Evolution of Women’s Underwear

Ah well, even today as I write this, women’s undergarments have always been a risqué subject, unnecessary as I deem it. Women’s underwear has always been subjected to the male gaze, or perhaps even objectification or even sexualizing women. Women’s underwear has always been something way more than clothes. The sly looks you gather from Aunties when just a strap of your bra is visible, or even the outline of it being shown is considered so so unsanskaari. Many a times, we have all had that auntie you do not even know just come up to you and hide your bra strap in your top. With the world in Lockdown in recent times, women have now ditched our frenemy BRA, and yeah let those babies breathe… With these times where women are happily ditching the bra, and movements like free the nipple on the rise, well some still find them comfortable, well we respect both the groups.

As happy as we are for people who are living their lives bra-free or even with it, here’s a peek on the evolution of Women’s undergarments, through the ages. Though men throughout history wore underpants, it was considered “improper” for a lady to have anything between her legs.

Before the 1800s, women didn’t wear underwear! As bizarre as that sounds, yes, instead of underwear they wore ‘several’ layers of petticoats, that must have been uncomfortable, I guess. Well, that wasn’t enough uncomfortable maybe, then came the 1800s with crinolines and corsets. Crinolines were the most beloved fashion trend in the 1800s as it created an hourglass figure. More women died as a result of wearing these, as these crinolines caught on to things, like they would catch on fire, moving carriages and what not, and even inflicting internal injuries. Women started suffering for fashion as the lace-up bodices clinched their waist and flattened their chest. People even used stiffening material like whalebone, wood, steel to create more tighter waist. These gave emphasis to the hips, but also lifted the breasts and create a rod-shaped posture. In the 1850s,silhouetts shifted to become more hourglass, with Victorians desperate to make their average 28-inch waist a 16 inch one, corsets turned out to be their pals, where breathing seems to be optional. Corsets were now designed with skirt supporters, to give a more subtle lift. There was even a battery powered corsets, to strengthen internal organs and cure a weak back and develop the chest. BRB gotta tell science about this discovery. Corsets had no exception; it was worn by pregnant women this was a too. These corsets later got an S-shape in the start of 1900s by including things such as lemon cups, were cotton cups filled with horse hair to lift up the breasts, minimise the waist and push the derriere back. All this sounds painful enough maybe.

In 1910, the first bra was invented by Mary Jacobs by sewing two handkerchiefs together with a ribbon tie, and was granted a patent four years for her design. With the birth of the roaring 20s came women flinging off their flamboyant underwear in exchange of silky petticoats to create a perfect silhouettes under a flapper dress. As the hem-lines started to shrink, so did the bloomers. The 1930s came with flattening the curves and more of a boyish figure started to wear loose, shapeless silhouettes, big boobs and butts just got the way here. Women Shapewear came to be with Girdles, created for flattening the stomach and extended over the thighs, for a more androgynous figure.

Then came a more feminine aesthetic to lingerie, previously plain and white, now became decorative and trendy. Bras gained more popularity, with the introduction of the “full fashion double support’ bras, featuring an extended band for added support. In the 1940s due to supply shortages of nylon, women would paint down seams down their legs to give the illusion of wearing stockings, or even steal parachute silk to sew them. Special corsets were designed for women in the auxiliary Territorial Service and the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force during World War II, with more pockets. Cup sizes and measurements as we know them today came to be, women now took the control of the type of underwear they wanted to wear. Underwire bras had been introduced, Started gaining traction due to their supportive, structured style. Strapless bras gave an alternative to corsets when wearing a revealing neck line. Then came the push-up bra, Front hook bra styles and even adhesive bras to allow for backless dresses and plunging necklines. In the 1950s came the bullet bra with a piercing look literally. Push-up bras with an inflatable inserts were quite known.

Lingerie now evolved into something glamorous, with girdles used to create the pin up look, then came lingerie in seductive colors and was worn out like by Madonna and Marylin Monroe, propelling this. With time came lingere promoting female sexuality with different styles, fabrics and now women started to embrace the female body as it is. This was the time also when an era of freedom and rebellion was ushered, were women burned their bras in act of defiance and non-conformity, by enjoying the natural female form.

Lingerie evolved with silk and lace fabrications in the 1970s, and in the late u70s started the Victoria’s Secret era with more seductive looks associated and was thus hyper-sexualised. Then came the low-rise jeans and the G-string, thongs, etc.

With the passage of time, women have been forced to look a certain way, with unconventional beauty standards imposed on every girl, leading to slut-shamming, body-shamming, or making women feel like they look less beautiful, or don’t pass the expected beauty standards has always been the norm then and is still is the norm now, with the perfect look pressure every day a lot has made every woman question her worth now and then. Why impose these standards, everyone of us are beautiful just the way we are, in the recent times, women are now embracing their bodies, promoting self-love, and yes are choosing what to wear to feel good and not feel reduced by someone else’s opinion.

Clothes do not decide the whether you are cultured or uncultured, clothes do not decide what we are, it’s high time people start judging women in terms of their accomplishments rather than the clothes I choose to wear. The clothes we wear are for us to feel happy and not to get a stranger’s attention. Expression of sexuality should be what a person chooses to, and clothing certainly DOES NOT define it. Clothing also should be a personal choice and not something that’s not what you feel uncomfortable in. Please just let us wear what we like and not be judged for it.

- by Pranvai C. S and Riya D'Souza