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Some people could
call it evolution,
others adaptation,
but I prefer to call
it “change,” and
none has changed
over time quite like
the article of
clothing known as
the Bra. The name
alone has been
called many things
over time from the
corset, to the
girdle, to the
over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder,
and here’s a little
lesson on some of
the major moments in
bra history.
We can date the
history of the
breast supporting
undergarment all the
way back to the
early 2500 BC when
women on the island
of Crete (God bless
their hearts) wore
bra-like garments
that lifted the bare
breasts out of their
clothing. This may
seem crude but I
promise that it’s a
more preferable
option than the
fashion decision of
the Roman & Greek
women of 450BC –
285AD who were
interested in
looking like they
had no breasts. They
achieved this look
by strapping a band
around their chest
and smashing “what
their mammas gave
them,” against their
bodies.
It’s not
until the 1550’s
that we see anything
slightly resembling
the modern day bra.
Catherine de Medicis,
the wife of King
Henri II of France,
enforces a ban on
“thick waists” at
court functions by
introducing the
Steel Corset, which
in many different
designs becomes the
norm for the next
350 years.
At some point during
the mid 1800s people
start to realize the
damaging effects of
“corseting,” and the
first patents for
the modern day bra
are born. Although
the patent came much
earlier and women
had already been
wearing the device,
the birth of the bra
is given as 1907
when the term
“Brassiere” (derived
from the French for
‘upper arm’) was
first mentioned in
Vogue Magazine. In
1912 the word
Brassiere was added
to the Oxford
English Dictionary,
giving it somewhat
of a second birth.
This means that 2012
will mark two very
important events,
the end of the Mayan
Calendar…and more
importantly, 100
Years Birthday of
The Brassier!
I digress…my
apolo-geeze, I just
get excited over
celebrations, and
most importantly
over celebrations of
importance…
During the war in
the early 1900s,
women begin working
in warehouses and
factories, and
wearing corsets
proves to be quite a
problem. Then, in
1917 something that
I find to be
extremely hilarious
happens, the U.S.
War Industries Board
requests women to
stop buying corsets,
not because they
squeeze your guts
and are a danger to
your health, but in
order to reduce the
consumption of
metal.
In 1928
something happened
that would forever
change the way women
purchased breast
support, the birth
of the cup size!
With the help of her
husband William, Ida
Rosenthal, a Russian
immigrant, founded “Maidenform,”
a company that
developed bras for
every level of
female mammary
development.
In
the 40’s, as many
materials commonly
used to create bras
were in short
supply, many
manufacturers begin
using synthetic
fabrics in the
manufacturing
process.
Then, in 1946,
engineer Louis Reard
introduces the first
bikini swimwear in
France. I feel it is
important to mention
this for the mere
fact that the word
Bikini is named
after a nuclear
weapons test site
called Bikini
Atoll…because…are
you ready for it?
…because bikinis
were going to cause
a burst of
excitement
comparable to that
of a nuclear bomb.
Louis sure was
right, but not only
about bikinis, as we
enter the mid and
late 1900s we see
that bras and the
female breasts
become a huge (no
pun intended) deal
in the media and pop
culture. The
liberation movement
of the 60s organized
bra-burning rallies,
and the hippy/free
love movement
decided that the
braless look was
best. Then in the
70’s a 28-year-old
grad student decided
to sew two jock
straps together to
make an athletic bra
and the Sports Bra
was born…AND we all
remember Janet &
Justin’s Superbowl
set up wardrobe
malfunction.
No
matter what has
changed over time,
from the corsets, to
the deep cleavage
bras, the flat-chested
taping method, to
the no bras, or the
Janet Jackson nipple
covers, one thing is
certain; the bra has
a long history of
attraction,
mystique, and
usefulness which
will hold its place
in history and the
future for
generations to come. |
