Synopses & Reviews
Over the years the bra has been stereotyped as an object of seduction, glamour, and even oppression. In Uplift: A History of the Bra in America Jane Farrell-Beck and Colleen Gau use this item of clothing to gauge the social history of women and to understand the business history of fashion. Viewing fashion as a means to entertainment, self-creation, and everyday art, the authors illuminate the effect the brassiere has had on women's lives--their style, health, and economic opportunity.Rich in examples from advertising, movies, and other areas of popular culture, Uplift moves beyond featherbones and fiberfill to provide a sense of the dynamic relationship of the bra to wider issues in society.
Synopsis
Over the years the bra has been stereotyped as an object of seduction, glamour, and even oppression. In Uplift: The Bra in America, Jane Farrell-Beck and Colleen Gau use this item of clothing to gauge the social history of women and to understand the business history of fashion. Viewing fashion as a means to entertainment, self-creation, and everyday art, the authors illuminate the effect the brassiere has had on women's lives -- their style, health, and economic opportunity.
The precursor to the bra, the corset, weakened the muscles, compressed the lungs, and interfered with digestion and pregnancy. In the mid-nineteenth century forward-thinking physicians and laywomen led the transition away from these restrictive garments and toward the more functional brassiere. Unsurprisingly, no individual inventor or company could solve the complex problems of designing and producing truly comfortable breast support for the endless variety of women who demanded it. But in spite of the varied approaches, designers and business experts in the field shared one goal: to offer women an uplifting experience.
Brassieres designed to accommodate pregnancy and the special needs of breast cancer patients reflected the changing notions of modesty and health care in modern society. The coming of the brassiere also broadened the scope of women's economic achievement: from early patents for the device in the 1870s, to the multibillion-dollar industry of today, women have held positions of power and importance in the business, as designers, financial managers, promotional specialists, and production managers.
Rich in examples from advertising, movies, and other areas of popular culture, Uplift moves beyondfeatherbones and fiberfill to provide a sense of the dynamic relationship of the bra to wider issues in society.