Tracing The Early History Of Women Starting To Wear Bras

Illustration (Source: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - October 13 is celebrated as No Bra Day. On that day, women are encouraged not to wear a bra. This is to raise women's awareness of the dangers of breast cancer symptoms and remind women to undergo regular self-examinations.

Citing National Today, No Bra Day is also an opportunity for many organizations to raise donations for research. Many women who survive breast cancer cannot go without a bra because they need it to hold the prosthesis after surgery.

In addition, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and No Bra Day is a reminder for all women to get breast cancer screening as early as possible. Most types of breast cancer can be treated if caught early.

The origins of No Bra Day can be traced back to two days in history: July 9, 2011 and October 19, 2011. Originally, No Bra Day was only observed in Toronto, Canada, every 19 October 2011.

Before becoming Bra-Free Day, its name was BRA Day, which was coined by Dr. Mitchell Brown. BRA Day is celebrated to raise awareness for women undergoing mastectomy and to encourage breast cancer self-examination.

Meanwhile in July 2011, someone using the pseudonym Anastasia Donuts organized a No-Bra Day to raise cancer awareness and set up a website to help promote the day. Three years later, the two days were combined and October 13 was chosen to be commemorated in Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Illustration (Antonius Ferret/Pexels)

Bra history

Before there was a bra, women used a corset that formed the ideal figure, namely a chest that protrudes above a small waist. Actually the use of a corset is uncomfortable because it presses the breast. However, due to cultural influences, corsets are always worn by women.

There are many theories regarding the emergence of the first bra. One of them was the emergence of the bra in 1917. According to NPR, at that time the frame of the corset was mostly made of metal, which was needed for ammunition and other military equipment.

The US War Industry Council then asked American women to stop wearing iron corsets. Not long after, modern bras were created and freed women from metal corsets.

However, another source stated that the moment was not used as the first use of a bra. The first bras most likely date back to ancient Greece, when women used linen cloth over the breasts and tied them at the back. Many women wear chest belts to make them look fuller and focus on the curves of the hips.

Fragments of linen textiles found in East Tyrol, Austria, dating from 1440 and 1485, are believed to be bras. The first fragment, there is a round cut made of two pieces of linen sewn with fabric that extends to the lower half of the body with a row of six eyelets for tying with lace or string. While the second has two shoulder straps and is decorated with lace at the cleavage.

Illustration (Source: Unsplash)

While in Asia, women have also worn clothes that are useful such as bras. Citing The Exploress, in India, the first mention of a bra comes from writings from the 1st century AD. In ancient China there were several items whose use was like a bra: the xieyi, a tunic-style undergarment worn during the Han Dynasty around 200 BC and the moxiong, a one-piece garment worn around AD 500.

Meanwhile in Vietnam, there is a traditional undergarment called Yem, an evolution of the traditional Chinese underwear, dudou, which was brought to Vietnam during the Ming Qing dynasty. The popularity of yếm died out in the 20th century due to westernization.

In 1889, Herminie Cadolle from France made the first modern bra. At that time it was not called a bra, Cadolle made clothes in the form of a traditional corset cut in half. The bottom is a corset for the waist and the top supports the bust with shoulder straps. The description reads "designed to support the chest supported by the shoulders."

Cadolle patented his invention and showed it at an exhibition in 1889. The company claims that Herminie managed to free women from the torture of wearing a corset by inventing the first bra. In 1905, the top was sold separately as the soutien-gorge, the name of the bra still known in France. He also introduced the use of elastic fabrics for bras. Since then the bra has continued to evolve. Various designs are made so that women are comfortable wearing them.

The use of bras was criticized in 1968. At that time, Miss America carried out a feminist movement by throwing a number of feminine products into the trash, including bras. These items are called "instruments of female torture" and forced femininity.

The anti-bra argument was echoed by feminist writer Iris Marion Young in 2005. She stated that bras were used to indoctrinate girls to think of their breasts as sexual objects and accentuate their sexuality.

Young also says that, in American culture, breasts are subject to "the media-dominated capitalist and patriarchal culture of America that objectifies breasts." Academic Wendy Burns Ardolino stated in 2007 that a woman's decision to wear a bra was mediated by "a man's gaze."

*Read other information about HISTORY or read other interesting articles from Putri Ainur Islam.

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