{"id":6119,"date":"2012-02-24T23:42:42","date_gmt":"2012-02-25T04:42:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kathyschiffer.com\/?p=6119"},"modified":"2016-09-30T16:00:12","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T21:00:12","slug":"breasts-and-bras-the-irony-and-the-ecstasy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/kathyschiffer\/2012\/02\/breasts-and-bras-the-irony-and-the-ecstasy\/","title":{"rendered":"Breasts and Bras: The Irony and the Ecstasy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"I am practical<\/span>,<\/strong> and I rise above the level of fashionista, unconcerned about public opinion, charting my path without as much as a glance toward the dictates of fashion.<\/p>\n

Or, I am lazy<\/span>,<\/strong> and like Rhett Butler, frankly I just don\u2019t give a d**n what you think.<\/p>\n

Either way, I have long ago abandoned two of the stylish woman\u2019s three instruments of self-inflicted torture:\u00a0\u00a0 make-up<\/strong> and shoes.<\/strong>\u00a0 The third, the brassiere<\/strong>, is my topic today.<\/p>\n

It was easy to get rid of make-up<\/span>:<\/strong>\u00a0 I developed an allergy, and going fresh-faced seemed far preferable to leaving the house swollen-eyed, bulbous-nosed, puffy and sniffling.<\/p>\n

It was easy to get rid of uncomfortable shoes<\/span>:<\/strong>\u00a0 I broke my foot (a great excuse!) and no longer wear pointy-toed high-heeled pumps that exaggerate the body\u2019s natural assets\u2014thrusting women\u2019s breasts forward, derriere out, lengthening legs, reshaping the arch into yet another soft and sexy curve.<\/p>\n

But the bra<\/span>?<\/strong>\u00a0 That ingenious contraption that pushes one\u2019s assets up and out, helps older women to masquerade as ing\u00e9nues, provides a layer of protection against elevator crowders\u2026.\u00a0 Well, it\u2019s a little harder to give up that torture device and still find acceptance in the wider world of women.<\/p>\n

\"\"Perhaps you remember (or, if you\u2019re a 20-something, you read a book about) radical feminist Gloria Steinem and the feminists\u2019 bra-burning movement in the 1960s.\u00a0 Germaine Greer, in her book The Female Eunuch<\/span>, wrote about the cultural phenomenon:<\/p>\n

\u201cBras are a ludicrous invention, but if you make bralessness a rule, you\u2019re just subjecting yourself to yet another repression\u2026. \u00a0For some, the bra remains a symbol of restrictions imposed by society on women\u2026the classic burning of the bras\u2026represented liberation from the oppression of the male patriarchy, right down to unbinding yourself from the constrictions of your smooth silhouette.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Greer\u2019s radical feminism struck a chord with women, who were increasingly sensitive to gender discrimination in American society.<\/p>\n

Burning one\u2019s bra, in that era, was a symbol of freedom<\/strong>\u2014a sign that liberated women would no longer permit men to define them on the basis of their anatomy.\u00a0 Going braless was a sign of freedom.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s interesting that this week, CNN is airing \u201cTaking a Stand, Making a Difference\u201d which deals with\u2014believe it or not\u2014the bra as a guarantor of freedom<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

CNN reports<\/a> about Kimba Langas, a stay-at-home mother in Denver, Colorado, who collects unwanted bras for a charity called \u201cFree the Girls.\u201d\u00a0 The organization, in turn, gives the bras to young women in Mozambique who are attempting to escape from sexual slavery.\u00a0 The young women don\u2019t wear the bras\u2014instead, they sell them in a used clothing market, where the bras are a high fashion item and they command top prices.\u00a0 The girls are able to earn enough to support themselves\u2014about three times the average wage in that country\u2014so that they need not enter the sex trade again.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am practical, and I rise above the level of fashionista, unconcerned about public opinion, charting my path without as much as a glance toward the dictates of fashion. Or, I am lazy, and like Rhett Butler, frankly I just don\u2019t give a d**n what you think. Either way, I have long ago abandoned two […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":556,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nBreasts and Bras: The Irony and the Ecstasy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Maybe I'm practical... Maybe I'm lazy.... 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