You’ll never look at a bra the same way again | Laura Tempesta | TEDxKCWomen

Is your bra uncomfortable? Do you think you know what the underwire is for? The basic design of the bra hasn’t changed in over a century. And yet every day, women, without questioning, strap themselves into a frequently uncomfortable, even painful piece of clothing. But how can you find a bra that works for you?

Laura Tempesta is the only person in North America with a master’s degree in lingerie design, and she has something to say about why the bra industry continues to sell us the status quo and what we can do about it.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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)