Bra Nonsense

Back in the 70s, some feminists went so far as to burn their bras. No longer would they submit to the shackles decreed by men!

Turns out, as many of us discovered as the years drifted by, bras actually serve a purpose, other than shackling women because men like them like that. They help combat the ravages of gravity and time, if worn correctly. Therein lies the rub, in more than one sense.

I'm going to guess that at least 95% of the bras manufactured follow the same old pattern: two straps that go straight over the shoulders, and the opening is in the back. I hate that pattern. Unless you are young and flexible – or don't mind asking for help getting dressed and undressed – that back opening is hard to negotiate. The straps fall off the shoulders, which means the bra is not doing its job. And the more a woman needs a bra (the bustier she is), the more those objections hold true. Some women develop deep indentations in their shoulders from where they've tightened those straps as much as they possibly can, trying to keep those straps from falling. My mom had those shoulder indentations.

I switched to front-closure bras a decade or more ago. Much easier to put on! But most of them are of the 'leisure' variety, meaning they aren't really intended to provide the support that is the reason for wearing bras in the first place. What gives with that? Oh, they do supply some light support, but for the full-figured gal, it isn't much. And if you aren't a full-figured gal, why bother with a bra at all?

I do wish the bra manufacturers would go back to the drawing board and try again. There is no reason why a bra that offers support can't be opened in the front. There is no reason why a bra's straps have to go straight up and over, which gives them leeway to slip out of position. There are plenty of other possibilities that would minimize that problem, if not eliminate it. But I suspect the general mentality of bra manufacturers is; it was good enough for mom, so it's good enough for today's women, too. Shame on them for being stuck in the mud.