100 year anniversary of the bra

[Absaroka]

According to the paper today,last month was the 100th anniversary of the coining of the term brassiere, by Vogue magazine. The current bra had been invented a few years earlier as a replacement for the corset.

I find it interesting that brassiere is actually a reference to the arms, I guess because the straps go around the arms on their way to the shoulders, as opposed to supporting the breasts by constricting the stomach like some sort of a python.

Since a corset could only be worn by women who didn't do physical work I would guess that the vast majority of women just wore either a peice of cloth wrapped around their chest or nothing at all under their clothing for all those thousands of years previous. And yet now a bra is considered a neccesity.

Come to think of it, back in the days of large families most women (except for the rich who had wet nurses) probably spent about 10 to 15 years either pregnant or nursing.

My how our perceptions about these things change.

Absaroka

[Ann Stef]

From the French, "Sous le Bra" Under the arm. I guess you do have to sling it under the arm before hooking. The German name is cute also, bosum halter. Stop the boobies?.

[Stephanie H]

Thought this link would be informative
http://www.azzuma.com/HTML/history.html

[Lydia]

The French word for a Bra is: "soutien gorge". Means "Support the Throat" - if that makes any sense.

Lydia

[Absaroka]

Can we Americanize that to sutengorge? Now we cal talk about wearing our sutengorges and no one will have any idea what we are talking about. I like it.......

Absaroka