Traditionally, the introduction to a bra marks the beginning of womanhood. However, what is meant to be a new and exciting introduction to the next step of a woman’s life becomes the target of the male gaze. Patriarchal values teach women very early in their lives that men are a force to be wary of. While men are continually justified for their actions, women have been continually subjected to fear and oppression at the hands of these male figures. Patriarchal values are cast upon women in an effort to control and minimize their decisions. One way the patriarchy does so is through regulating how a woman should dress. Throughout history, bras have been dictated by these patriarchal values. Regardless of whether the bra is exposed, covered, or absent, the concept of wearing a bra is constantly subjected to various opinions, new definitions, and the patriarchal male gaze.
The malleable garment has been used as a symbol of many ideas: political resistance in the action of wearing no bra, the patriarchy’s confinement of natural curves, femininity, self-love through individual expression through a bra, and fashion in bra-wearing trends. Bras have been redefined and transformed multiple times throughout their existence. The malleable garment has been used as a symbol of many ideas: political resistance in the action of wearing no bra, the patriarchy’s confinement of natural curves, femininity, self-love through individual expression through a bra, and fashion in bra-wearing trends. Clothing, particularly the bra, has been a weapon in women’s subordination. In the ‘60s, the idea of being unconstrained from the patriarchal rules of society led to a rebellion against the bra and its absence in the daily fashion decisions women made. Since then, going
without a bra has become more and more accepted as society moves towards a celebration of the natural body. The braless movement has been used by women to redefine how their bodies are presented, creating new societal norms of freedom of expression. Women have been wearing bras for over a century. In the 1920s, the boyish silhouette of the Flapper era inspired a new trend in undergarments: the goal of flattening. The androgynous figure was created through the use of a bandeau brassiere, which compressed breasts to downplay women’s natural curves. The appearance of flat breasts for flappers was equated to appearing as equals to men, leading to a trend of compressing brasseries to emphasize masculinity. Although this trend was created by women to be seen as equals to their male counterparts, the flattening began to appeal to men. Through hypersexualization, the object worn to promote gender equality was glorified by the patriarchy as a beauty standard for all women. Women who could not achieve the desired look were shown advertisements for weight loss. Due to the constricting patriarchal standards, wearers of the compressing brassiere suffered a breakdown of breast tissue and decimation of their self-image.
Men created a standard for a woman’s dress and presentation in the workplace in an overt exertion of power and dominance over their female colleagues. This stereotype did not last long as by the 1940s, women’s dress codes began requiring the bra as part of the work uniform. Women in the workplace were informed that bras must be worn to make those around them more comfortable and to provide anatomical support for the breasts. Similar to how boys make sexually-induced comments towards girls in middle school