Boobs.
(Laughter)
The girls.
Breasts.
Sometimes they're a friend; sometimes they're a frenemy.
But even when they frustrate you, you give them unconditional support.
(Laughter)
And you do this every day of your life
by strapping yourself into a garment called "the bra."
The bra as we know it is 100 years old,
and we believe a lot of things about it:
it needs to be pretty; it needs to be supportive.
Well, it needs to be a lot like us.
What we expect from our bras
is a metaphor for what the world expects of us.
And since our ideas about ourselves have changed a lot in the past 100 years,
maybe our bras should change too.
As the only person in North America with a master's degree in lingerie design,
I've spent a lot of time studying bras,
and I believe they're broken.
The stat that 80% of women are wearing the wrong bra size
came from a study conducted by Marks & Spencer,
a British retailer well-known for bra-fitting.
Another study found that 59% of women
said their bra caused back, shoulder, or neck pain.
Think athletic apparel is the cure-all?
Mm. Not quite.
75% of female marathon runners
have at least one fit issue with their sports bra
that causes discomfort.
So when we consider the astonishing breadth of innovation
over the past 100 years,
why are we still fastening ourselves in the same contraption every day
and calling it support?
Is the bra really so great
that it justifies a design which has hardly changed in 100 years?
No.
Manufacturers of most types of clothing, including bras,
know it's easier and cheaper to maintain the status quo
by making the same thing they've always made,
just changing the color or print.
They've trained consumers not to expect modernization in these types of goods,
leading consumers to believe
that true innovation in what we wear isn't possible,
which is ironic because with most other things we buy,
things not even directly related to our comfort,
we expect the manufacturers to constantly up their game.
I'm not going to buy a new phone because this season's trendy color is rose gold,
but because the technology in it is significantly better
than the phone I'm currently using.
The tech sector convinces us we need the latest innovation;
the apparel industry conditions us that the status quo is as good as it gets.
They count on our complacency.
Sure, there have been some advances with bras:
microfiber and stretch have been added to fabrics,
padded straps, molded cups, various types of underwires.
So, wow!
Look how far bras have come.
But here's what a bra in 1930 looked like,
[c. 1930]
and here's what it looks like today.
(Laughter)
[2018]
If that 90-year-old bra was hanging in a store today,
you would think it was this season's latest design.
You only need to be on Facebook one second to see ads for "revolutionized bras."
But those bras are essentially just the same old thing.
And I have a concern:
not only that bras haven't evolved and they aren't doing for us what we need,
but that we've been taught by this very industry
what we think we need,
and we've been misled.
So let's take a look at the design of the bra and the limits it imposes.
And for those of you who don't wear bras,
I'm assuming you've encountered a few along the way
and are familiar with the technology.
(Laughter)
So why do we wear bras?
We're told that's what you're supposed to do.
Social and cultural norms have taught us to feel shame if our breasts are uncovered
or feel unattractive if they are drooping.
If you have larger breasts,
it can feel uncomfortable to have them moving around.
Maybe you wear a bra because you believe it will keep your breasts from sagging.
Well, I have news for you:
(Laughter)
There is no scientific evidence whatsoever
that wearing a bra will keep your breasts from sagging.
Not.
That's right.
The technical term for sagging is ptosis,
and it happens due to factors
like breast size, pregnancy, smoking, aging, and gravity.
In fact, there are two studies
which show that wearing a bra actually contributes to breast sagging.
And while the jury is still out on these,
it may be that keeping them artificially lifted
weakens the breast-supporting tissues.
Bra manufacturers are well aware of this.
In 2000, the then-CEO of bra-maker Playtex, John Dixey,
was quoted in a British documentary, saying,
"We have no medical evidence that wearing a bra could prevent sagging,
because the breast itself is not a muscle
so keeping it toned up is an impossibility."
Sometimes I'm asked,
"What about the breasts of tribal women who don't wear clothes?"
I'm not going to show you a slide of those women,
but a quick Google search will reveal
the variety of breast shapes in those tribes
matches the variety in the rest of the world:
some are perky, and some are less than perky.
The only difference is that ptosis in bra-wearing cultures
is covered up by bras,
so you can't see just how prevalent pendulous breasts shapes are
in those cultures.
So if you're wearing a bra today
because you believe it will keep your breasts from sagging,
you are wearing it for the wrong reasons.
I know -
I felt betrayed too.
But based on the evidence we have,
wearing a bra to stay lifted may make about as much sense
as wearing high heels,
thinking they'll actually make you taller when you take them off.
(Laughter)
OK, so if bras can't prevent sagging, surely we need them for support, right?
And what better way than with underwires?
Two pieces of metal wedged under the breast.
(Laughter)
We've come to believe
that underwires alone provide support, right?
Wrong.
Underwires were not designed for support; they were designed for shape.
Underwires act like ponytail holders:
They got a larger mass into a compact, rounded shape.
(Laughter)
Here are two bras on the same woman:
one with underwires, and one without.
As you can see,
the one without underwires
does a much better job supporting the breast.
Although there are lots of supportive underwire bras,
the underwire alone does not provide the support.
Most of the support actually comes
from the stability of the underband, cups, and straps.
Let's take a look at photos of women from the 1950s in bullet bras.
(Laughter)
Those bras didn't have underwires.
(Laughter)
And those bras were so supported, they could poke an eye out!
(Laughter)
I'm guessing this isn't the first time you've discovered
that something that you thought would be supportive
turned out not to be.
(Laughter)
Except at that point, you probably ended that relationship.
(Laughter)
Maybe you like the feeling of an underwire:
you're used to it, and you like the shape it gives you.
Great!
But if you hate underwires
and you're only wearing them because you think you need to:
stop.
There are plenty of supportive bras without underwires.
How do you find a non-underwire bra that's supportive?
Look for a bra with cups made from non-stretch fabric
rather than foam.
Why?
Think about how differently you sit in a big slouchy sofa versus a church pew.
Pretty different, right?
You'll sink into the foam of a cushion chair
but sit upright in a wooden chair.
A non-stretch fabric is like a wooden chair
and does a much better job of supporting.
Also, look for no stretch in the front of the bra and the front straps.
If you're thinking,
"That doesn't sound very comfortable,"
I assure you that fabric-based support is in fact very comfortable -
far better than wire
or a church pew.
So let's talk sizing for a sec.
As women, we've been raised to identify with a certain size,
and by the way,
when you're not that size anymore,
it's upsetting.
If you were always a size 6 and now you're a 10,
you have feelings about that,
just as you do when you go from a 12 to an 8.
Chances are, you've also labeled yourself with a bra size,
especially a cup size:
"I'm just an A."
"I'm a solid B."
"I'm a D."
You probably have feelings about that too.
You might even feel inadequacy or shame.
But here's the thing:
bras don't fit the way jeans fit.
If you're a size 8 jean,
you know that a 6 will be too small and a 10 will be too large.
There's only one size in that style that will fit you.
But bras aren't sized like any other type of clothing:
there isn't just one size that fits you.
And the reason I'm telling you this
is that you may have mistakenly settled on a size,
thinking that's just what you are,
when you could be wrong
and missing out on a world of comfort and far superior support as a result.
Let's take four bra sizes:
38A, 36B, 34C, and 32D.
Completely different sizes, right?
[38 A, 36 B, 34 C, 32 D]
Nope.
They're all the same size.
These sizes all accommodate the same size breast;
they just do it with a shorter or longer underband.
Now, you might think you're a D cup,
and then you just need to figure out the girth of your ribcage, correct?
Wrong again.
A 38D, 36D, 34D, and 32D
have absolutely nothing in common.
They don't fit the same size breast or ribcage.
So everything you've been told your whole life -
that A cups are always small and D cups are always large -
isn't true.
Would you believe it if I told you that you could be an A
and have bigger breasts than someone with a D cup?
Sounds flatly wrong, but it's true.
And some As - get this - are the exact same size as Ds.
You think it can't be true,
but that's just how messed up bra sizing is
and why we so often get it wrong.
And much like the other ways we have been labeled, as women,
these cup sizes are labels that are lies.
When was the last time you questioned your size?
When was the last time
you questioned something else about yourself you thought was true
but might not be?
Why are sizes so crazy?
Like, who designed it this way and why?
The numbers 32, 34, etc. are based on Victorian shirt sizes.
[OUR PATTERN DEPARTMENT]
Initially, the bra size was only the shirt size.
The assumption was that the clothing size matched the breast size:
small clothing size, small breast size.
When it became apparent that wasn't always the case,
cup sizes were added by determining how many inches bigger the bust was
than the Victorian shirt size.
But here's the problem with that:
Two inches bigger than a 32 shirt size was a B cup,
and two inches bigger than a 38 shirt size was also a B cup.
That created a lot of different size B cups
and led to something called "sister sizing,"
which is how bras are currently sized.
So all of these cups, which sound totally different,
are exactly the same.
In fact, the manufacturers make the same fronts
over and over and over again,
change the length of the underband, and label it as a different size.
The cups are identical.
And all of these cups, which sound totally the same,
are completely different.
As the decades went on,
and women no longer knew their Victorian shirt size
off the top of their head,
(Laughter)
a system of measuring around the rib cage and adding four or five inches
was used to identify a woman's Victorian size.
Why are 80% of women wearing the wrong bra size?
Because most women have no idea this is how bras are sized.
Currently, the global bra market is around $25 billion annually.
Since 80% of those purchases are for the wrong size,
that means approximately $20 billion of that $25 billion
is spent purchasing the wrong product.
I can't think of any other industry
where 80% of consumers buy the wrong thing and it's considered perfectly normal.
How is that OK?
And the reason so many women are experiencing pain from their bras
is because they're wearing the wrong size.
That's outrageous.
Designing a system that would enable most women to wear the right bra size
would be very easy to do.
Just label all of the cup sizes which are the same,
the same!
(Laughter)
That's how most women assume bras are sized anyway.
And make the band size a simple rib cage measurement.
Because let's be honest:
Unless you're living in Downton Abbey,
who cares what your Victorian shirt size is?
(Laughter)
How do you know
if you're wearing the wrong size?
Because that system of adding four or five inches doesn't work very well,
many women are wearing a band size too big and a cup size too small.
Reach around and pull the band away from your back.
If it easily stretches more than the width of your hand, it's too big or too old.
(Laughter)
And I just lost half the audience because they have their hands up their shirts.
(Laughter)
Why is having a large underband problematic?
Because -
here's another bra doozy -
the majority of support comes from the underband, not the straps.
In fact,
if your shoulder straps are digging in,
it could mean that your underband is too big and isn't doing its job.
By the way, you don't have to adjust the straps equally.
Most people have one shoulder higher than another,
so it's OK if one needs to be tighter than another.
When you buy a new bra,
be sure to also try on your sister sizes to find the best fit.
And be sure to find a bra that fits on the loosest hook.
You're supposed to hook a new bra on the loosest hook
so that as it gets older and stretches out,
you can tighten it.
And if your bra has had a birthday,
it has outstayed its welcome.
(Laughter)
You should be replacing your bras every year.
(Explosive sound)
(Laughter)
(Applause)
I know -
this is mind-blowing stuff, truly.
(Laughter)
No matter when you bought the bra you're wearing today,
bottom line is it's 100 years older than you think.
(Laughter)
Hey, some things do get better with age,
like fine wine
or Helen Mirren.
(Laughter)
But not the bra.
And it leaves us to question: What other outdated ideas are we stuck on?
Here's the thing:
All bras are training bras.
They train us from a young age
that this is how things are, how things feel, how you come up short,
and there's nothing you can do about it.
Bras have become an icon for the status quo.
I'm not saying we should all be burning our bras,
but we can do better than this.
If we don't question something
as small and persistent as the first thing we put on every day,
how can we question the bigger things?
The time is now for us to challenge the status quo,
and it starts at chest level.
Because for far too long,
the very thing that's supposed to lift us up
has let us down.
(Laughter)
Thank you.
(Applause)