I am eternally grateful to the liberated ladies of the Swinging Sixties for sticking their heads above the women’s rights parapet, although I do worry that in 2017 we have started a backward slide but … that’s a blog for another day. Today is bra blog day.
It’s debatable whether any bras were burnt during the Sixties Women’s Lib movement, but I decided to stop wearing mine at 16, much to my strait-laced mother’s chagrin, because I believed this breast liberating gesture was in solidarity with my Women’s Lib heroes. As my mother predicted, all it did for me was make me sag before my time and I am sure Mrs Pankhurst never felt that shedding any under garments would have strengthened her emancipation battle.
In 2013, French Sports Scientist Jean-Denis Rouillon claimed that bras ‘are not needed’ and that they might be doing women more harm than good.
Prof Rouillon concluded by saying that perhaps women should not ditch their bras as he had only conducted his research on a small number of women and didn’t know what the long-term effects of going bra-less would be. Maybe it should be ongoing research for him? Although I am not sure why a male of the species is best qualified to determine the future of bras that have been around in some uplifting shape or form since the women of Ancient Greece started strapping up their breasts. Surely it would be more appropriate for a woman to carry out any scientific brassiere studies ?
Caresse Crosby (born Mary Phelps Jacob), author, activist and the owner of an unfortunate whippet she named Clytoris, takes credit for patenting the modern bra in 1910.
Apparently the awesome Charlie Dimmock was bra-less when she made the Ground Force programmes. I avidly watched the whole series without noticing her mammary liberation, presumably because I was too busy absorbing her gardening tips.
I would have thought it stands to reason … the bigger your bazookas … the more important it is to wear a bra.
So … beware of the painful bouncing boobies …
Filed under: Expect the Unexpected, Humour Tagged: bra burning, Bra Burrning Sixties, Bras, Caresse Crosby, Charlie Dimmock, Dr Jean Denis Rouillon, Emmeline Pankhurst, In support of the bra, Women's Liberation Movement
