Good News For Bou

Dear Bou,

As I was paging through the Atlanta Urinal and Constipation Thursday, I came across this article

Building a better bra High-tech features meant to bring new comfort for women

For the past 10 years, Gillian Wickwire has arrived home from a long day to perform the same ritual.

"The first thing I do is take my bra off," said the 28-year-old doctoral candidate in women's studies at Emory University.

My kind of girl. Less work for me. Turn those puppies loose!

Eight hours was about all she could stand before the underwire in her 38D bra grew unbearable.

38D? Holy crap!

But during a recent shopping trip, Wickwire found her salvation: a bra with underwire encased in a continuous piece of material without a single tag, stitch or seam.

"Up until now, it's been hard to find bras that fit," Wickwire said. "With this bra, I feel so comfortable."

Now where have I read sumpin' like this? I remember. You wrote about this didn't you Bou? I remember reading about you removing your underwire at work. (Sorry folks. Ain't giving you the specific links. You'll have to go find the entries on her site.)

Her discovery: The Secret Embrace bra by Victoria's Secret, priced at $42 to $44, is among a new breed of bra flooding the market with a dizzying array of features --- from odor protection to seamless silhouettes.

$42? Bras cost that much money? Whoa!

As women flock to stores to restock their bra wardrobe for spring, many of them, particularly younger women, are trusting their precious cargo to these high-tech holders. But the elusive quest for comfort, along with the overwhelming number of newfangled options, can be enough to turn even the savviest shopper into a Luddite.

Y'know, I've always said, "If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we make a comfortable bra, as well as one that's easy for guys to get off". I mean, is the catch on the front or on the back? I remember my first experience with a pushup bra. My hand (Yep! I can undo a bra onehanded.) automatically went to the back and there was no catch there. WTF? How do I get this thing off?

Bras feature underwire that supports without constricting. Bras have invisible protection from odor and wetness. Bras even have "memory."

Memory? I got memory. I remember nice boobage. But bra memory? Does it have a computer chip?

"You look at computers, you look at phones . . . technology gives every business, including foundations, a way to grow and offer solutions," said Sara Tervo, spokeswoman for Victoria's Secret.

All right ladies, let's hear it for technology. It's not just about computers and cellphones anymore. It's about boobage. I'm all for that!

About five years ago, the introduction of lighter-weight materials kicked the bra revolution into high gear.

As opposed to the no bra revolution of the 60's and 70's. For some girls that was OK. For others? Put your bras back on! For example: My ex. 34D. She needed a bra.

Manufacturers began pouring years of research and testing into new designs to meet the aesthetic demands of fitted fashions and women's demands for comfort.

I can picture hundreds of bra engineers in their cubicles studying breasts and using 3D imaging to craft the perfect bra. I wonder what you have to study in college to get a bra engineering degree? I also wonder if there is any "hands on" training or "hands on" testing?

Last year on average, women bought four to five bras, spending $77.

And Victoria's Secret sells its bras for $42? That's gonna break that $77 budget real quick!

Last year alone, bra shoppers encountered a wave of new options, including the December debut of Wickwire's bra, which resembles the iBra by Wacoal of America --- touted as the first fully seamless, stitchless, tagless bra in the country.

Through heat fusion, the company constructs a bra that looks like a single strip of material without stitching and seams.

"It's what happens when technology finally understands a woman," said Wacoal spokeswoman Liz Smith.

Now if only women understood technology. Hey, I'm joking! I know that you're an engineer, Bou, and my sister was a software engineer, so I know there are some women who understand technology.

The $50 bra is now among the best-selling bras at Macy's stores in Atlanta.

$50? That's more expensive than Victoria's Secret.

Anyway, Bou, read the rest of the article and you'll see that with all the options, I'm sure that there is the right bra for you. Now if only you can afford it.

Sincerely (and I sure hope to see you in Austin, in a comfortable high tech bra),
GOC

Posted by denny at March 17, 2006 03:25 PM