The woman alleged to have invented the brassiere

[no_hypocrisy]

There were other versions before hers, but New York socialite Mary Phelps-Jacob is widely credited with inventing the modern bra, which turns 100 this year.

Born in 1891 in New Rochelle, Phelps-Jacob was a descendant of steamboat inventor Robert Fulton.

She was just 19 when she created an alternative to the corset while preparing for a debutante ball in 1910.

The filmy dress she planned on wearing had a plunging neckline, and the corset, constructed of whalebone and heavy fabric, was far too cumbersome.

Phelps-Jacob asked her maid to tie two white handkerchiefs together with some pink ribbon.

The improvised garment didn't offer much support, but it worked with the loose-hanging dresses of the period, and she wound up making versions for her high-society friends.

Phelps-Jacob got a patent in 1914 . . .




Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bra_uplifting_story_edNIg8GMS07S63NTEI34aO#ixzz0pSSTMCga

[Chalco]

1. Ah, yes, the bra...

the burka of the West.

[marzipanni]

2. Regarding burkas and bras

Your reply reminded me of something I heard a year or so ago-

Saudi women launch lingerie shop boycott
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Before her wedding last year, Huda Batterjee went abroad to buy her bridal lingerie -- she just couldn't bear the humiliation of discussing her most intimate apparel with a man.

She had little choice: there are almost no saleswomen in Saudi Arabia.

http://www.cleveland.com/world/index.ssf/2009/03/saudi_woman_launch_lingerie_sh.html

[whathehell]

3. Only if you wear it on your face...