Undergarments Bra and Panty

Pants are, more than any other garment, a powerful representation of struggle – struggle for power, freedom, autonomy, recognition.  It’s unlikely at this point in the history of fashion — where so much has been done, so many boundaries challenged and so many claims made to the effect that nothing ‘new’ is left to create  that any other piece of clothing can ever again have the same impact on society.

when women began wearing long leggings known as bloomers to provide additional modesty under their long skirts. Bloomers were open between the legs. These early undergarments are the base that all modern undergarments come from. It wasn't until the 1900s that women began sewing the sides of bloomers closed to provide additional coverage between the legs.

Bras were first invented in 1910. A woman seeking an undergarment that didn't show beneath her evening gown sewed two handkerchiefs together and used ribbon to tie the device closed. Her idea became popular among her neighbors, and drew corporate attention. The idea was sold to the Warner Brothers Corset Company, and the first commercially produced bras were produced in the early 1920s. These bras were designed to contain and flatten the breasts, operating by clipping to the lower half of a corset.

In the 1980s, the G-string became fashionable as a South American swimsuit style, and quickly spread world-wide. The 1990s saw manufacturers of both bras and panties becoming more focused on comfort than on fashion. Since then, bras and panties have continued to become better, but no major changes have been recently made.

It’s difficult to comprehend women not wearing trousers as part of their everyday wardrobe — it’s something that is, as it should be, taken for granted.  It’s both ironic and amusing to realize that, regardless of gender, every time you slip on a pair of pants you innocuously partake in a revolution.