The Evolution of Brassiere in the 20Th Century
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Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Honors Theses Lee Honors College 12-10-2012 The Evolution of Brassiere in the 20th Century Jolene Khor Western Michigan University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses Part of the Journalism Studies Commons Recommended Citation Khor, Jolene, "The Evolution of Brassiere in the 20th Century" (2012). Honors Theses. 2342. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/2342 This Honors Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Lee Honors College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Running Head: The Evolution of Brassiere in the 20th Century 1 The Evolution of Brassiere in the 20th Century Jolene Khor Western Michigan University The Evolution of Brassiere in the 20th Century 2 Abstract It is common knowledge that a brassiere, more widely known as a bra, is an important if not a vital part of a modern woman’s wardrobe today. In the 21st century, a brassiere is no more worn for function as it is for fashion. In order to understand the evolution of function to fashion of a brassiere, it is necessary to account for its historical journey from the beginning to where it is today. This thesis paper, titled The Evolution of Brassiere in the 20th Century will explore the history of brassiere in the last 100 years. While the paper will briefly discuss the pre-birth of the brassiere during Minoan times, French Revolution and early feminist movements, it will largely focus on historical accounts after the 1900s. The paper will follow a chronological order, beginning with the pre-birth of the brassiere, followed by a decade-by-decade account of the history of the invention of brassiere, its structural values and the social settings that both influenced and was influenced by the undergarment. My analysis will show that the brassiere is more than a piece of garment – the evolution of the brassiere has and will continue to mirror the evolution of a woman’s status in society. My thesis statement will be explained and captured by my original writing, published text, existing patents as well as pictorial evidence. The Evolution of Brassiere in the 20th Century 3 Before the brassiere Long before women wore brassieres in the 20th century, they have employed many methods to keep their breasts in check. While the main predecessor of the brassiere, the restricting corset was largely worn as women’s undergarment for centuries, ancient civilizations took matters into their own hands before any modern patents were drawn. Minoan, Roman, Greek and Egyptian women, just to name a few, were practical in their use of undergarments. They tapped into everyday items such as linen clothes, belts and bands to conceal and protect their bodies from activities that may cause their bodies discomfort or harm. An excerpt from an article titled The History of Corsets (2011, para. 2) offers a clear illustration to my point: Around 1700 BC, Minoans used corsets that were fitted and laced or a smaller corselette that left the breasts exposed. In other ancient civilizations, corseted women were painted on pottery in Crete, Egypt, Rome, Greece, and Assyria. Women, in these cultures, commonly took part in strenuous activities such as gymnastics and bullfighting that necessitated the use of constricting bands or garments for support. Grecian women wore bands called zona while Cretan women wore heavy rings around their waists and bolero jackets to give their breasts support. Also, an article by Walsh of The Independent, Breast supporting act: a century of the bra (2007, para. 6) identified that the women in Crete wore material that both supported and revealed their bare breasts, in emulation of the snake goddess. The Evolution of Brassiere in the 20th Century 4 The History of Corsets (2011, para. 3) reported that undergarments were just as commonly used for practicality as they are worm to illustrate eroticism and even as a method of class distinction. For example, Egyptian women wore a band under their bust as part of their outward costume while Romans used corseted tight lacing as a form of superiority over slaves to show their low status and subjugation to their loosely draped masters and mistresses Then, came the infamous corset. A video titled Secret History of the Bra: History of the Bra (n.d.) by National Geographic identifies that bras have shifted their curves to match ever- changing standards of beauty throughout their history and this phenomenon includes the bra’s predecessor, the corset. The video explained that “the corset’s job was to cinch the waist and amplify the breast. This look was considered both proper and sexy.” The common misconception is that women started wearing corsets in the 19th century. The corset was not a new phenomenon then. The Feminine Ideal by Marianne Thesander (1997, p. 62) illustrated an iron corset from as early as the early sixteenth century. The Feminine Ideal also illustrated a picture of Queen Elizabeth 1 of England in drum farthingale by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger dated 1592 (Thesander, 1997, p. 63). However, changes regarding women’s corset and general undergarment occurred in the late 1880s. This was brought by the change of attitudes towards the female physique, the awakening of new artistic paragon and a greater differentiation between upper- and middle-class women expressed through various physical ideas (Thesander, 1997, p. 81). Corsets in the early 1900s placed a lot of importance in the silhouette of a woman’s body. The ideal body type for women was large chest, small waist and accentuated hips, hence The Evolution of Brassiere in the 20th Century 5 the reference of a woman’s body to the hourglass was born. In The History of Underclothes, authors Willet and Cunnington (1992) stated: Fashion decrees that very large hips and great splendor of figure should prevail but also superimposes a distinctly diminutive waist. The stays are of course straight-fronted, giving support but leaving the figure graceful and supple; whilst narrowing the back in the most surprising manner. It keeps English women in the right place, and allows their chest to expand… It is the feature of these stays that while they flatten the figure below they lend fullness to the chest thereby immensely improving the charm of the silhouette (p. 211). It would seem that females of that era were comfortable with their sexuality and were openly expressive with their physique. Their undergarments proudly showed off the robust female breasts and curved shape of the waists. However, Thesander describes the woman’s body as “a secret which her clothes did their utmost to keep. We would walk about in the streets in bad weather in order to catch a glimpse of an ankle, a sight of which must be as familiar to you young men of the present day as the stems of these wine-glasses of ours” (Thesander, 1997, p. 82). Throughout history, the corset has been of great importance as it was regarded as a must for any woman in society who wanted a dress to fit them properly – and for men to take them seriously. During that period of time, the corset had become more tightly laced and decorative, increasing the discomfort felt by the women who wore them. Therefore, it can be concluded that the corset was a social symbol for aristocracy physical control and self-discipline – symbol which will eventually attribute to its death and subsequently the birth of brassiere. The Evolution of Brassiere in the 20th Century 6 The birth of the brassiere The 20th century dawned with a new feminine ideal, from strongly accentuated curves to a more toned down silhouette. Corsets became lighter - boneless corsets with elastic panels were created and they loosely fitted women’s body across the hips. The National Dress Reform Association, one of many early feminist organizations warned against the health risks of wearing corsets and called for "emancipation garments". By 1900, several prototype of bra experiments had been conducted (Independent UK, 2007). The first bra prototype was patented by Henry Lesher from Brooklyn, New York in 1889. John Walsh of Independent UK (2007, para. 8) described that Lesher’s designs “offered ladies a rigid metallic structure, like a dustbin, to hold their bits in place.” Bustnlace.com (n.d., para. 1) identified that the undergarment did not provide support for women’s breasts. The prototype was made of shield-like panels to absorb perspiration. Inflatable pads were built in when one breast was larger than another. Many other inventors contributed to the slow emergence of the brassiere before the modern bra was patented. Walsh (2007, para. 9) wrote that among them was Herminie Cadolle in 1889. She “invented the “soutien-gorge” (the name meant throat support”) as part of a two- piece undergarment” and showed it at the Great Exhibition after she patented her designs. Her designs were considered the first modern brassiere because the invented a two-piece undergarment called le bien-être (the well-being). The upper pieces of separate cups supported the breasts with shoulder straps while the lower piece was a corset for the waist (BustNLace, n.d., para. 8). 100 Most Influential People in Fashion described Cadolle’s revolution to have made her “so popular that she became Paris’s most renowned bra fitter, working with actresses and royals like Mata Hari” (Dennis 2008, para. 2). th The Evolution of Brassiere in the 20 Century 7 Figure 1: Picture of original patented brassiere design by Henry Lesher.