Burning the Bra

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Burning the Bra

• Feminist Pop Culture Revisited

Rebecca Kleinfelter Womens Studies
Program University of Alberta, Edmonton,
Canada November 2005
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Why Do Women Need To Wear Bras?
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Medical Myths
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The Ugly Sagging Boob
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All Those Against The Sag

• Dr. Miriam Stoppard author of The
  Breast Book
• Growing breasts produce stretch marks and stretch
  the ligaments that ultimately result in sagging.
  Precautions in the form of a bra have to be taken
  sooner rather than later.

Stoppard pg 52
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More From Dr. Stoppard

• Any sport that results in a jogging movement will
  cause the suspensory ligaments to take the full
  weight of the breast every few seconds. A sporty
  adolescent therefore needs breast support earlier
  than her less active sisters. (my emphasis)
• A teenage girl should be introduced to the notion
  of wearing a bra long before she needs it.

Stoppard pg 53
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When does a girl need a bra?

• The Pencil Test
• When you place a pencil beneath your breast, if
  the pencil stays in place, then you need a bra
• According to Dr. Stoppard, this test fails
  because it is too late.
• The breasts are already a B cup before the pencil
  will stay.

Stoppard pg 52
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What About Big Breasts?

• All girls with extremely large breasts should
  be informed of the possibility of surgical breast
  reduction and offered councelling.

Stoppard pg 46
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The Truth!

• THERE IS NO MEDICAL REASON TO WEAR A BRA!

Lauersen pg 22, Love pg 21, 007b.com
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The Myth of the Sagging Boob

• Sag has nothing to do with bras
• Proportion of fat to connective and mammary
  tissue
• Age
• Weight loss/gain

Love pg 22, 007b.com
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On the Contrary

• There are suggestions that wearing a bra can
  actually increase the breasts' sag.
• Ligaments that receive artificial support in
  paraplegics often atrophy. Same process may be
  going on in your breast.

007b.com
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Real Boobs Saggy And Beautiful!
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The Myth of the Painful Boob

• Pain during exercise
• Exercise does NOT damage your breasts
• Pain after going braless
• Due to connective tissue reassuming their
  intended role of support

007b.com
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On The Contrary

• Not wearing a bra can actually strengthen the
  pectoral muscle, which can support the breast and
  provide a natural lift
• Bras can cause headaches shoulder, back and neck
  pain and painful fibroids in the breast. One
  well-known study even suggests bras can cause
  cancer.
• Due to damage to lymphatic system

007b.com, Lauersen pg 22
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Social Myths
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Comfort and Privacy

• Provides protection against peeking when wearing
  sleeveless shirts
• Keeps nipples and areolas from showing through
• Prevents movement under a shirt
• Provides comfort during exercise
• These are really just protections against social
  criticism and/or teasing.

Jukes pg 16, 007b.com
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At The Workplace

• MYTH Many women site the need to wear bras
  because of a dress code or a desire to look
  professional.
• FACT Few if any dress codes actually define what
  constitutes a bra. If alternatives such are
  camisoles are worn, it can be very difficult to
  tell whether or not you are wearing a bra.

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Why Is Going Braless A Feminist Pop Culture
Practice?
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Definition of Feminist

• Bras and bra-wearing hails women into the
  ideology of the feminine and womanhood.
  (Althusser)
• The female body is property to be maintained,
  controlled, exploited and traded (here, as sexual
  currency). (Wendell)
• Deals with the lived, bodily, material experience
  of women on a day-to-day basis (Wendell)
• Media images constantly reinforce the bra

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Definition of Pop Culture

• Taking advantage of an antagonistic moment
  already present in ideology. . . and presents it
  as an unassimilable option against the dominant
  ideology (Kipnis)
• Body as the site of resisting or struggling
  against dominant ideology (Darling-Wolf)
• Resistance can help a woman come to terms with
  her body image and increase her self-esteem (Rice)

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Popular Discrimination

• The ability of a group to decide NOT to buy/use a
  popular product (Fiske)
• Thus, Pop Culture is by definition already-always
  a practice

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If You're Not Convinced

• Alternatives
• Listed on the 007b.com website
• Include camisoles, vests, A-line tanks
• If you must wear a bra, at least wear one that
  properly fits!
• You are more than welcome to come ask me to teach
  you how to measure for your proper size

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Resources for Those Who Want To Be Brafree

• 007b.com/why_wear_bras.php
• goingbraless.net
• Me!

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References Cited (1/3)

• Althusser, Louis. Ideology and Ideological State
  Apparatuses. San Diego Harcourt, 1989.
• Darling-Wolf, Fabienne. From Airbrushing to
  Liposuction The Technological
• Reconstruction of the Female Body. Open
  Boundaries. 2nd ed. Eds. Barbara Crow and Lise
  Gotell. Toronto Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.
• Fiske, John. Popular Culture. Critical Terms
  for Literary Study. 2nd ed. Eds. Lentricchra and
  McLaughlin. University of Chicago 1995.

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References Cited (2/3)

• Jukes, Mavis. Growing Up Its a Girl Thing
  Straight Talk About First Bras, First Periods,
  and Your Changing Body. Toronto Random House of
  Canada, Ltd., 1998.
• Kipnis, Laura. Refunctioning reconsidered
  towards a left popular culture. Womens Studies
  320 Course Packet 2005.
• Lauersen, Neils H., M.D., Ph.D., and Eileen
  Stukane. The Complete Book of Breast Care.
  Toronto Random House of Canada, Ltd., 1996.
• Love, Susan M., M.D., and Karen Lindsey. Dr.
  Susan Loves Breast Book. 3rd ed. New York
  Perseus Publishing, 2000.

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References Cited (3/3)

• Rice, Carla. Between the Body and Culture
  Beauty Ability and Growing Up Female. Open
  Boundaries. 2nd ed. Eds. Barbara Crow and Lise
  Gotell. Toronto Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.
• Stoppard, Miriam, M.D. The Breast Book. New York
  DK Publishing, Inc., 1996.
• Wendell, Susan. The Flight from the Rejected
  Body. Open Boundaries. 2nd ed. Eds. Barbara Crow
  and Lise Gotell. Toronto Pearson Prentice Hall,
  2005.
• Why Women Wear Bras? 007 Breasts. 24 Oct 2005.