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The Bra: A Woman's Perspective

Erica, a guest here at the Boudoir, contributed the following short essay....

I love wearing bras. There is no other garment that exemplifies femininity for me. I've come a long way since my first 32AA white nylon "bandage" that was my first bra. The year was 1968. My mom bought boring white bras for me until I was 16 -that's when I started buying my own bras. I remember that they were Maidenform Sweet Nothings softcups -they came in soft silky fabric and in jewel colors -quite a change from the drab white nylon spandex bras I had worn until then. In high school I would wear the colored bras under white silk blouses just to tantalize the boys a bit. I had blossomed into a 34C by this time, and so also wanted to have some support for my breasts. I invested in Maidenform "Heartstrings" and Warner's "It's Really Something" underwire styles which were both pretty and supportive, and I got them in different colors. These were my mainstays in my college years. When Bali introduced an underwire satin and lace bra style in the mid-eighties, i fell in love with the style and I have been wearing that since -it is comfortable and elegant, and I stocked up on all the four available colors - I like the black and blush colors most. Come the 90s and shimmery satin underwires are in - I have a few of the Victoria's Secret Second Skin satin styles with coordinating panties in tantalizing jewel tones. And I have some satin print styles with matching panties too -including one in a leopard print when I feel my animal instincts aroused. Needless to say, that is one of my husband's favorites! I am a professional woman, and occasionally I will be a little risque, wearing the Bali lace camisole bra directly ( but discreetly) under a business suit without a blouse. The lace at the neckline showing above the suit jacket lapel adds a touch of elegance and femininity to an otherwise austere business suit. That is one of my favorites- together with my wedding bra which I wore under my gown. It is a strapless longline white satin and lace bra from Maidenform, which took tantalizingly long for my husband to undo on our wedding night due to all the hooks in the back!

I like experimenting with different bras -there are different styles for different moods and occasions, some very utilitarian, some frivolous and some daring. Today's woman has, fortunately, a wide variety of selection in bras that offer both comfort and stytle, femininity and elegance. It is a time when a woman can express herself through her lingerie, so that bras can rise above being "unmentionables" to a means of expression and self-expression for the woman of today.

Bras... Oh dear, what to write... Well, I've been wearing them since the 6th grade - 1963. I don't think I ever bought one myself until my junior year in high school - 1968. In the late 60s, once I was purchasing my own lingerie, I definitely liked bright colors and then prints that were popular then. I have vivid recollections of friends - sitting around in our underclothing... usually bras, half or full slips... girdles or garter belts and stockings (no pantyhose yet!) ...and just talking. In that regard I think we were more open than today.

Anyway, I know that when I graduated in 1970 I wore a bright colored bra and underpant set (Maidenform would be my guess) with pantyhose.

I never burned any bras, and never knew anyone who did! We did, however, wear bras that did not have very much support in the early 70s. By the mid 70s, bras were structured again and in white, beige, and black. I always hated white (still do!) and opted for the beige and black. The early 80s brought back style and choice in lingerie, including colors. By then I was in my early 30s.

What did I wear then and today? I prefer underwire styling... support and style. I prefer dark colors - slimming, you know! However, I do have a weakness for prints... trying to recapture my youth I suppose. I like to coordinate my lingerie with my outer clothing... Color and style, etc...

I do occasionally purposely wear a dark or print bra under a blouse that will show - Just my desire to be naughty!!

-Susan