Historical Evolution of the Bra: Aarohi Sharma IDNUGE00344
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The bra is in itself invested with meanings of femininity, sexuality and as of more recently— fashion. It has existed for several centuries and has been subject to several design revisions over the course of this time. This blog follows the history of its evolution, and how its past shaped it into becoming the modern day bra.
The most ancient records of bras are have been found in the Bronze Age. Recovered wall paintings from the Minoan Civilisation (14th century BC) depicted several bandeau-like tops— termed as mastoeides.
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There is also evidence suggesting that a garment designed to support women’s breasts dates all the way back to Ancient Greece. A poem written in the archaic period of Classical Antiquity in Book 14 of Homer’s lliad refers to a decorated breast-band— rather than a belt or girdle. Some late-Hellenic sculptures of Aphrodite also support this.
Undergarments of aristocratic women in Europe and France were dominated by the corset, which continued for the next four centuries.These moulded their figures to fit the Victorian ideals and quickly became mandatory for middle and upper class women in Western society. The only way to get the desired hourglass shape was by practicing painful tight lacing.
In France, the first modern bra was born (called the corselet gorge) when Herminie Cadolle cut a corset into two separate parts— the top supported the breasts by means of straps, while the lower part was a corset for the waist.
The pair of bodies came to be called “stays”, but in 1780s and 1790s the shape of stays changed drastically to keep up with the changing fashions of the times. Many of these “shortened stays”, as they were sometimes called in Britain, resembled earlier support garments as much as they resembled stays, with fitted cups that held the breasts apart.
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During the dress reform movement in the late Victorian Era, corsets were posing several health risks and restricted movement due to the tight-lacing practice. It was suggested that the corset be replaced with a looser garment. World War I accelerated the process— all of the metal available was to be used in war production, so corsetry eventually went out of fashion.
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In the 19th century, we finally see a shift from corset to an early form of what we now call a girdle. The first modern bra was the creation of American socialite Mary Phelps Jacob, also known as Caresse Crosby. Crosby had purchased a sheer evening gown for an event, but she found that her corset kept poking out visibly through the thin fabric. Two handkerchiefs and a ribbon later, she had patented the undergarment that complimented fashion trends and focused on functionality.
In the Roaring Twenties, with the flapper dresses taking over women’s fashion, tight bandeau tops were worn to flatten chests and give them a more boyish shape. These became immensely popular among the general public.
The 1930s and 40s involved the cup sizing scale that we continue to use today, padded bras and the bullet bra. The bullet bra was a ground-breaking trend as it offered “added protection” for those who worked on the production lines— bras were still being spiral-stitched and given exaggeratedly pointy ends in the 1960s.
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A Canadian lingerie company designed the Wonderbra in 1964, the first of it’s predecessors to lift and push the bust-line together. Eventually, as exercising and fitness became more popular, there was a need for something much more supportive. Vermont University students Lisa Lindahl, Linda Mille and Polly Smith invented the 1st sports bra and named it the Jogbra.
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The Bra Burning Myth
Bra-wearing may be linked to cultural contexts and also may have been originally designed to provide comfort— but there is truth in the fact that the workings of our society has led to it becoming to symbol of oppression.
The ‘Freedom Trashcan Protest’ that took place during Miss America Competition in Atlantic City Broadway gave birth to the rumour of the infamous bra burning feminists. The symbolism of the event was meant as a serious critique of the modern beauty culture, of placing women’s value on their exterior and being comfortable with their own sexuality— free from the reins of the patriarchy.
This soon became trivialised and focus shifted from equal wages, child care, and reproductive rights.
A Cisgendered Arena
A big component of design is problem-solving, which inevitably involves taking some percentage of social responsibility. This leads me to my point— adopting an inclusive mindset in our design practice and extending solutions to everyone.
Bras have, historically, been catering to a certain target audience— cisgender women. Centering diversity expands the reach of products, and it’s important as it serves as many people as possible. Educating employees on such principles and cultivating a safe environment for trans individuals is a step towards such inclusivity.
Sources:
https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-brassiere-1991352
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_bras
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_bras
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/student_showcase/41/
https://www.thoughtco.com/bra-burning-feminists-3529832
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/fashion/g1291/bra-history/
https://medium.com/prismnpen/being-bra-challenged-78ea696a0178
https://www.npr.org/2014/08/05/337860700/bra-history-how-a-war-shortage-reshaped-modern-shapewear
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