The Understructure of it All
Romanelli, 1
Alexa Romanelli
Integrative Seminar: Fake
T. Gilbert
December 12, 2013
The Understructure of it All
The brassiere, as it is known today, is only one hundred years old, yet it has a
dense history and underwent a significant evolution over those years. From binding
to enhancing to exaggerating and being barely there, the function of the bra changed
with the fashion and social situations of the decade. Over the century, the design
tottered between discreetly natural and obviously structured to finally arrive in the
2010s, a decade when women have the choice of style, structure and support of
their bras. Although fraught with controversy over its time, no garment offers more
insight into the status of women in society over the past century than the bra. The
notion of its design as a reflection of feminine culture will be explored throughout
this paper.
Bra-like devices have been around since the ancient Greeks and Romans who
called them “mastedon”, “mamillare” or “strophium” (Newman and Bressler, 42).
However, they came into popularity in the early nineteen hundreds when women
began rejecting the whalebone corset for more comfortable support. Women
desired less social confinement, therefore they no longer wanted to be physically
confined either. Mary Phelps Jacobs created the first boneless, midriff-free bra in
1913, using two handkerchiefs and a piece of ribbon (44). This design allowed for
the binding support of the decade as well as ease of movement, allowing women to
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dance freely. Additionally, it allowed women to wear more “risqué” dresses, under
which a corset would be impractical and clearly seen. By the 1920s, bras became
more ornate and served a decorative purpose rather than a supportive purpose.
Bras donned lace, tucks, embroidery and ruffles and these details made women
aware of their femininity and encouraged them to focus on their own beauty (44).
Women by this time never left the house without a bra. The 1920s were known as
the era of excesses, a time directly following the end of the war years. The youth
during this decade began purposely dressing excitingly and provocatively to lighten
their mentalities following the First World War. More specifically feminine, women
achieved social freedom and could now be seen “smoking, eating in public without a
chaperone and drinking exotic cocktails (126).” Since women were socially
liberated, they ensured boned corsets no longer physically confined them. The
Flapper silhouette was quite literally a polar opposite to the feminine silhouette of
the golden age, being also known as the “Garconne” style, a French term for
“boyish”. Women’s hair was cut short, their bodies were shaped to be straight and
flat, they exposed a strip of thigh between their short hemlines and stockings just
above the knee: they very much discarded any old-fashioned beliefs about
femininity (126, 127). The minimal design and flattening purpose of the first bras
reflected women’s newfound desire and freedom from social inferiority though this
overt rejection of classic femininity.
By the 1930s, the bust became fashionable. The philosophy of the decade was
“expression of freedom” and the design of the bra allowed women to choose how
they and others viewed themselves. In 1935, cup sizes were introduced, filling the
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fashion niche of defined, uplifted and accentuated busts. Women could now choose
their bust size and cup size, rather than rely on one-size-fits-all. Femininity was now
at an all-time high. Crepe de Chine and bias cutting were now being used to make
women’s dresses. These materials and techniques made the dresses slinky and let
the fabric cascade into the space between the breasts. The separated bust was now
all the rage. As the Great Depression settled in, women became enthralled by
Hollywood cinema. In keeping with the trends of the time, starlets were now being
shown wearing their undergarments, resulting in a slurry of copycatting (128). The
outbreak of World War II put even more emphasis on the bust line. Military and
factory uniforms put emphasis on the legs by means of shortened hemlines, as well
as on busts by cinching the waist with belts. Big busts were now in fashion. Pin-up
girls were now used to raise the morale of the soldiers who were back at war and
bras were constructed to emphasize the shape of the breasts. Dior’s New Look,
inspired by the cinched factory suits, created the hourglass figure, a look showcasing
a large bust, a tiny waist, and full hips. Bras now had to serve the purpose of
structuring Dior’s look and in 1948, the first push-up bra was invented in order to
do that. After a few years of simplified lingerie due to difficult times and minimal
resources brought about by the war, the bosom, through crisscross-stitched and
padded bras was back in vogue leading into the 1950s (46). As women’s sexuality
was becoming socially acceptable and culturally relevant through pinups and
Hollywood starlets, bras became extravagant in structure to make that sexuality
overwhelmingly obvious.
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Prior to the 1960s, women’s natural bust lines were not yet being displayed.
They were very much being helped by the designers in shaping themselves to fit the
silhouette of the decade. Now, bras were being made out of softer materials, had
removable cups and optional underwire. The bra became the one garment that no
woman went without. Even teenagers became eager to wear them, and training bras
were invented during this time (47). By the later sixties, the bra lost its significance
as a fashion statement and became a political statement. Woodstock brought about
popularity of nudity and semi-nudity and clothing skimmed the body closely.
Women began to consider their bras oppressive of femininity and lightweight bras,
or no bras at all, were worn. Bras became light as air: molding the bust, but covering
it comfortably. Sheer fabrics and tulle were used and stretch or bikini-bras
appeared. This launched the trend of outrageously designed bras; clear plastic cups,
animal pints and pops of color (49). The contraceptive pill was a major innovation
and it allowed women to have sexual control. Any notions of conservatism regarding
sexuality, femininity and how and what women should behave and wear were
discarded in the 1970s. By the 80s, the philosophy turned once again, continuing the
alternating yo-yo pattern, to style over comfort. The Disco era had brought back the
risqué silhouette of clothing and fashion was now sexually charged. Designers like
Jean-Paul Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood began the trend of underwear as
outerwear and fetishism in clothing. Bras were offered in dozens of newly mixed
colors, exotic prints and sensual fabrics. Adventurous bras were now affordable and
accessible to all women (50). The power suit, an idea from 1940, was back in style,
bringing along with it the fantasy of a powerful businesswoman hiding erotic
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lingerie beneath her suit. Women were now sexually assertive, no longer struggling
with male and female ideals of power and now comfortable and overtly willing to be
dominant. Women wanted to be in charge and their outrageously lavish bras didn’t
allow for “no” as an answer. Women now culturally and socially reached such a level
of freedom, that they no longer had to flaunt it in an “in-your-face” manner. They
were confident enough in their sexuality to put it away and take it out as they
wanted, by making bras lavish and erotic while making them discreet under tight
clothing; unless she wanted otherwise.
The 1990s brought about the “second skin” look. Bras were so comfortable
that they were barely noticeable and completely displayed a woman’s natural
curves. Lavish lingerie was now stowed away in dressers and was reserved for
special occasions. Women now had even more control of their sexuality by choosing
the time and place that they would be assertive and dominant; they were sexual on
their own time. Women and bras evolved from discretion and sexual silence to
comfort and chameleon, fitting any image they desired to fill.
Over the past century, the design of the bra tottered back and forth between
discreet and comfortable and lavish and enhancing. As women became socially
liberated, they became sexually liberated, sending the bra’s function from binding to
supporting to revealing leading up to the elimination of the “conforming silhouette”
and giving women the choice of which function they wanted served. The everchanging design of the bra reflected the ever-growing power and confidence that
women were gaining more than any other object. Women, like the bras they wore,
evolved from demure and obedient, to sexually assertive and free.
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