Anybody know how to take one off these off?

Dont know if this should be in Technical chat.

The Uplifting History of the Bra

Were bras originally worn to support or titillate?
In junior high, my choir teacher taught us how to sing the national anthem in French. To help us remember the lyrics of a certain line: “Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,” she said, “What does a bra do? It supports. So remember that “sait porter” comes after “bras.”

We all giggled as she said that.

I thought of her words at each stage of my physical development and as I outgrew each bra cup size. She got me thinking of the feminine ideal and of my own standards of beauty, comfort and sexuality. As I got older, my preferences for bras evolved from function to form to novelty.

Just as my preferences had changed, the emphasis and de-emphasis on a woman’s breasts changed over thousands of years. Women’s bodies have been defined to meet the social standards of the era almost as long as clothing has been around.

Corsetry

During the Renaissance, there was an emphasis on the décolletage. Women wore low-cut dresses that accentuated their breasts. A woman with firm breasts was usually thought to be of a high social status, as she could afford not to breastfeed her infant. Since breastfeeding results in sagging breasts, rich women employed wet nurses who would breastfeed their babies for them.

Around this time, corsets became popular among rich women. Since corsets served to cinch the waist, it was difficult for women to work, which is why women of lower classes wore supporting garments instead of corsets.

By the 19th century, doctors began warning women of the negative physiological effects of wearing corsets. Corsets caused bowel disturbances, fainting, nausea, disfigurement and breathlessness. But women did not heed doctors’ “unfashionable” warnings, since they believed that corsets were necessary feminine garments.

The Corset Evolves

The true origin of the bra is unknown since there are many accounts of its invention, but what is certain is that the discomfort and pain caused by corsets led to many experiments to create supporting garments, which eventually led to the creation of the modern-day brassiere. According to Life magazine, a woman named Herminie Cadolle invented the bra in 1889. It was first marketed as a two-piece set: a girdle for the waist and a bra supported by shoulder straps. By 1900, bras were marketed as a more comfortable alternative to the corset.

But the credit for inventing the modern-day bra belongs to a woman named Mary Phelps Jacob. In 1910, she bought an evening gown to wear to an upcoming party and was frustrated with the corset because it was visible underneath the sheer dress. With the help of her maid, the 19-year-old socialite sewed together two pieces of fabric and some ribbon to make a less visible bra. Her friends and relatives asked her to make some for them and Phelps, realizing she had a business opportunity, began manufacturing and selling bras. She patented her bras in 1914 and eventually sold her patent to Warner's, who continue making bras today.

Post-War Bra

During World War I, as men fought overseas and women worked in the factories, the daily corset disappeared for good. This was due to two reasons: the skeleton of the corset was made of steel, which was badly needed to make weapons and tanks, and women were not able to work in factories wearing uncomfortable corsets.

The bra continued to evolve during the post-war era, but the most memorable advancement in bra making came in 1964, when a Canadian woman named Louise Poirier invented the push-up bra. The bra transformed from a supporting device to a tool of seduction.

Bra Burning

The U.S. women’s movement of the 1970s made women aware of the paternalistic constraints on a woman’s body. From contraception to abortion to the concept of femininity, the feminist movement re-defined womanhood and made away with everything that repressed women and made them conform to masculine ideals of femininity. One of the basic aspects of femininity that women sought to eradicate was the bra. Seen as constricting and uncomfortable, many feminists gathered at bra-burning ceremonies to burn their bras in order to symbolize their rejection of male oppression. Paradoxically, most of the female participants continued wearing bras, but took part in the ceremonies as a symbolic act of liberation.

Bras Today

Beginning in the 1980s, bras were manufactured to be comfortable. Today, women can choose from a vast array of bras to suit their preferences and situations. There are training bras, sports bras, maternity bras, nursing bras, adhesive bras, demi bras, strapless bras, push-up bras and novelty bras. The main purpose of the bra has always been to support, but advancements in technology has made them much more comfortable than they were only a few decades ago.

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an uplifting message

Many women feel self-conscious about their breasts and often resort to painful measures to get ideal breasts. We are bombarded with images of hyper-sexed models with orb-like breasts, but what most women (and men) don’t realize is that naturally round breasts are very rare. Women should not be pressured to wear uncomfortable bras daily just to live up to an ideal. There is no doubt that push-up bras and demi cups make women feel sexy and confident, but it is psychologically unhealthy to believe (as they did for centuries) that men define our bodies. Breasts come in all shapes and sizes, and women should be encouraged to feel comfortable in their own skin.

 

rep +.

this is the best thing I've read all day.

 

+1 this is the best thing i havent read all day. but i know the idea is spot on.