Brassiere: The Ultimate Equalizer

Sometimes it soothes the mind to take a couple minutes and reflect on what is truly important. Boobies. Or, more importantly bras. Ah, yes, the brassiere, getting women through each taxing day with a little less wiggle and a bit more spring away from our chest and into our step. Although sometimes mistaken for a torture device, or worn as a hat by children, we rely on the bra more than we think.

But seriously, the invention of the bra, patented in 1913 marked a metaphorical and physical equalizer between men and women. To boot, it was invented by a woman, Mary Phelps Jacob. Deciding she just could not handle the whaleback corsets available (and only acceptable undergarment of the time) she went to town with two handkerchiefs and pieces of ribbon. What came out of it? A bra she could wear with her plunging neckline and sheer fabric. It’s what any New York socialite would have done.

The question now is, what’s so important about it? Sure, bras keep our melons in place, but they represent a more significant statement. Bras, at the time, marked a step for women to literally “keep up with men.” Men and women are different, yeah, but that is not stopping us. Pop a bra in place, take off for a meeting, run a company, you will be not slowed down. Like shoulder pads in the eighties, bras are a staple of the modern women.

The invention of the bra also marked the beginning of the end for body-binding corsets that had been causing chicas everywhere a barrage of health problems. Corsets got their start, supposedly, by Catherine de Médicis, wife of King Henry II, who banned thick waists in court. Man, if she had known how she was stirring the pot she might have thought twice. And thus, the reign of whaleback corsets - often including steel rods for ultimate boa constriction were on the outs.

The word “brassiere” comes from the old French word for “upper arm.” Mary Phelps Jacob included in her patent that bras were made of soft fabric that separated breasts naturally. Although this description cannot begin to detail the array of fancy trappings women have available to them, the idea was planted. By 1914, there was already a patent for a backless bra.

But maybe our simple bra has been taken too far. Triumph International invented a bra emitting an odor that discourages the urge for women (or men) to smoke (nationalgeographic.com). Now there are anti-mugging bras that measure heart rate and contact the police in case of emergency. Bras that contact the police! Even just regular bras: eight of ten women are wearing the wrong size. Whether they are trying to increase or inhibit, she-wolves everywhere are missing the point Ms. Jacobs was trying to make.

For most women, wearing a bra is so engrained as a part of her daily routine it becomes more automatic than brushing teeth. Even more astounding is that not wearing a bra is a statement too. “Hey, I’m here, and I don’t need to be restrained.” Whatever the personal preference, it seems like the brassiere is here to stay. Here's a thought, if your boobs could talk, what would they say?