilities turns him into a girl in the process).
- A genderbent Tedd wears the scantily clad version
- Girl Genius: The Foglios prove that the effect can be achieved even when the subject is fully clothed.
- In Girls with Slingshots, Mimi asks Thea about this following a discussion of a dream one of them had with her doing this while making a meatloaf. Thea refuses on the grounds that she has no idea how to make a meatloaf.
- In Groovy, Kinda, early on we get Edison for her Larr'Pye.
- In Grrl Power, alien succubus Dabbler apparently regards this, rather predictably, as normal wear for cooking (and the apron has a risqué slogan on it) — though before the fact is revealed, she has been persuaded to at least start wearing panties. (Even though they are black, lacy and rather small.) Also, several of the men (and Harem) have lined up chairs so they can watch. Anvil, however, is just there for the cookies.
Maxima: I told you no more naked apron cooking!
Dabbler: I'm wearing panties this time!
Maxima: It's still inappropriate... - Housepets!: An apron is often the only article of clothing Lucretia wears, usually the same 'SNIFF THE COOK' one. Justified in that she's a wolf, and most of the rest of her family don't wear clothes either.
- Karin-dou 4koma: Used by Mifi in one strip in a planned Valentine's Day gimmick for Elza, and together with Aiina in two others as part of a Lysistrata Gambit against Elza.
- Ménage à 3 seems quite fond of the trope for both sexes:
- DiDi pulls this off quite distractingly, starting with strip #431 (March 28, 2011, NSFW).
- Peggy employs one while trying to make Zii jealous over Sonya (strip #835, January 09, 2014, NSFW).
- In Outsiders, Siobhan prepares her house for a night of intimacy before her lover, Ebony, comes home. One of the ways she does this is by stripping down to nothing but an apron and waiting for Ebony's return, who comments with surprise how cold she is after waiting so long for her.
Siobhan: I hope you're hungry, I cooked your favourite!
Ebony: Ooh, please tell me you're fully naked under that.
Siobhan: A good chef doesn't miss the best bits!
Ebony: Ooh, I know I'm gonna eat toni... [touches Siobhan's bottom] Christ! You're cold!.
Siobhan: Hehe! I've been waiting in this apron for so long, I'm bloody freezing!
Ebony: Well, let me warm you up then... - Rogue Diamond: Pinkie Pie wears only an apron when she is cooking. She says it is necessary because the kitchen becomes very hot when the flames are turned up all the way, but she also likes to tease Spike with her body.
- Seen briefly in the second panel of a Sinfest strip.
- The strip of SPRINGIETTE titled "Awkwarse".
- TwoKinds:
- Done by Kathrin in this strip. Notable due to Kathrin usually wearing even less — with the addition of this trope to her catalog, Kat is rapidly becoming TwoKinds' premier fanservice model.
- Flora does the same for this 12th anniversary image, which (in a Call-Back to this image) seems to give Natani some ideas...
- Done by Kathrin in this strip
- In The Whiteboard Pirta is seen preparing dinner for her and Jake's first night living together wearing nothing but an apron, with a bit of lampshade hanging when she reminds herself not to forget the cheesecake. And when he does arrive she casts it aside.
Web Original
- This Demotivational Poster.
- Gaia Online sells aprons that'll give you this appearance in its stores.
Western Animation
- Leisure: A gag about "housewives wanting romance" is illustrated with a drawing of a woman wearing an apron and nothing else.
- This outfit appears on Gerald's mother in the Perfect Hair Forever episode "Woke Up Drunk".
- An episode of the German/Dutch series School for Vampires has the main cast go trick or treating. One scene has the kids trick or treating a woman who's handing out candy while wearing a topless apron as a costume.
- Steven Universe: Bismuth wears only a blacksmith apron and Long Pants, though this is less provocative than it sounds. An animation error briefly has the pants colored the same as her skin, making it seem like the apron was her only clothing.
Men:
Advertising
- A British TV advert featured a man warning his male housemates to be on their best behavior when he brings his girlfriend home for the first time. As soon as he leaves the room the housemates leap into action, and the girlfriend walks in to find them all cheerfully performing domestic duties in nothing but aprons. The man quickly ushers her out.
Anime & Manga
- In the chapter six extra of manga, Apron de Choushoku wo, "house husband" Shirakawa capitulates under his partner's constant requests to wear a naked apron and proceeds to grant his wish as a birthday gift.
- In the last chapter of Ashita mo Tanin, the protagonist Akio's new boss, Tsukada, suggests that he wear an apron to express his feelings for his childhood friend-turned-lover, Ryousuke. Akio wears an apron with underwear underneath and welcomes Ryousuke home from work. An excited Ryousuke strips Akio of his briefs and completely loses control and later tells Akio to never ask his boss for love advice again.
- Hetalia: Axis Powers:
- England's "Sexy Waiter" Iconic Outfit is basically the lower half of a Hadaka Apron.
- Hong Kong ends up wearing a white one in the Hetalia Bloodbath, after taking off his meido outfit and getting scolded by China.
- In the 2011 Aprils Fools even, America and Spain end up wearing "Sexy Waiter" outfits, too. America is embarrassed, Spain is amused.
Romano: Are you really okay dressed like that, you idiot?
Spain: It feels great, with the weather and the breeze! - In the last chapter of Barairo Mitsubachi, a new school teacher, Aoi, accuses his benefactor, Kazoumoi, of being a "dirty old man" when the latter fondles him as he's cooking dinner. Aoi is wearing an apron at the time and Kazoumoi promises to show him what being a "dirty old man" is really about. In the next frame, a protesting and embarrassed Aoi has been completely stripped of his clothes under his apron.
- In a character special in the Bleach manga, Kon goes around interviewing characters around Urahara Shoten. He winds up skipping the interview with Tessai (large, muscular guy) after finding him putting on his trademark apron... with nothing on underneath.
- The bonus chapter "Naked A-p0rn" of Elektel Delusion. Shunpei reads a pornographic magazine, with a naked-apron wearing model and discusses what's so good about the trope. Fumi then proceeds to imagine an entire scene with Shunpei wearing one.
- Isshiki from Food Wars! wears just an apron back at the dorm as one of his default outfits. The others are a Fundoshi for yard-work, and a very elegant suit-and-tie for when he has to get serious.
- Free! has a variation in the first episode, with Haru wearing an apron over his swimsuit while he cooks mackerel for breakfast. This scenario is repeated in the first episode of Eternal Summer.
- In the one-shot manga, Itoshii, to Iu Koto, a company supervisor goes to check on the health of one of his junior staff, who is off work sick. He begins to prepare a meal for his kouhai and puts on an apron, when his trousers and underwear are stripped from his body.
- Kamisama Kazoku: Shortly after the example above in the female section, we see Samataro's father (a.k.a. God) wearing a naked apron too. Of course, this isn't as nice a sight as the previous example.
- A teenage heir, Yukitaka, demands that his 22-year-old butler, Munukata, perform his household duties consisting of a maid uniform in chapter seven of the manga, Kimi De Oboreta Ato Wa. Munukata is embarrassed and highly reluctant, but his professional pride makes him determined to please his master. When Yukitaka tells Munukata he likes seeing him in erotic outfits, the obliging butler takes the initiative to order a frilly apron online and only wears a matching g-string and knee high pantyhose and suspenders underneath.
- In chapter four of the manga, Koisuru Omocha, famous author Aonuma, demands that his eager-to-please editor, Sawai, clean his home wearing nothing but an apron. The starstruck Sawai has no choice but to comply, thinking that Aonuma is asking him for "research" purposes. In chapter seven of the same manga, a house husband, Makoto, is caught by his lover Kazuma wearing nothing but a T-shirt and an apron.
- In the manga Love Kitchen, Dr Kurusu is loaned an android robot, Sakuya, to help him with his household chores. Sakuya's standard uniform is a naked apron.
- On White Day, in volume two, chapter one of the manga Love Stage, Rei wears nothing but a plaid apron for his lover Shougo. Rei tries to prepare snacks for him before they're both so distracted that food becomes the last thing on their mind.
- In one-shot manga Love Sweat, school art club member Yuu wears a naked apron whenever he paints in his dorm room because he doesn't want to dirty his clothes. Shouji, who shares a dorm room with him, is left completely flustered.
- In one chapter of Meru Puri, Aram, after forgetting the magical ring that ages his clothes up with him, is forced by Airi to wear an apron after his aging curses activates.
- In chapter five of manga, Mitsu No Tsumatta Joushi, the protagonist, Riku, is wearing an apron over his clothing when his trousers and underwear are stripped from him leaving his lower half exposed.
- The first chapter of Oku-san's Daily Fantasies involves the titular character being "forced" into wearing one by Sudou.
- In chapter 5 of manga Twin's Labyrinth, Ren wears a naked apron for his lover's birthday, although it doesn't remain on for very long.
- This happens in episode 15 of The Wallflower, in which Noi (while under the influence of a pirate ghost) hallucinates Takenaga cooking her dinner in nothing but a pink frilly apron.
- It's played for laughs in manga, Yome ni Konai ka (Will You Become My Wife?) where 30-year-old salary man, Keigo, desperately yearns for a "beautiful wife". His wish is magically answered by Kazumi, who appears at his front door, and proceeds to leave his home looking spotless and cook a delicious meal for him. At the start of chapter two, Kazumi greets him at home wearing nothing but a frilly apron and Keigo can't help but become increasingly titillated.
Arts
- The statue of Vulcan on Red Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama, was built to symbolize the city's thriving steelmaking industry. From most viewpoints, Vulcan looks majestic with a big blacksmith's apron and a raised hand. However, for decades the neighborhoods behind Red Mountain enjoyed the sight of a giant iron butt on top of the mountain, since Vulcan is only wearing the apron and it doesn't wrap around. Recently, the statue was taken down, and repaired. The iron moon is still shining, but it's not aimed at a residential area now.
Comic Books
- Mister Mxyzptlk once makes Superman powerless and dresses up in only an apron so that a super-powered Lois Lane can rescue him.
Films — Live-Action
- Shown in a montage during The Five-Year Engagement. Jason Segel is serving Emily Blunt a homemade breakfast in a long sleeve shirt and an apron. We assume he is fully clothed but he turns around to show his behind to the camera and his on-screen fiancé.
- The Birdcage: An early scene sees house keeper Agadore Spartacus making breakfast for the Goldmans wearing only an apron and some tiny cut-off shorts.
- Richard E. Grant does this in How to Get Ahead in Advertising as part of his nervous breakdown and disgust with his advertising career. It Makes Sense in Context.
- Buzz Hauser (Jason Alexander) at one point in Love! Valour! Compassion!
- Also in Mamma Mia!, where it's not obvious until the character turns around and walks away. According to some commentary online, the actor did this on his own as a prank.
- In Monty Python at the Hollywood Bowl, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam perform "Sit on My Face" in waiter outfits and aprons. Once the song ends, they turn and walk offstage, revealing their naked buttocks.
- Appears as a Funny Background Event in the second Naked Gun movie.
- In an infamous scene in the classic Woody Allen film Sleeper, at one point protagonist Miles Monroe finds himself in an apartment where some gay men live. Enter the butler, clad only in an apron.
Live-Action TV
- In an episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun, Harry decides that clothes are a scam and spends the episode naked. He decides to put on an apron while frying... bacon or something, but frequently has to turn around, exposing his back to the grease. He turns back very fast.
- Rather alarmingly, Blackadder's Bumbling Sidekick Baldrick does this in Blackadder: Back and Forth. Tony Robinson is gifted in the body hair department.
Blackadder: Baldrick, why are you dressed like that?
Baldrick: Do you want the long answer or the short answer?
Blackadder: Mm, the short answer.
Baldrick: Whim.
Blackadder: "Whim". And the long answer?
Baldrick: It was a whim, my lord. - Walt does this (well, except he keeps his underwear on — thankfully) in the first episode of Breaking Bad.
- In the Bravo reality show Chef Academy, contestant Emmanuel volunteered to serve a birthday cake to another contestant while wearing nothing but an apron (and a smile, and some body oil!). Since Emmanuel was very, very attractive (he'd had a previous career as a porn star), this was definitely Fanservice.
- Fringe: In "Back to Where You've Never Been", Peter has a dream that he is back home, which includes his father wearing nothing but an apron while making him breakfast.
- In an interesting inversion/twist, House starts out an episode making breakfast while naked at his and Wilson's place (when he was supposed to be away on a business trip), where Wilson's latest girlfriend runs into him. This is combined with Naked First Impression and Please Put Some Clothes On when she hands House an apron. (Which he does.)
- Manchild does this once for laughs with Anthony Head's character. It is also a naked body apron in another sense, depicting a nude male body with a fig leaf in front.
- Happens in the Midsomer Murders episode "Destroying Angel". Barnaby arrives to question a middle-aged, male suspect only to find him doing a spot of baking wearing nothing but an apron.
- Monty Python did this in one of their live performances during the "Sit on My Face" number.
- Several episodes of Orphan Black have Felix do this while painting.
- A bizarre example in Roseanne; the end of one episode parodies porn videos and has Roseanne, Jackie and Nancy dressed in blonde wigs and pink waitress outfits all surround a patron before the scene dissolving into static. It then cuts the patron wearing one of their aprons while cleaning out the grease trap.
Toys
- UglyDolls: A safe-for-work example, Wage wears an apron (because he works at Price Hike, even though he doesn't actually work there) and nothing else. Though, to be fair, there isn't really anything underneath, and Uglies don't usually wear clothes.
Video Games
- Not done for fanservice, since he's a Funny Animal character in a cartoonish everyone-rated game, but Tom Nook from Animal Crossing is wearing just a blue apron while he's running Nook's Cranny. Likewise, hedgehog seamstresses Mabel and Sable Able wear only aprons.
- "Dr." Richard Trager from Outlast. One of the rare times you'll wish the trope was averted.
- Wizards & Warriors: The Store Clerk in Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II wears nothing under his green apron. (Well, actually he may be wearing clothes the same color as his skin due to palette limitations, but he sure looks naked.)
Visual Novels
- Clear from DRAMAtical Murder does this while cooking breakfast for "Master" Aoba. Hilariously, Clear is still wearing his gas mask despite being naked (aside from the apron, of course).
Webcomics
- The trope shows up in Goodbye Chains. We won't spoil how, but fangirls will appreciate it in full.
- Groovy, Kinda, around midway there's 15 y.o. Jacob for Anya.
- Ménage à 3 puts naked aprons on male as well as female characters:
- Pet Homosexual Dillon wears one as a favor for his friend Zii (strip #154, May 22, 2009, NSFW).
- Another strip (#191, August 17, 2009, NSFW) has Matt wearing one for Sandra, though the badminton racket might be a partial motivator there too.
- See the Beauty Man Garden busboy (or at least dishwasher) uniforms from Okashina Okashi.
- This TwoKinds image features Keith in one of these. It's given a Call-Back in this anniversary image, where Flora's Naked Apron gives Natani some ideas...
Western Animation
- Animaniacs: In season 1 episode 13 the "La Behemoth" the male hippo at one point only wears an apron. But he has Barbie Doll Anatomy/ is a Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal. (But this show would do it.)
- Chowder: Shnitzel sometimes wears pants under his apron, sometimes not. This being a children's cartoon, the trope is mostly Played for Laughs
- Timmy's dad went one episode of The Fairly OddParents! set in a hospital dressed only in an open-backed patient's apron. This was played very much for laughs and Fan Disservice, since Timmy did not appreciate having to see his father's naked ass.
- Goofy at the very beginning of the House of Mouse short "How to Be a Spy".
- The Larry 3000 on Time Squad sometimes wears a pink apron, a chef's hat, and nothing else.
Both Genders:
Live-Action TV
- The Almighty Johnsons: Ty and Dawn do some baking together in aprons only while waiting for the Gar in the "The End of the World As We Know It" episode.
- One episode of New Girl has Jess in a naked apron to seduce her new boyfriend Ryan. During the Sex Montage at the end, Winston is wearing the same apron as he gets it on with the Girl of the Week (who happens to be a lunch lady).
Video Games
- The "First Times" gallery in Haven (2020) features Yu and Kay wearing naked aprons in separate images.
- World of Warcraft has a similar look when equipping a tabard (and optionally a belt) with nothing underneath it. Notably, since tabards (unlike most armor) aren't damaged when you die, this is used to give some semblance of dignity to "corpse runs". However, since you do not lose your gear when you die, and anything you have in your bags is also damaged when you die, the practicality of this is somewhat suspect. It also makes you look NAKEDER, since the tabard looks accident-prone, and covers your underwear. For Double Points: there is actually a tabard that is explicitly an Apron, it's part of a cooking set including a frying pan and a rolling pin.
Webcomics
- Freefall: The morning after Florence and Winston move in together, they both Invoke this independently of each other. Just because they're still navigating all the implications of their Interspecies Romance doesn't mean they can't put on a bit of a show for each other (albeit Winston keeps undies since he doesn't have a tail to help his modesty).
- This is closely followed by a robot showing up with a claim to the apron Florence is using; the robot innocently tries to take it (though she delays the exchange long enough to get some clothes on). The whole sequence is played sweet, wholesome, and squeaky clean — but this is the webcomic that uses (and lampshades) in-universe censor bars during shower scenes, and where childlike A.I.s like Helix are physically prevented from viewing anything scandalous.
- This is closely followed by a robot showing up with a claim to the apron Florence is using; the robot innocently tries to take it
- In Sticky Dilly Buns, Amber and Dillon both wear naked aprons in a joint attempt to determine a new neighbor's sexuality (January 18 2013 and January 25 2013 strips, borderline NSFW).
- Done in this anniversary image from TwoKinds, with Keith, Laura and Natani.
Western Animation
- In My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Mr. and Mrs. Cake's default state of dress is just a baking apron. Not that it matters, as they're both Funny Animals that often wear no clothing at all.
