My mother used the bows the same way in the months after her stroke - she was lucky enough to get some of her vision back (but not enough to drive or cook, and she struggles to read).
I suppose it would be easy to get twisted to have one cup facing one side and the other facing the other way. Not that I, a seeing person, ever experienced this problem, (despite my ability to see what I am doing….) and then, found myself doing the armless worm shimmy underneath my shirt, attempting to unbuckle the thing and slip my arm through to straighten it out, when I realized how uncomfortable it was… and wondered why… Not I 🙃 😘
I am male, straight, not particularly in to bows but TH-cam have insisted for several days that i indeed wanted to know more and I found that i did! Thank you for the fun and informative presentation.
Dont take this the wrong way but the idea of one of u guys having a psycho girlfriend and trying to explain its not bad and what she thinks makes me laugh really hard. “ you were just… interested???!!!!!” Lmao
I never wanted to learn to sew, and I still don't. Except when I try to shop for bras. There just aren't many bras in 48B in store where I can try them on, and I've never ordered a bra online that fit and didn't go back. Seriously manufacturers! Some of us are extremely muscular through the upper body--or just fat, it doesn't matter-- who have small breasts. I don't even think mine are especially small, but by the time I get up to a big enough band, the B cups are more like DDD in a 32" band. So I guess I need a 48AA or something insane like that. Then I need an underwire, which just doesn't exist in that cup size. Argh!
Just a quick reminder that you should also wash your bras in the mesh net thingy if the cups have wires in them. If the fabric rips, the wires can slip out and damage your washing machine. You don't want to pay for a new bra and for a new washing machine or for someone to come over and remove that wire from inside the machine.
omg I HATE wired bras....they are HELL to wear and I simply can't :P Most women I know tell me I should wear them because of my big size, but I just...I want to burn wired bras.
An underwire slipped out of one of my daughter's bras and lodged in the washing machine pump. There it sat for years, slowly wearing a hole in the pump housing and creating a leak.
Back as a blossoming NB teen, angrily removing all the tiny bows from my clothes was very cathartic 😂 Thank you for your perspective and history lessons!
Me too! I eventually had a little box full of tiny bows removed from bras and panties which i then gave to my emo and scene friends so they could glue them to hairclips or accessories. Everybody wins!
@@dragonshadow4145 I think when you hate them, you notice them. I could have encountered a higher number due to the style of things I was given growing up, but they felt inescapable for a while.
I’m a straight male ,but, before I get ripped apart. I watch both yourself and Bernadette Banner for both insight and a fascination with costume, fabrics and historical garments. We have 3 daughters and one son, our eldest was born with issues needing surgery, cutting through the sternum. As a result we both grew adept at checking clothing for anything that would irritate her skin. Found it very irritating that girlie vests and then bras all had frills of some sort that were unnecessary . Boys vests and T-shirts worked for a while until she developed. Only comfort she had was with sports bras as they have no frills on the chest or side straps ( she has scarring on her sternum and under her breast tissue and up around her clavicle -pretty invasive surgery) . But as she got older , she wanted to dress more feminine , ended up having to sew linings into her bras to cover over the lace edges, embroidery etc. it’s only recently that she’s found lined bras commercially available . Our middle daughter is a strict goth lesbian, but as a goth she has the issue of again finding suitable feminine underwear. Not every goth wants to wear corsets! Everything she finds in black,vintage goth style is either frumpy (she’s a larger size) or more Ann Summers in construction, not what she’s looking for. If she wanted to wear sandpaper there are cheaper options ! Again, she’s had to settle for sport bras or suffer for when she wants to look feminine. Why is it that women’s underwear is generally poorly made for general retail? I get that cheap,nylon lace material saves money for the manufacturer but surely if they used a cotton alternative economies of scale would kick in to make them affordable. My wife likes Teddies- the type you wear- but finding a feminine , comfortable , reasonably priced make is damn near impossible. Why? I can get shirts in any colour in a range of fabrics at a reasonable price, why does women’s fashion cost so much in comparison ?
The answer is called the 'pink tax'. Products for women are typically more expensive than equivalent products made for men. Just go look at the price of women's underwear compared to men's underwear. I feel the struggles of all the women in your family, because I've lived it. Women and their accessories are a huge money maker. There aren't often pockets on leggings, dresses, or fashionable jeans. This is why purses are so often used, when we could just have jackets with good pockets or pants with good pockets. The materials are cheaper so that the clothes wear out faster and women will buy more clothing. I personally have begun buying thrifted clothing, often from before 2015 and from good fashion brands. It's the same price as regular modern clothing, but the construction is way better. See if you can point your daughters towards thrift stores, or online markets like ThredUp (the materials also won't be as synthetic.) More silk, cotton, and linen, and high-quality materials that are well put together.
@@HybridMiranda It's not a tax, women are willing to spend more for more work to be done for more decorative clothing. Also pink dye costs more than black or blue dye.
@@HybridMirandaPink tax is just ill-informed propaganda and shows lack of critical thinking. But more particularly, it's called supply and demand. First look at a male closet and a female closet (in general). Woman have more clothes in absolute terms and a wider variety too. In absolute terms women require/need different types of underwear. That requires more research and development for each type. More research spread over more types of underwear means higher prices. Take mens underwear, there are two models, boxers and briefs and come in either full cotton or some cotton blend. Nothing more. We have no boxers with more masculine features or lace. Less types, more supply, more competition, lower prices. Shirts are the same. How many types and fabrics for shirts do men have? How much have they changed during the ages? Not so much. I have 10 polo shirts and I have been wearing polo shirts for 15 years. That makes it cheaper. However I'm also tall (6'3") and I require longer shirts. Guess what, I have to pay "tall tax", because the one company making longer shirts knows about the concept of demand and supply and adds 10-20 euro on average to each piece of garment. Trousers? Long and short. That's it for most men. Women? long, short, skirt, dress, legging. And yes, men also have expensive clothing: The suit, however we generally own just one or two and they last years and years on end. Okay let's take the original pink tax debacle. Specifically razors. Pink female special shaped razors were more expensive. First of all, again, supply and demand. Women shave less often, thus less razors get sold, higher prices. Second: it never stopped women from stealing their husbands regular razors, resulting in even lower demand for the special pink razors and thus higher prices for those willing to buy the special female razor.
I'm 65 and I burned my bra in the 70's, I was at home and no one was looking but it mattered to me and my cat very much. Bows were also on our little girl undershirts we wore under our clothes. I asked my Mom why, and she said it was "To make you ask questions." So, that's the reason!
As someone who currently has to either do the back clasps in the front and swivel them round, or ask for help (which I'm honestly impatient enough to not bother with most of the time); I very much appreciated the whys on the back clasp. Thank you for such a comprehensive lesson on the brassiere.
Oddly living in China, I’ve noticed bras have much more fabric & hooks to them. Even an A cup can have 5 hooks and I’ve thought how much support do they really need?!? Thank you for keeping me up late at night, thinking more about bras than I thought I would. keeping me entertained whilst I wait on my laundry…. I forgot the mesh bag. I’ve enjoyed so many of your lovely videos! I envy your grace & style.
The bows don't bother me but damn lace sets off all of my ick and makes me totally shut down. I'd never worn lace before and tried to wear lace on my underwear for my wedding (I wanted to be ✨fancy✨) and literally physically couldn't walk down the aisle until someone ran to my house and got me my regular underpants 😂
I have found one, ONE! brand of underpants that came in my size and had lace that did not set off my sensory issues. And. they. discontinued. the. line. Because of course they did. No more pretty underpants for me. :( Also? I haaaaaaate bows of any size on bras. They're always in some highly inconvenient spot that means they interrupt the line of my clothing. On the rare occasion that I buy a bra with bows, they get snipped off as soon as possible.
I have been so frustrated by conventional bras and how uncomfortable they are, I too researched what they wore before bras were invented. You showed pictures of it. They are also called "strophium" in ancient Rome and I made one after I found someones old blog post from like 2009 of reenactment clothing. I experimented with how to wrap it and honestly it works for me way better than any bra. It supportive yet leaves my shoulders and arms free. No more bra straps digging into my shoulders or pulling on my shoulders. I can still comfortably do a lot of things and still feel supported.
As a breast cancer survivor and aesthetic flat closure on one side and small breast on the other, I long for bows and feminine lingerie that doesn't cost the earth.
I obviously don't know if it would be remotely interesting to or practical for you, but there are a lot of great sewing patterns now that are relatively easy to follow and let you customize everything to your needs and heart's desire. Bralettes are quite easy to sew. You can even buy kits with all the fabric, strapping, hardware, etc.
@@VeretenoVids You are suggesting I sew my own post surgery bra? I'm a large cup size: I need scaffolding not a bralette. Even if I had these skilks & time (which I don't) what about all the other millions of women like me? I'm not sure where you are getting this idea from but you can't buy kits for sewing a large cup post surgery bra.
@@aimeek2858 No it isn't. We should be able to buy the products we need and most of us have neither the time, skills nor money for this. You can't buy kits to make post surgwry bras anyway. It's nonsense.
@@alisonbender8575 basically back in the day, households were storing their liquids in heavy ceramic jugs (because glassware wasn't a thing yet) with handles, which made them easier to be carried. Then when maple syrup companies decided on the shape of their containers, they decided to keep the "nostalgic" look of the original containers - including the handle, which in scale now is too small to be functional :)
Wait. I thought that was for my finger. I've been using it to jauntily swing the maple syrup to the table. I always thought it was nice that the fancy maple syrup allows one to jauntily swing maple syrup on a finger
straight white male here, as someone who has worn mostly black casual wear as a skater - heavy rock dude for 20 years now, but has always also been a massive history nerd and being fascinated with well crafted suits, vests and overcoats, ad odds with my "fashion statement" -as a "rebel" so to speak in the early 00's, when I was young man I found it almost embarrassing to admit, yes as a far-left wing long haired heavy metal rock dude, I do like to dress up in fancy suits occasionally. But you said it really well, our clothes dont define our politics or sexual preferences. I was raised in a very liberal household in Europe but in a conservative rural area and only found myself comfortable within a "counter-culture" being in opposition with "conformity and norms" at the time, and had I been gay or trans I would have had it much tougher, as I later realized as many of my gay or trans friends and family had felt, of which none now live here in the same rural town.. for although my own family had no problems of that sort or deep felt prejudice the community around us did.
I purchased a package of ten black bikini cotton knickers none of which have bows, but they also have all the label information printed on the inside back rather than a sewn in label. Your statement that having a bow on the front makes it easier to find the front in the dark. Now I want to put little bows on all of them myself.
i hold my breath every time someone starts talking about historical underwear/corsets, so i can't even describe how relieved i was when you mentioned Bernadette Banner and Abby Cox
I have no idea what made the TH-cam Algorithm show me this, but historical feminine bows on underwear is an awesome topic I didn't realize I needed to know about until now. Thanks for enlightening our understanding :)
There have definitely been times I’ve been tempted to cut some of the little bows off, when they seem to interfere with a smooth line under my clothes. But the real question is: WHY the little charm on the front on the sternum?!
This might sound odd but I really appreciated how the gender inclusive language in this video felt completely natural. It wasn't emphasised or pointed or almost forgotten and abruptly added on the end like it so often is, even by very accepting and inclusive people. Trans, non-binary, and other genderqueer people were simply automatically included in your language as if it was the most normal, unremarkable thing in the world. It's worth making a point of it sometimes. It's good to force audiences to acknowledge and include those identities. But sometimes it's nice to just be implicitly accepted and normalised.
Yes. As a straight female I don't feel 'talked down to' or 'glared at' by Jessica. I just love her clothes, her humour and her wheelchair antics - I have just started being an ambulatory wheelie warrior!
@@boofyhalfpint8559 Totally!!!! I am a lesbian, but I actually found Jessica when she was doing videos about going to the movies while deaf or hard of hearing, and I'm going thru the videos learning and agreeing and she says "my wife" and I'm like hold up!
I once had a front closing bra. . . The slight stretching out of materials with washing resulted in being able to accidently undo it if you moved wrong, so I can see why mostly zippered sports bras are the only front closing ones you can find easily.
I once went for a run in a front zippered bra, and the zipper failed, which made my boobs explode rather dramatically into the open air. It was a fun surprise for everyone present.
In 9th grade I once had my messenger bags strap pop open my front closing bra. Luckily I was wherein a sweatshirt. But I gave up on that type of bra after that
I've got big boobs and most generic front zipper bras just make me laugh. My thought is that front zippers are for smaller boobs and front closure are for bigger ones? I dunno. More people with boobs need to design better bras for far less money for everybody involved. 💵💵💵
I have a Victoria‘s Secret front zipper closure sports bra, I was zipping up and the zipper split at the bottom, I couldn’t get the top open, or the bra off, and was trapped. It was ridiculous. I’ve sworn off front zipper closures, just can’t trust em. 😂
I havent worn a bra since i was 16 but my last go-to bra was a racerback bra with a plastic front closure where u would slide one into the other n pop it into place n it was very secure. I would even wear it to dance practice n i never worried abt it accidentally popping open but then again i dont have the biggest of boobs so that might be why.
As an ex underwear salesman I must say I quite enjoyed your explanation of the use of bows. I represented companies from France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Spain, England, Australia, Canada and the USA. They all used bows as ornamentation mostly. Some were frivolous some were down right fabulous in the case of one English brand Damaris which used oversized bows draping the derrière. Underwear can be fun.
Thank you for defending corset! I worked years in a medieval restaurant and was very confortable wearing a corset! You just need to wear it the right way! :)
So I recently learned that the reason there are multiple rows of hooks on a bra is that they will tend to stretch out over time, so the idea is to buy a bra that fits well on the loosest row, and then as the bra stretches out you can move tighter and tighter and maintain the same good fit. Thanks @SamDowney!
When I was younger I always thought it is so you could buy it to fit on the tightest setting, and then when you grew/gained weight you could let it out. It never occurred to me that the opposite was true.
It always amaze me that some "universal" knowledge isn't really universal. And it usually is with small things like this - obvious to me, but it make sense that someone thinks it is to gain weight too...
Back in the day (like the 50s/60s) buying a bra was a complicated performance that involved talking to an older lady who would help you fit it and make sure it was the right size. One of these ladies told me sternly that I should not buy a bra that fitted on the smallest closure, it had to be back a couple of notches to allow for stretching of the fabric. Buying knickers was didn't require the fitting bit but was an equally discreet procedure, both involving curtained off bits of the store where men were certainly not welcome. And sanitary towels were very quietly purchased at the pharmacy and the package handed to you in a brown paper bag.
@@Salix631 Bra fitting places are kinda making a comeback. Many shops offer this service virtually, but Victoria Secret and other chains will also do a fitting in person to help you find a correct size or comfortable style for you. I was advised in one of these sessions to buy a bra that fitted on the middle hook, and not to wear them two days in a row in order for the elastic to last longer. After wearing it for a day, you are supossed to hook it on the smallest closure so it still fits your ribcage tighly and doesn't put more strain on the shoulders after beign streched. Then, after washing it, you go back to wear it on the middle hook; and you save the biggest closure for extra relieff. Of course, I don't give it so much though after buying, to be honest. Some fabrics will give out quickly than others, so I'll just hook them were I feel they can support my chest without letting the weight rest mostly on the straps.
When a (casual) bra gets unsupportive on the largest setting, I might draw a line with high visibility fabric paint between the hooks I mean to avoid. A more formal method to warn myself off of the stretched out setting was to baste across the space between the outermost hooks, putting thread into each to make it easy to avoid using them.
I've worn underwear with bows and without, and frankly? I'm for more frivolous details on all underwear. It's just *fun,* it's a reminder that underwear isn't strictly utilitarian. It makes me happy to have underwear with bows, shimmery fabric, prints, or other "unnecessary" details because means that the ornamentation is for *me.* No matter what my outer clothing shell has to conform to for safety or societal norms, no one has to see what I have underneath, so it can look however I want it to. In a world where our exteriors are increasingly policed, it's nice to be able to wear what I want to somewhere, even if it isn't visible to the casual observer.
This reminds me of the tv show... Atelier I think it was called. A Japanese show about a small custom-made underwear boutique, where it was stressed that nice bras are for your own comfort and confidence that others don't really get to see. As someone who grew up with Victoria's Secret type lingerine promos, that felt really refreshing. I was too used to the annoying trope that pretty bras are for men's gazes and only utilitarian ones are for women.
There's this shop in my area where you can get socks with fun asimetric patterns and also matching panties... I always make sure I wear the matching sets together.
This is my life philosophy! Wearing frivolous, ornamental and flamboyant things makes life so much more fun and interesting. I put bows and lace on pretty much everything I own and it makes me feel really cute and whimsical and there’s no way I’d rather feel
That is funny, but the most annoying example of this is male fashion, until industrial revolution it used to be just as diverse and full of decoraitons ( as they were status symbols most often ) as womens one and with passage of years I think male parts of clothes shops seem to even decrease in size. Personally I think with most jobs nowadays being office ones we could do with more colour and flair as it is its hard enough to just convince people you like wearing a hat, and even then it's a classical male style of hat.
That is very relevant as well! I wear a lot of racer or cross back styles and when I forget the mesh bag I feel like I spend hours untwisting my bras from my clothes. Also, when I don't use the bag, I generally have to tug and pull and reshape the cups as I have a fairly large cup size.
I started using a mesh bag for my bras so that the straps don't get tangled up in the agitator, stretching them all to hell. I even leave them in the bag in the dryer, so other clothes don't get tangled up in the straps, and it's easier to find the mesh bag in the dryer-full of clothes than something as small as a bra, since I take them out of the dryer when they're about half-dry, and hang them up to finish the drying.
Your particular wit and sarcasm combined with your chosen aesthetic is so cute it makes me want to squee (especially the flowers by your heart for your wife, awwww!) , sadly idont have the vocal range to make that noise, but it's there in spirit, you're doing great!
I’m not one of the Clubbies (yet), but I do love your videos and hope you’d stop getting homophobic and rude comments. Thanks for talking about this with such an including choice of words (I’m a queer non-binary afab and appreciate it SO MUCH) and sharing a positive outlook on corsets themselves 🙏🏼
RE: lace on the bras from the archeological find: lace has holes and can function as ventilation in underwear, or people just wanted pretty underthings. I don't like bows on my underwear/bras. A little lace can be nice, but bows make me psychologically uncomfortable - I love that term! - so I take a seam ripper to them and remove the bows.
This was super interesting, but I absolutely did not need to know what the first sports bra was made from. That piece of information will now, unfortunately live in my brain forever…😱😱
lol As a gay man that loves doing sports using jock straps, I find the fact so interesting and hilarious!! What a twist: now bras can be said to be masculine, and even jock-straps to be feminine! 😂😂 At the end the important thing is us people to be comfortable with the fabrics with put on our bodies.... the rest is subjective and so twistable 😂 Jessica, i love your amazing humor! i don't only learn a lot of interesting facts with you, but I end up with a huge smile as well! thanks for being yourself and making these videos! ❤
If you have large breasts, you know that a tiny bouquet tucked between them might serve (at least) two purposes: hiding cleavage; freshening sour skin.
Im transfem and the cute lil bows were a super euphoric thing in the times when i couldnt present outwardly fem, but I knew i had cute lace & bows hidden underneath my work clothes❤
I do wear officially "women's" underwear but it's like a tighter version of boxers. So fully from belly to under the butt, onto my thighs. I don't understand why anyone ever would wear something less comfortable than that. My old underwear would basically kinda cut into my butt on the sides because it didn't go down to my thighs there. Why anyone would want that is beyond me.
@@bitchenboutique6953you know I've never thought of buying boxers, are they expensive? I just grab a multi pack of big knickers in Marks and Sparks every so often and get really pissed off about the bows....until I remember that I often get dressed in the dark and they're quite handy for finding the front 😂. I did graduate from white to black recently and wondered why the hell I didn't do that before the menopause!
I've kinda wanted to wear boxers but could never find the right style for my ~equipment~ Men's style boxers have too much space in the front, but women's style boxers are just not the same shape!
Changes in living and working conditions helped push corsets out of popularity. Corsets weren't designed to restrict movement. While wealthy women may have had corsets purely for fashion, working class women used them for extra support while doing heavy work, like weight belts or back braces today.
men wore ones too, and in fact weight lifters and so on still wear belts, while the whole leather wrist bands metal is known for are actually to help with joint problems in case of physical workers. It's just to convinient for us with all advantages of robots and internet to even imagine half of strain life would put on you just 100 years ago.
I really dislike the dress colour but i love the fit and style and the way it makes her hair colour really stand out. Her hair is fantastic. Regards from a Tom :)
Okay so I wasn’t alone. She talks so fast. Her accent and tone are lovely, but her speech is rushedtogethetlikethisandIcan’tunderstand!!! I did 0.75 as well
Great video! I love how you share your research rabbit holes. You’re so thorough. And I love your take on the whole thing. So practical and balanced and sensitive. You’re the best!
I have wondered this since I was a child. Thirty-seven years and 26 minutes later, I can happily close that chapter in my life. Thank you, Jessica, for going down the rabbit hole I was afraid of chasing and congratulations on coming out the other side! TBH: I always found bows indiscreet (as their silhouette would poke through my t-shirts and call attention to my underwear), but now that I have come full circle, I can re-start my relationship with bows from a healthier place. I actually think a tiny bow on the sleeve or the pocket of my (or my husband's) button-down shirts would be lovely. I know you get weird/mean comments on here, and I just want to reassure you that I am NOT being facetious. This video was AMAZING and it's going to live rent-free in my head all week. Have a great day and go get those violets! 💜💜💜💜
I thought that you might say that the tiny bow reflected the residual "drawstring" left over from the chemise, camisole, or combination garments of 100+ years past.
I always wondered about the tiny bows on my bras and underwear and had perceived them to be infantilising to women. have really appreciate your video and how it puts bows like this into a historical context. I still don't like them on my undergarments but at least I have a more nuanced view. Thank you for such an informative video.
I bought a pattern from the 1950's for Bra's and bikini Tops. I have a large chest and those modern bras with all elastics and synthetic fabric are cutting my skin (even in the correct size) and won't handle sweat very well. I want to sew myself some bras out of linnen. The only slightly elastic part will be the hock attachement in the back. That's it. Hopefully it will be a success.
I just have to comment that I adore your use of fat as an unproblematic term, I don't think about it much but this video made me realize that I really despise using terms like "plus size" or "larger frame" or any other flowery band aids. Also as a trans man I felt very included, thank you! ❤
I don't mind "plus size" but I definitely refer to myself as fat and always appreciate when it's used as a neutral descriptor by people of any size. Side note: it's always telling when someone is uncomfortable with you calling yourself fat and wants to say something like, "You aren't fat, you're beautiful!" Those two things are not mutually exclusive! Anyone who is uncomfortable with someone calling themselves fat should examine why that is. Often, it's because they've learned to associate "fat" with a whole host of negative things that aren't necessarily true.
I appreciate it as well, although it was a little jarring to hear it thrown in so casually! I'm so used to people using euphemisms that it kind of caught me off guard.
Agreed, it's just a pretty factual descriptor, it shouldn't be offending. Calling a tall person a tall person also never counted as offensive... On the other hand, 'plus size' implies that it is outside of what is somehow considered 'normal' range of sizes and makes it feel more separated and singled out.
I understand, I used to think that way as well. The way I see it now, "plus size" implies that I am larger than other humans when really, the average body size range is much broader than what is on the rack for clothing. It figuratively AND literally separates me from everyone else (plus sections, big and tall etc). Whereas "fat" is just a part of my body and everyone has it just in different levels, so it feels less alienating. If I were speaking to you or anyone else in everyday conversation however, I would of course accommodate my speech for the comfort of present company. @@058Martine
I hated the little bows and always removed them from my underpants (not from bras because that tended to damage the bra, lesson I learned the hard way). When I became dependent on care and couldn't dress myself without help, I started to leave them on. It helps the carers to find the right side. I am always amazed how often a person can switch and turn a piece of fabric around without finding the right side... it's like USB I guess? Aesthetically I am still strongly opposed to any bows and other frill on my clothing, but I am a pragmatist, so it's fine I guess.
I have to admit I came here because of the thumbnail of you displaying your bow-emblazoned brassiere. But stayed and subscribed for your humor and engaging take on history. You go girl!
I really like your perspective on this. I'm a straight woman who's very masculine, so I can relate a lot to what you say about subjerting expectation, but kinda in reverse? Basically, a lot of society assumes lesbians to be masculine, and straight women to be feminine, but you and I are doing the opposite of that, and I think that's beautiful. That said, I don't personally feel any particular way about the bows on my undies. I've been aware of them ever since my teens though, when I first wondered "why them bows?" Anyway, underwear is probably the one aspect of my wardrobe that isn't particularly masculine. I prefer fully covering panties that can handle the near infinite size of my rear end, and since I don't have natural breasts anymore, I have to get bras made specifically for holding breast forms, all of which usually looks like something you'd probably expect a granny to wear. Or someone's who's into retro stuff. So there be a lot of bows. And lace. And they're all only ever black, white or beige. And I guess I don't really mind all that as long as it's comfortable, fits well, won't break within a week of wearing, and that my bras and panties are the same color. That said, I'm in my mid 30's and I still put on my bras by fastening it over my stomach, then turn it around and put on the shoulder straps last. As long as my waist is at least a little bit slimmer than my chest and I'm being careful with not yanking the bra too hard, I feel like that method isn't putting a ton on stress on the garment. I just can't fasten it from behind. I can barely even open it from behind. Although I have several front-closure bras. It's actually very common with mastectomy bras, because a lot of women who've had a mastectomy have limited arm movements. I don't, but I still appreciate the gesture.
i think the little bows are cute but i never really even notice then, they don’t touch me (not understanding that complaint) and they’re everywhere so my brain just fully ignores them
I mean this with adoration and complete respect. You are the most well spoken and adorable woman I have ever seen on TH-cam or anywhere else. I look forward to seeing more of you stuff, I absolutely subbed, and I wish you and your family much safety and success.
It looks like there could be an editing error? The content at 17:46 about front-closing bras with a single hook not being stable for those with larger chests repeats twice.
I had never heard of anyone putting it on “backwards” until a fitting a few years back 😅 I was informed I put mine on the “correct” way, which is: arms through straps, wire/bottom of cup under tissue, arms behind to hook, then adjust (swoop/scoop tissue in cup, etc). I tried the “backwards” way once and couldn’t deal with the drag of elastic across my skin. However, my shoulders are hypermobile in a way that makes this easy for me, but if you have less mobility (or even more/increased risk of dislocation) this may not be doable for you, and if it’s not doable, then honestly, I wouldn’t consider it the “correct” way! The correct way is the way you can manage 😊
I exclusively wear racerback sports bras with inbuilt cups, my chest hates normal bras. One of the best sports bras I have (the most supportive and comfortable one) is one that clasps in the front with a slide-bar clasp which is extra secure and doesn't dig in at all. It also has a second bit of spandex style fabric that zips up to completely hold my chest in place and I love it to pieces! For anyone out there who hates normal bras or who can't clasp them in the back, try a racerback encapsulation bra that has a slide-bar front clasp. It's supportive and cute and eminently practical and easy to put on.
I'd like more options with no bows as an Enby but I do like the idea of functionality for folks with less visability or who are blind. I hadn't considered that, but it's a cute mostly unnoticable and functional addition. I also think leaning into the aesthetic & making bigger bows could be super fun and neat, and has lots of potential as well. Basically just.. more selection. More options please!
Before I started wearing compression tops, my favorite bra was a sports bra that zipped up the front. SO easy to do when I was having a bad pain day in one or both arms.
My breasts are so big, the bra is hard to zip. The fit good is good once they are zipped. I hook the top and then try to slip the bottom edges together and the top pops. So I just have started wearing cheap fruit of loom cotton sleep bras with about 7 sets of hooks. I am 72 so I worry about comfort over looks. And I have problems with my shoulders.
Bras in french are now called "soutien gorge" which I think means "throat support" which doesn't make sense since it's not around our necks lol. I also have a small frame and a 28 band which is difficult to find but easier to find through UK brands online
I never wore boxers, but I remember fighting with my mother to buy me different underwear because "boys wear briefs" I clicked on this because I always wondered about the silly bows but did not expect what I got, I loved it and subscribed, well done!!
I usually wear M&S "Rosie" bras... they have little metal dangly pendants instead of a bow! (Yes I just checked). And yes, my M&S multi-pack knickers also have bows on the front.
Me too! I’m an odd size so M&S is my go-to, and the ‘Rosie’ range is usually the least aesthetically disappointing. I cut the little danglers off as well
It's so hard to find those! I don't even what I am, but I need stuff to support my boobs... And the bows and laces are just everywhere :( At least now I understand why
I remember watching a documentary about a small underwear designing company that tried to make high quality underwear that was still low price and they were trying to avoid them being simple and bare. As many of us surely mostly experienced when searching "localy and ethicaly made underwear", there tends to only be very simple black/white/"nude for white people only" colours and two or three shapes. So the creator was trying to get around that in a economical maner and tiny bows were one of the ways to add details and ornementation on underwears that was cost effective and the point was indeed to not make underwear only practical but also pretty.
I really wish more people talked about sports corsets - they existed I think in the Georgian period or something, but I can’t see much about them - other than that they existed, and I wish I could still use one. I do think it would work better for me than a sports bra
Bernadette Banner did a Video about this after Adidas came out with a "corset", but it was meant to be a fashion thingy. Doesn't help with finding an actual modern one, I'm sorry, but there you can at least learn about the history if interested :)
Riding corsets are also known from literature. By researching historical corsetry, you might be able to find a pattern in one of the old journals/magazines. And then you just need to size, shape, muslin, sew, and tweak. It could be quite the hobby rabbit hole!
Riding corsets were cut high over the hips to allow for more movement, especially when riding sidesaddle. They also performed the same function in protecting the spine in a fall as modern back protectors.
5:40 I had to pause the video after “for someone else’s eyes” just to scream into my own hands “UUGGHHH ITS NOT ABOUT YOOOUU!! 😤🤬” (and by you I mean the men…obviously lol) I’m surprised by how strongly I reacted to that, but it just made me immediately livid.
Men truly think the world revolves around them 💀 The level of arrogance and entitlement is beyond infuriating!!! Like the idea that we might make personal choices based on personal preferences is not only unimaginable to them, but I’ve found it makes them super angry if you contradict them on it. Most of them really think their opinions should dictate every aspect of our private lives, it’s an inherently abusive mindset and you have every right to be angry at it!
This was really insightful and entertaining, and your presence is truly magnetic. It's funny because I get annoyed at the random bows on my underwear but actually they can be pretty useful in figuring out which way round they go lol.
This makes me want to buy a pack of tiny satin bows, go to a department store, and just start sticking bows on all sorts of garments in the male section, female section, kids section… bows on shorts, bows on socks, bows on jeans, bows on neck ties! Bows bows bows bows bows!
Nobody does niche history like you! Thanks for answering the questions and debunking BS at the same time ♥ I like bows, but I absolutely want them bigger. Forget pretty and dainty. I want STATEMENTS.
male underwear could do with some bows, some have their label on the front, which makes it easy to get the right way around and outside out. some have a label in the back inside, which also works for that purpose, but some have printed text, which wears off after a time, leading to longish observation in bright light to determine the front.
Can also check for which side the flap is on, unless you have underwear that doesn’t open in the front for urinal use. But if it doesn’t open in front, and there’s no tag/seam on the back (or front) of the waistband… is there even much difference between back and front?
You are a classy and funny lady. Lifelong crossdresser here... as a fella who loves pretty clothes, I thoroughly appreciate the humor and history in this. I feel like I've learned a lot here. Thank you.
I am also a 28 band and a larger cup size. Panache is my absolute favorite brand for this!! There are more (and the UK is particularly prolific in D cup & up brands, so I’m sure you’ve found some) but Panache is my all-time fav for comfort and durability. 🎀
I have one of their sports bras in 28FF (I'm actually a 26 band but in mean, good luck finding those ANYWHERE, let alone 28s!), and I really love how sturdy they are. They feel so well-constructed that the higher price compared to Primark or something is totally worth it.
As a trans masculine person who always hated bows and lace on things, and also as a person with sensory issues and sensitive skin that gets very irritated by things like lace and bows anyway, it was actually very interesting to watch this video. I hadn't really thought about WHY it was almost impossible to find underwear that didn't have annoying bows on back when I was still presenting as female. I guess I just assumed that all other girls/women just liked bows and it was just yet another way that I was broken and weird. Of course I've learned in more recent years that nothing about gender is ever that ridged even for people who feel they fit firmly within the binary of the gender they were assigned at birth. Now we just need the consumer market to catch up with that concept and stop making every product so stupidly gendered!
@@PlurCo that's what I mean though, there are always going to be people anywhere on the gender spectrum who love those traditionally gendered things and also people who don't. There seems to be a tendency for things to swing too far one way or too far the other - either making things too strictly gendered or thinking everything should be neutral but what we need is a choice of both so that everyone can choose what they feel suits them best. you still get all the bows you want but there would be a few more choices for the people who still want the female underwear but don't want any bows on them too. Does that make sense?
Yep, as a fellow trans masc person with sensory issues I totally agree. I threw many a "tantrum" (aka meltdown) over how itchy the lace elastic was. It drove me insane but my parents refused to get me new underwear "so you learn that crying doesn't get you what you want". Yeah, what I wanted was not to have a friction rash. I had a line of red irritated skin all around my hips but nope, I "just had to learn to live with it". Then when the elastic "wore out" (I might've helped) *they bought the same stuff again!!*
@@waffles3629 oh, dude, yeah, the agony of meltdown after meltdown being put down to just 'tantrums' and 'bad behaviour', and even when the same things trigger them over and over, it never occurs to them to sit you down and have an honest conversation about what's wrong and whether some small change could help, because behaving 'normal' (ie learning how to well and truly mask) is way more important! 😖 I'm sorry you experienced that too. Oh, and the real salt in the wound was when I found from my mum out that my little sister had been diagnosed autistic but it never occurred to anyone in the family that I could be autistic too because I had had to learn to mask too well, and never say what my experience of the world was or what I was feeling/struggling with. I wish parents would treat kids more like actual people and less like craft projects to turn into what they want them to be. That's one of the reasons I love this channel. I came for Jessica's great way of presenting queer and disability subjects but now I get to watch some wonderful parenting too
This was simultaneously hilarious in ways i wasn't expecting and informative in ways that I never expected. You even explained the tangents which raised questions. Bravo.
I feel unreasonably emotional about this video - probably something to do with the migraine that's floored me all day AND your thoroughness. You're one of my absolutely favourite TH-camrs. Thank you for your content! Also, that dress is awesome :)
First off, I LOVE UR FASHION HISTORY STUFF (especially how you easily site your sources ON SCREEN!! As a fellow research enthusiast you have BLESSED my feed) Absolute instant follow!
I was so excited when I saw this. I'm a cis man who does not wear underwear with bows but I am constantly curious about why those bows are there, especially on otherwise minimalistic examples or at odds with the style I'd expect of the wearer.
Since a frozen shoulder injury, I have been on the search for a good front-closer. I finally found cotton-containing ones with a vertical strip of hook and eyes that have held up quite well. (I replied to this comment with the brand/model)
Many sympathies. I'm dealing with frozen shoulder myself currently. Left was a couple of years ago, & now I'm dealing with the right side. I'm right-dominant, so I could deal with the left being frozen so much more easily. It's also been extremely difficult to find front close bras in my size that have enough padding to deal with the... erm, "no, it's not cold; that's just how I'm built" situation.
I hope this makes you laugh a tenth as much as your video made me laugh! due to an unfortunate series of events [a difficult delivery that tore my pelvic floor, then a stroke which gave me OAB, I now suffer from all forms of minor incontinence, stress, urge, etc. forcing me to wear "protective" underwear, these are made from a paper fabric much like you get at the doctor's office or X-ray, or even a bib at the dentist. I'm sure you can't stitch on these so they have printed a bow on the front, you can't feel it so it doesn't help you dress in the dark, but it does distinguish the front from the back I never thought much about it until I watched this video, now, it cracks me up
This makes so much sense because I've always seen knickers without bows as sporty no matter the shape, like bonds and brands like that rarely have bows and I feel like that has to be to do with the modern style they go for and maybe me seeing it as sporty is because of sports bras
My mother is blind and does, in fact, use the tiny bows to make sure she has her undies the right way around!
My mother used the bows the same way in the months after her stroke - she was lucky enough to get some of her vision back (but not enough to drive or cook, and she struggles to read).
im not blind but i must admit i do the same lol
I taught my kids the same!
I suppose it would be easy to get twisted to have one cup facing one side and the other facing the other way. Not that I, a seeing person, ever experienced this problem, (despite my ability to see what I am doing….) and then, found myself doing the armless worm shimmy underneath my shirt, attempting to unbuckle the thing and slip my arm through to straighten it out, when I realized how uncomfortable it was… and wondered why… Not I 🙃 😘
Better spatial cue than an itchy tag in the back, coming to think about it
I am male, straight, not particularly in to bows but TH-cam have insisted for several days that i indeed wanted to know more and I found that i did! Thank you for the fun and informative presentation.
I'm not into bows either. Not one of my undergarments have them yet here I am too! 😂 YT kept suggesting until I gave in!
Because she is absolutely amazing and we all need more of her fabulousness. ❤ welcome!
Yep, am male and straight as well. No idea about the why and how I really got here, but I like it here and learnt something.
Maybe... May..maybe because you.. because you - just maybe! - like...ladies in underwear? 😅😅
Dont take this the wrong way but the idea of one of u guys having a psycho girlfriend and trying to explain its not bad and what she thinks makes me laugh really hard. “ you were just… interested???!!!!!” Lmao
As someone who makes her own bras I can confirm the bow is placed right over the bit most likely to have ended up looking untidy sewing wise
I was just going to say this 😊
My bows sure are.
Thank you for your concise summary
I never wanted to learn to sew, and I still don't. Except when I try to shop for bras. There just aren't many bras in 48B in store where I can try them on, and I've never ordered a bra online that fit and didn't go back. Seriously manufacturers! Some of us are extremely muscular through the upper body--or just fat, it doesn't matter-- who have small breasts. I don't even think mine are especially small, but by the time I get up to a big enough band, the B cups are more like DDD in a 32" band. So I guess I need a 48AA or something insane like that. Then I need an underwire, which just doesn't exist in that cup size. Argh!
I make bras and this is what I was taught by my teacher too
Just a quick reminder that you should also wash your bras in the mesh net thingy if the cups have wires in them. If the fabric rips, the wires can slip out and damage your washing machine.
You don't want to pay for a new bra and for a new washing machine or for someone to come over and remove that wire from inside the machine.
Plus the bras last so much longer in those mesh bags. They are really worth it.
they can also pop out and damage you!
too late for me, we washed a lode of clothes from a school trip. I am out $ 1,600.38😭
omg I HATE wired bras....they are HELL to wear and I simply can't :P Most women I know tell me I should wear them because of my big size, but I just...I want to burn wired bras.
An underwire slipped out of one of my daughter's bras and lodged in the washing machine pump. There it sat for years, slowly wearing a hole in the pump housing and creating a leak.
Back as a blossoming NB teen, angrily removing all the tiny bows from my clothes was very cathartic 😂
Thank you for your perspective and history lessons!
NB here. I did that too! (and still do lmao)
Me too! I eventually had a little box full of tiny bows removed from bras and panties which i then gave to my emo and scene friends so they could glue them to hairclips or accessories. Everybody wins!
Is it really that common? I think I only ever saw them on some types of underwear and a few undershirts.
@@dragonshadow4145 I think when you hate them, you notice them. I could have encountered a higher number due to the style of things I was given growing up, but they felt inescapable for a while.
@@HolyShintathat is such a good idea!! If just started removing them and didn't know what to do with them :)
My elderly pug is called Bow, and by the end of this video she looked thoroughly confused at who kept calling her xD
😂😂😂 smart doggie
😂😂 LOL!
Thank you for this information. My day has been improved.
Aww how sweet! This made me smile! Give your sweet Bow a boop for me ❤️
Awww! My fur baby is Beau. And same 😂😂😂
I’m a straight male ,but, before I get ripped apart. I watch both yourself and Bernadette Banner for both insight and a fascination with costume, fabrics and historical garments. We have 3 daughters and one son, our eldest was born with issues needing surgery, cutting through the sternum. As a result we both grew adept at checking clothing for anything that would irritate her skin. Found it very irritating that girlie vests and then bras all had frills of some sort that were unnecessary . Boys vests and T-shirts worked for a while until she developed. Only comfort she had was with sports bras as they have no frills on the chest or side straps ( she has scarring on her sternum and under her breast tissue and up around her clavicle -pretty invasive surgery) . But as she got older , she wanted to dress more feminine , ended up having to sew linings into her bras to cover over the lace edges, embroidery etc. it’s only recently that she’s found lined bras commercially available .
Our middle daughter is a strict goth lesbian, but as a goth she has the issue of again finding suitable feminine underwear. Not every goth wants to wear corsets! Everything she finds in black,vintage goth style is either frumpy (she’s a larger size) or more Ann Summers in construction, not what she’s looking for. If she wanted to wear sandpaper there are cheaper options ! Again, she’s had to settle for sport bras or suffer for when she wants to look feminine.
Why is it that women’s underwear is generally poorly made for general retail? I get that cheap,nylon lace material saves money for the manufacturer but surely if they used a cotton alternative economies of scale would kick in to make them affordable. My wife likes Teddies- the type you wear- but finding a feminine , comfortable , reasonably priced make is damn near impossible. Why?
I can get shirts in any colour in a range of fabrics at a reasonable price, why does women’s fashion cost so much in comparison ?
The answer is called the 'pink tax'. Products for women are typically more expensive than equivalent products made for men. Just go look at the price of women's underwear compared to men's underwear. I feel the struggles of all the women in your family, because I've lived it. Women and their accessories are a huge money maker. There aren't often pockets on leggings, dresses, or fashionable jeans. This is why purses are so often used, when we could just have jackets with good pockets or pants with good pockets. The materials are cheaper so that the clothes wear out faster and women will buy more clothing. I personally have begun buying thrifted clothing, often from before 2015 and from good fashion brands. It's the same price as regular modern clothing, but the construction is way better. See if you can point your daughters towards thrift stores, or online markets like ThredUp (the materials also won't be as synthetic.) More silk, cotton, and linen, and high-quality materials that are well put together.
I think it's soooo cool you pay so much attention to the details of your daughters' fashion and style. Lucky girls. I wish my dad cared.
@@HybridMiranda It's not a tax, women are willing to spend more for more work to be done for more decorative clothing. Also pink dye costs more than black or blue dye.
Your goth daughter might like Torrid, they have some nice underwear for plus sizes (I am a fat woman, so I know).
@@HybridMirandaPink tax is just ill-informed propaganda and shows lack of critical thinking. But more particularly, it's called supply and demand.
First look at a male closet and a female closet (in general). Woman have more clothes in absolute terms and a wider variety too. In absolute terms women require/need different types of underwear. That requires more research and development for each type. More research spread over more types of underwear means higher prices. Take mens underwear, there are two models, boxers and briefs and come in either full cotton or some cotton blend. Nothing more. We have no boxers with more masculine features or lace. Less types, more supply, more competition, lower prices.
Shirts are the same. How many types and fabrics for shirts do men have? How much have they changed during the ages? Not so much. I have 10 polo shirts and I have been wearing polo shirts for 15 years. That makes it cheaper. However I'm also tall (6'3") and I require longer shirts. Guess what, I have to pay "tall tax", because the one company making longer shirts knows about the concept of demand and supply and adds 10-20 euro on average to each piece of garment.
Trousers? Long and short. That's it for most men. Women? long, short, skirt, dress, legging. And yes, men also have expensive clothing: The suit, however we generally own just one or two and they last years and years on end.
Okay let's take the original pink tax debacle. Specifically razors. Pink female special shaped razors were more expensive. First of all, again, supply and demand. Women shave less often, thus less razors get sold, higher prices. Second: it never stopped women from stealing their husbands regular razors, resulting in even lower demand for the special pink razors and thus higher prices for those willing to buy the special female razor.
I'm 65 and I burned my bra in the 70's, I was at home and no one was looking but it mattered to me and my cat very much. Bows were also on our little girl undershirts we wore under our clothes. I asked my Mom why, and she said it was "To make you ask questions." So, that's the reason!
I always knew you were out there somewhere, the undebunked burner of bras.
icon
Early 80s for my rebellion against clothing with cups, and my mom said just about the same. I’m 55!
I love that the cat was included ❤️
People created so much stuff in order to make us talk!
As someone who currently has to either do the back clasps in the front and swivel them round, or ask for help (which I'm honestly impatient enough to not bother with most of the time); I very much appreciated the whys on the back clasp. Thank you for such a comprehensive lesson on the brassiere.
but I still don't know what the hint from the big sister was, to not grab behind you and not turn the bra around 🤔
Oddly living in China, I’ve noticed bras have much more fabric & hooks to them. Even an A cup can have 5 hooks and I’ve thought how much support do they really need?!? Thank you for keeping me up late at night, thinking more about bras than I thought I would. keeping me entertained whilst I wait on my laundry…. I forgot the mesh bag. I’ve enjoyed so many of your lovely videos! I envy your grace & style.
I’m a big woman, five hooks can be useful to me
I assumed it was a it was to honor the goddess of hunting and not-doing-sex: Artemis, but then I realized that's the wrong kind of bow
I now had a good chuckle at the idea of tiny hunting bows all placed on a line of lingerie 😂
I would actually like that more than the strip of ribbon tied in a bow 😂 thanks for the cool image 😁
I'm going to go embroider some tiny bows on undies, now!! 🏹
nice
You made my day 😂
THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS WE SHOULD BE ASKING PEOPLE
Bow? Bows?
I don’t have any underwear with bows.
Tbh I’ve always wondered it
Wait. So how do we put it on if we can’t do it in the back? What was Claudia’s sister’s advice?
Exactly!
As a woman who dislikes bows & lace on my underwear due to sensory issues, i have wondered this all my life! ❤❤
The bows don't bother me but damn lace sets off all of my ick and makes me totally shut down. I'd never worn lace before and tried to wear lace on my underwear for my wedding (I wanted to be ✨fancy✨) and literally physically couldn't walk down the aisle until someone ran to my house and got me my regular underpants 😂
I haven't got ant sensory issues, but I don't like little bows. Just don't, is that enough?
same hat lol
The lace literally catches on the hooks ALL - THE - TIME 🤦🏻♀️ and irritates my skin!
I have found one, ONE! brand of underpants that came in my size and had lace that did not set off my sensory issues. And. they. discontinued. the. line. Because of course they did. No more pretty underpants for me. :( Also? I haaaaaaate bows of any size on bras. They're always in some highly inconvenient spot that means they interrupt the line of my clothing. On the rare occasion that I buy a bra with bows, they get snipped off as soon as possible.
The three strand gold pearl necklace is absolutely divine ! ✨
But four …..
I have been so frustrated by conventional bras and how uncomfortable they are, I too researched what they wore before bras were invented. You showed pictures of it. They are also called "strophium" in ancient Rome and I made one after I found someones old blog post from like 2009 of reenactment clothing. I experimented with how to wrap it and honestly it works for me way better than any bra. It supportive yet leaves my shoulders and arms free. No more bra straps digging into my shoulders or pulling on my shoulders. I can still comfortably do a lot of things and still feel supported.
As a breast cancer survivor and aesthetic flat closure on one side and small breast on the other, I long for bows and feminine lingerie that doesn't cost the earth.
Or for one that fits a large cup size: very few post surgery bras are made for a GG cup.
I obviously don't know if it would be remotely interesting to or practical for you, but there are a lot of great sewing patterns now that are relatively easy to follow and let you customize everything to your needs and heart's desire. Bralettes are quite easy to sew. You can even buy kits with all the fabric, strapping, hardware, etc.
@@VeretenoVids I am not a very skilled seamstress but it's a good idea :)
@@VeretenoVids You are suggesting I sew my own post surgery bra? I'm a large cup size: I need scaffolding not a bralette. Even if I had these skilks & time (which I don't) what about all the other millions of women like me? I'm not sure where you are getting this idea from but you can't buy kits for sewing a large cup post surgery bra.
@@aimeek2858 No it isn't. We should be able to buy the products we need and most of us have neither the time, skills nor money for this. You can't buy kits to make post surgwry bras anyway. It's nonsense.
I HAVE questioned what's up with all the random bows on otherwise plain underwear before. Thanks for doing the research, Jessica.
The bows are like the tiny handles on maple syrup bottles nowadays :D they've lost their function but still prevail in today's designs
Ok wait can you explain the function of the tiny obsolete syrup handle to me though because I’ve always wondered
@@alisonbender8575 basically back in the day, households were storing their liquids in heavy ceramic jugs (because glassware wasn't a thing yet) with handles, which made them easier to be carried. Then when maple syrup companies decided on the shape of their containers, they decided to keep the "nostalgic" look of the original containers - including the handle, which in scale now is too small to be functional :)
🤣🤣🤣
Wait. I thought that was for my finger. I've been using it to jauntily swing the maple syrup to the table. I always thought it was nice that the fancy maple syrup allows one to jauntily swing maple syrup on a finger
Skeuomorph
straight white male here, as someone who has worn mostly black casual wear as a skater - heavy rock dude for 20 years now, but has always also been a massive history nerd and being fascinated with well crafted suits, vests and overcoats, ad odds with my "fashion statement" -as a "rebel" so to speak in the early 00's, when I was young man I found it almost embarrassing to admit, yes as a far-left wing long haired heavy metal rock dude, I do like to dress up in fancy suits occasionally. But you said it really well, our clothes dont define our politics or sexual preferences.
I was raised in a very liberal household in Europe but in a conservative rural area and only found myself comfortable within a "counter-culture" being in opposition with "conformity and norms" at the time, and had I been gay or trans I would have had it much tougher, as I later realized as many of my gay or trans friends and family had felt, of which none now live here in the same rural town.. for although my own family had no problems of that sort or deep felt prejudice the community around us did.
I just wanted to say I appreciate creators like you who cite sources!
I purchased a package of ten black bikini cotton knickers none of which have bows, but they also have all the label information printed on the inside back rather than a sewn in label. Your statement that having a bow on the front makes it easier to find the front in the dark. Now I want to put little bows on all of them myself.
I find the back by feeling for the printing on the inside, actually. A few letters are embossed on mine, dunno if that'll work for you though
@@oiytd5wugho or the elastic seam. I wear boxers and use that to find the back. I double check with the fly if I'm tired.
It really does make it easier to not accidentally put them on inside out. Which happens a lot when I’m throwing on clothes in the dark for work.
That's why I embroid small circles on the front side of an elastic band.
Once had it on a pair and now do it for every piece (after cutting of a bow)
Where did you get an entire set of black ones?
i hold my breath every time someone starts talking about historical underwear/corsets, so i can't even describe how relieved i was when you mentioned Bernadette Banner and Abby Cox
I went through the same thing. 😂
I follow both Bernadette Banner and Abby Cox!
the RELIEF!
Same! I have been scrolling through the comments looking for my fellow Banner & Cox fans. Hello friends!
Jessica swooning over the idea of décolleté violets is something I didn’t know I needed.
It’s so sweet when she gets sort of lost in the image that she just described.
Yes, I completely agree!
Me tooooo. I swooned a little with her
I have no idea what made the TH-cam Algorithm show me this, but historical feminine bows on underwear is an awesome topic I didn't realize I needed to know about until now. Thanks for enlightening our understanding :)
There have definitely been times I’ve been tempted to cut some of the little bows off, when they seem to interfere with a smooth line under my clothes.
But the real question is: WHY the little charm on the front on the sternum?!
This might sound odd but I really appreciated how the gender inclusive language in this video felt completely natural. It wasn't emphasised or pointed or almost forgotten and abruptly added on the end like it so often is, even by very accepting and inclusive people. Trans, non-binary, and other genderqueer people were simply automatically included in your language as if it was the most normal, unremarkable thing in the world.
It's worth making a point of it sometimes. It's good to force audiences to acknowledge and include those identities. But sometimes it's nice to just be implicitly accepted and normalised.
Yeah!!!
Yes. As a straight female I don't feel 'talked down to' or 'glared at' by Jessica. I just love her clothes, her humour and her wheelchair antics - I have just started being an ambulatory wheelie warrior!
And it isn’t just this video-
Jessica’s language is always inclusive in a very natural way!
Hear, hear!
@@boofyhalfpint8559 Totally!!!! I am a lesbian, but I actually found Jessica when she was doing videos about going to the movies while deaf or hard of hearing, and I'm going thru the videos learning and agreeing and she says "my wife" and I'm like hold up!
I once had a front closing bra. . . The slight stretching out of materials with washing resulted in being able to accidently undo it if you moved wrong, so I can see why mostly zippered sports bras are the only front closing ones you can find easily.
I once went for a run in a front zippered bra, and the zipper failed, which made my boobs explode rather dramatically into the open air. It was a fun surprise for everyone present.
In 9th grade I once had my messenger bags strap pop open my front closing bra. Luckily I was wherein a sweatshirt. But I gave up on that type of bra after that
I've got big boobs and most generic front zipper bras just make me laugh. My thought is that front zippers are for smaller boobs and front closure are for bigger ones? I dunno. More people with boobs need to design better bras for far less money for everybody involved. 💵💵💵
I have a Victoria‘s Secret front zipper closure sports bra, I was zipping up and the zipper split at the bottom, I couldn’t get the top open, or the bra off, and was trapped. It was ridiculous. I’ve sworn off front zipper closures, just can’t trust em. 😂
I havent worn a bra since i was 16 but my last go-to bra was a racerback bra with a plastic front closure where u would slide one into the other n pop it into place n it was very secure. I would even wear it to dance practice n i never worried abt it accidentally popping open but then again i dont have the biggest of boobs so that might be why.
As an ex underwear salesman I must say I quite enjoyed your explanation of the use of bows. I represented companies from France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Spain, England, Australia, Canada and the USA. They all used bows as ornamentation mostly. Some were frivolous some were down right fabulous in the case of one English brand Damaris which used oversized bows draping the derrière. Underwear can be fun.
As someone with a double mastectomy I'd love to have underwear with an oversized bow over the derriere because pretty bras are no longer an option
That must have ruled, I love Damaris undies
Thank you for defending corset! I worked years in a medieval restaurant and was very confortable wearing a corset! You just need to wear it the right way! :)
I haven’t even gotten 10 minutes into the video yet, I just have to say that blue dress is absolutely GORGEOUS 😍😍😍
So I recently learned that the reason there are multiple rows of hooks on a bra is that they will tend to stretch out over time, so the idea is to buy a bra that fits well on the loosest row, and then as the bra stretches out you can move tighter and tighter and maintain the same good fit.
Thanks @SamDowney!
When I was younger I always thought it is so you could buy it to fit on the tightest setting, and then when you grew/gained weight you could let it out. It never occurred to me that the opposite was true.
It always amaze me that some "universal" knowledge isn't really universal. And it usually is with small things like this - obvious to me, but it make sense that someone thinks it is to gain weight too...
Back in the day (like the 50s/60s) buying a bra was a complicated performance that involved talking to an older lady who would help you fit it and make sure it was the right size. One of these ladies told me sternly that I should not buy a bra that fitted on the smallest closure, it had to be back a couple of notches to allow for stretching of the fabric. Buying knickers was didn't require the fitting bit but was an equally discreet procedure, both involving curtained off bits of the store where men were certainly not welcome. And sanitary towels were very quietly purchased at the pharmacy and the package handed to you in a brown paper bag.
@@Salix631 Bra fitting places are kinda making a comeback. Many shops offer this service virtually, but Victoria Secret and other chains will also do a fitting in person to help you find a correct size or comfortable style for you. I was advised in one of these sessions to buy a bra that fitted on the middle hook, and not to wear them two days in a row in order for the elastic to last longer. After wearing it for a day, you are supossed to hook it on the smallest closure so it still fits your ribcage tighly and doesn't put more strain on the shoulders after beign streched. Then, after washing it, you go back to wear it on the middle hook; and you save the biggest closure for extra relieff.
Of course, I don't give it so much though after buying, to be honest. Some fabrics will give out quickly than others, so I'll just hook them were I feel they can support my chest without letting the weight rest mostly on the straps.
When a (casual) bra gets unsupportive on the largest setting, I might draw a line with high visibility fabric paint between the hooks I mean to avoid.
A more formal method to warn myself off of the stretched out setting was to baste across the space between the outermost hooks, putting thread into each to make it easy to avoid using them.
I've worn underwear with bows and without, and frankly? I'm for more frivolous details on all underwear. It's just *fun,* it's a reminder that underwear isn't strictly utilitarian.
It makes me happy to have underwear with bows, shimmery fabric, prints, or other "unnecessary" details because means that the ornamentation is for *me.* No matter what my outer clothing shell has to conform to for safety or societal norms, no one has to see what I have underneath, so it can look however I want it to.
In a world where our exteriors are increasingly policed, it's nice to be able to wear what I want to somewhere, even if it isn't visible to the casual observer.
This reminds me of the tv show... Atelier I think it was called. A Japanese show about a small custom-made underwear boutique, where it was stressed that nice bras are for your own comfort and confidence that others don't really get to see. As someone who grew up with Victoria's Secret type lingerine promos, that felt really refreshing. I was too used to the annoying trope that pretty bras are for men's gazes and only utilitarian ones are for women.
There's this shop in my area where you can get socks with fun asimetric patterns and also matching panties... I always make sure I wear the matching sets together.
This is my life philosophy! Wearing frivolous, ornamental and flamboyant things makes life so much more fun and interesting. I put bows and lace on pretty much everything I own and it makes me feel really cute and whimsical and there’s no way I’d rather feel
That is funny, but the most annoying example of this is male fashion, until industrial revolution it used to be just as diverse and full of decoraitons ( as they were status symbols most often ) as womens one and with passage of years I think male parts of clothes shops seem to even decrease in size. Personally I think with most jobs nowadays being office ones we could do with more colour and flair as it is its hard enough to just convince people you like wearing a hat, and even then it's a classical male style of hat.
@@M2R. I do think same. So I wear cloaks for the fun of it. Need to buy some cool ones though, ones I have are pretty much military/camping style.
thank you for explaining the "bra in a mesh bag" - I always thought it was supposed to protect other clothes from the hooks
That is very relevant as well! I wear a lot of racer or cross back styles and when I forget the mesh bag I feel like I spend hours untwisting my bras from my clothes. Also, when I don't use the bag, I generally have to tug and pull and reshape the cups as I have a fairly large cup size.
@@katherinegood7509 Relatable.
I started using a mesh bag for my bras so that the straps don't get tangled up in the agitator, stretching them all to hell. I even leave them in the bag in the dryer, so other clothes don't get tangled up in the straps, and it's easier to find the mesh bag in the dryer-full of clothes than something as small as a bra, since I take them out of the dryer when they're about half-dry, and hang them up to finish the drying.
Your particular wit and sarcasm combined with your chosen aesthetic is so cute it makes me want to squee (especially the flowers by your heart for your wife, awwww!) , sadly idont have the vocal range to make that noise, but it's there in spirit, you're doing great!
I’m not one of the Clubbies (yet), but I do love your videos and hope you’d stop getting homophobic and rude comments. Thanks for talking about this with such an including choice of words (I’m a queer non-binary afab and appreciate it SO MUCH) and sharing a positive outlook on corsets themselves 🙏🏼
RE: lace on the bras from the archeological find: lace has holes and can function as ventilation in underwear, or people just wanted pretty underthings.
I don't like bows on my underwear/bras. A little lace can be nice, but bows make me psychologically uncomfortable - I love that term! - so I take a seam ripper to them and remove the bows.
This was super interesting, but I absolutely did not need to know what the first sports bra was made from. That piece of information will now, unfortunately live in my brain forever…😱😱
& why do so few companies make post surgery sports bras?
lol As a gay man that loves doing sports using jock straps, I find the fact so interesting and hilarious!! What a twist: now bras can be said to be masculine, and even jock-straps to be feminine! 😂😂 At the end the important thing is us people to be comfortable with the fabrics with put on our bodies.... the rest is subjective and so twistable 😂
Jessica, i love your amazing humor! i don't only learn a lot of interesting facts with you, but I end up with a huge smile as well! thanks for being yourself and making these videos! ❤
The only thing I can think of is the common sports bra brand Jockey now 🫠
Have you seen all the DIYs with bikinitops made from old panties....with the crotchpart,right under your nose?
If you have large breasts, you know that a tiny bouquet tucked between them might serve (at least) two purposes: hiding cleavage; freshening sour skin.
Im transfem and the cute lil bows were a super euphoric thing in the times when i couldnt present outwardly fem, but I knew i had cute lace & bows hidden underneath my work clothes❤
Love Jessica swooning with love for Claude
i wear exclusively boxers now but when i was little and wore those kinda underwear with bows i would RIP THEM OFF.
I started wearing boxers a little over a year ago and why the hell did I wait so long?!
@@bitchenboutique6953 i love them so much, they feel comfy, they arent too tight, if i listed all the pros i would be talking for years.
I do wear officially "women's" underwear but it's like a tighter version of boxers. So fully from belly to under the butt, onto my thighs.
I don't understand why anyone ever would wear something less comfortable than that.
My old underwear would basically kinda cut into my butt on the sides because it didn't go down to my thighs there.
Why anyone would want that is beyond me.
@@bitchenboutique6953you know I've never thought of buying boxers, are they expensive? I just grab a multi pack of big knickers in Marks and Sparks every so often and get really pissed off about the bows....until I remember that I often get dressed in the dark and they're quite handy for finding the front 😂. I did graduate from white to black recently and wondered why the hell I didn't do that before the menopause!
I've kinda wanted to wear boxers but could never find the right style for my ~equipment~ Men's style boxers have too much space in the front, but women's style boxers are just not the same shape!
Changes in living and working conditions helped push corsets out of popularity. Corsets weren't designed to restrict movement. While wealthy women may have had corsets purely for fashion, working class women used them for extra support while doing heavy work, like weight belts or back braces today.
men wore ones too, and in fact weight lifters and so on still wear belts, while the whole leather wrist bands metal is known for are actually to help with joint problems in case of physical workers. It's just to convinient for us with all advantages of robots and internet to even imagine half of strain life would put on you just 100 years ago.
That blue floral dress is gorgeous. I love that shade of blue.
I really dislike the dress colour but i love the fit and style and the way it makes her hair colour really stand out. Her hair is fantastic.
Regards from a Tom :)
I went into the settings and slowed her speech down to 0.75. Made all the difference in the world to understanding Jessica.
Okay so I wasn’t alone. She talks so fast. Her accent and tone are lovely, but her speech is rushedtogethetlikethisandIcan’tunderstand!!! I did 0.75 as well
Great video! I love how you share your research rabbit holes. You’re so thorough. And I love your take on the whole thing. So practical and balanced and sensitive. You’re the best!
I have wondered this since I was a child. Thirty-seven years and 26 minutes later, I can happily close that chapter in my life. Thank you, Jessica, for going down the rabbit hole I was afraid of chasing and congratulations on coming out the other side!
TBH: I always found bows indiscreet (as their silhouette would poke through my t-shirts and call attention to my underwear), but now that I have come full circle, I can re-start my relationship with bows from a healthier place. I actually think a tiny bow on the sleeve or the pocket of my (or my husband's) button-down shirts would be lovely.
I know you get weird/mean comments on here, and I just want to reassure you that I am NOT being facetious. This video was AMAZING and it's going to live rent-free in my head all week. Have a great day and go get those violets! 💜💜💜💜
My mother hated bows because she was forced to wear large ones in her hair. Jessica, you're absolutely gorgeous!
I thought that you might say that the tiny bow reflected the residual "drawstring" left over from the chemise, camisole, or combination garments of 100+ years past.
I always wondered about the tiny bows on my bras and underwear and had perceived them to be infantilising to women. have really appreciate your video and how it puts bows like this into a historical context. I still don't like them on my undergarments but at least I have a more nuanced view. Thank you for such an informative video.
I bought a pattern from the 1950's for Bra's and bikini Tops. I have a large chest and those modern bras with all elastics and synthetic fabric are cutting my skin (even in the correct size) and won't handle sweat very well. I want to sew myself some bras out of linnen. The only slightly elastic part will be the hock attachement in the back. That's it. Hopefully it will be a success.
I just have to comment that I adore your use of fat as an unproblematic term, I don't think about it much but this video made me realize that I really despise using terms like "plus size" or "larger frame" or any other flowery band aids. Also as a trans man I felt very included, thank you! ❤
I don't mind "plus size" but I definitely refer to myself as fat and always appreciate when it's used as a neutral descriptor by people of any size.
Side note: it's always telling when someone is uncomfortable with you calling yourself fat and wants to say something like, "You aren't fat, you're beautiful!" Those two things are not mutually exclusive! Anyone who is uncomfortable with someone calling themselves fat should examine why that is. Often, it's because they've learned to associate "fat" with a whole host of negative things that aren't necessarily true.
I appreciate it as well, although it was a little jarring to hear it thrown in so casually! I'm so used to people using euphemisms that it kind of caught me off guard.
Agreed, it's just a pretty factual descriptor, it shouldn't be offending. Calling a tall person a tall person also never counted as offensive... On the other hand, 'plus size' implies that it is outside of what is somehow considered 'normal' range of sizes and makes it feel more separated and singled out.
It made me feel a little meh, but maybe that is the negative association I have with the word, because it is often used in a negative way.
I understand, I used to think that way as well. The way I see it now, "plus size" implies that I am larger than other humans when really, the average body size range is much broader than what is on the rack for clothing. It figuratively AND literally separates me from everyone else (plus sections, big and tall etc). Whereas "fat" is just a part of my body and everyone has it just in different levels, so it feels less alienating. If I were speaking to you or anyone else in everyday conversation however, I would of course accommodate my speech for the comfort of present company. @@058Martine
I hated the little bows and always removed them from my underpants (not from bras because that tended to damage the bra, lesson I learned the hard way). When I became dependent on care and couldn't dress myself without help, I started to leave them on. It helps the carers to find the right side. I am always amazed how often a person can switch and turn a piece of fabric around without finding the right side... it's like USB I guess?
Aesthetically I am still strongly opposed to any bows and other frill on my clothing, but I am a pragmatist, so it's fine I guess.
Your patreon members are absolutely your "Support B.R.A.'s" Beautiful Respectful Allys.
I have to admit I came here because of the thumbnail of you displaying your bow-emblazoned brassiere. But stayed and subscribed for your humor and engaging take on history. You go girl!
I really like your perspective on this. I'm a straight woman who's very masculine, so I can relate a lot to what you say about subjerting expectation, but kinda in reverse? Basically, a lot of society assumes lesbians to be masculine, and straight women to be feminine, but you and I are doing the opposite of that, and I think that's beautiful.
That said, I don't personally feel any particular way about the bows on my undies. I've been aware of them ever since my teens though, when I first wondered "why them bows?" Anyway, underwear is probably the one aspect of my wardrobe that isn't particularly masculine. I prefer fully covering panties that can handle the near infinite size of my rear end, and since I don't have natural breasts anymore, I have to get bras made specifically for holding breast forms, all of which usually looks like something you'd probably expect a granny to wear. Or someone's who's into retro stuff. So there be a lot of bows. And lace. And they're all only ever black, white or beige.
And I guess I don't really mind all that as long as it's comfortable, fits well, won't break within a week of wearing, and that my bras and panties are the same color.
That said, I'm in my mid 30's and I still put on my bras by fastening it over my stomach, then turn it around and put on the shoulder straps last. As long as my waist is at least a little bit slimmer than my chest and I'm being careful with not yanking the bra too hard, I feel like that method isn't putting a ton on stress on the garment. I just can't fasten it from behind. I can barely even open it from behind.
Although I have several front-closure bras. It's actually very common with mastectomy bras, because a lot of women who've had a mastectomy have limited arm movements. I don't, but I still appreciate the gesture.
I usually remove the bows as they tend to cause a little bump in t shirts & the edges can snag delicate fabrics.
i think the little bows are cute but i never really even notice then, they don’t touch me (not understanding that complaint) and they’re everywhere so my brain just fully ignores them
as someone who wears a 30ff in uk sizing and has to buy bras online from dedicated stores the struggle is so real
I mean this with adoration and complete respect. You are the most well spoken and adorable woman I have ever seen on TH-cam or anywhere else. I look forward to seeing more of you stuff, I absolutely subbed, and I wish you and your family much safety and success.
I have seen long line bras that close in the front and zippered sports bras.
U also forgot to give us the tip that Claudias older sister gave her
I thought I misunderstood something about that part when she didn't fallow with tip. Or maybe closing it already at back was that option? o.O
It looks like there could be an editing error? The content at 17:46 about front-closing bras with a single hook not being stable for those with larger chests repeats twice.
I'd love to see that tip
I wanted that tip!!!
Same
Wait…you’re not supposed to fasten the bra backwards and then shimmy it around your body to face the correct way??
What is the correct way?
I do this too and now I wonder what is the correct way?
I had never heard of anyone putting it on “backwards” until a fitting a few years back 😅 I was informed I put mine on the “correct” way, which is: arms through straps, wire/bottom of cup under tissue, arms behind to hook, then adjust (swoop/scoop tissue in cup, etc). I tried the “backwards” way once and couldn’t deal with the drag of elastic across my skin. However, my shoulders are hypermobile in a way that makes this easy for me, but if you have less mobility (or even more/increased risk of dislocation) this may not be doable for you, and if it’s not doable, then honestly, I wouldn’t consider it the “correct” way! The correct way is the way you can manage 😊
We "should" close it at the backs to not destroy material/elastic bands. Closing it in front and shimming to back made bras live shorter
I do both. It really just depends what I feel like doing early in the morning while I'm still half asleep, lol
I exclusively wear racerback sports bras with inbuilt cups, my chest hates normal bras. One of the best sports bras I have (the most supportive and comfortable one) is one that clasps in the front with a slide-bar clasp which is extra secure and doesn't dig in at all. It also has a second bit of spandex style fabric that zips up to completely hold my chest in place and I love it to pieces!
For anyone out there who hates normal bras or who can't clasp them in the back, try a racerback encapsulation bra that has a slide-bar front clasp. It's supportive and cute and eminently practical and easy to put on.
Where did you buy yours?
Can you suggest a good brand that isn’t Nike or Skims?
I'd like more options with no bows as an Enby but I do like the idea of functionality for folks with less visability or who are blind. I hadn't considered that, but it's a cute mostly unnoticable and functional addition. I also think leaning into the aesthetic & making bigger bows could be super fun and neat, and has lots of potential as well.
Basically just.. more selection. More options please!
Was so sure that i was an exception to this but actually one of my bras had a tiny bow that I'd never even noticed
Before I started wearing compression tops, my favorite bra was a sports bra that zipped up the front. SO easy to do when I was having a bad pain day in one or both arms.
My breasts are so big, the bra is hard to zip. The fit good is good once they are zipped. I hook the top and then try to slip the bottom edges together and the top pops. So I just have started wearing cheap fruit of loom cotton sleep bras with about 7 sets of hooks. I am 72 so I worry about comfort over looks. And I have problems with my shoulders.
I found those would unzip themselves, unfortunately.
You got me with that last barrage of bows, I bow longer bow what bow bow bow bow bow
Brain empty. Only bows now. 🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀
Bras in french are now called "soutien gorge" which I think means "throat support" which doesn't make sense since it's not around our necks lol. I also have a small frame and a 28 band which is difficult to find but easier to find through UK brands online
I never wore boxers, but I remember fighting with my mother to buy me different underwear because "boys wear briefs" I clicked on this because I always wondered about the silly bows but did not expect what I got, I loved it and subscribed, well done!!
That blue dress is AMAZING!
I think so too
I usually wear M&S "Rosie" bras... they have little metal dangly pendants instead of a bow! (Yes I just checked). And yes, my M&S multi-pack knickers also have bows on the front.
Me too! I’m an odd size so M&S is my go-to, and the ‘Rosie’ range is usually the least aesthetically disappointing. I cut the little danglers off as well
As a masculine woman I actively look for underwear without any bows or laces, and it's actually quite difficult to avoid 😅
It's so hard to find those! I don't even what I am, but I need stuff to support my boobs... And the bows and laces are just everywhere :(
At least now I understand why
I love that you are just uniquely you never let the haters get you down.
I love the bows haha didn’t ever think why they were there just thought they were there to make them prettier
Research rabbit holes do happen 🤣🤣🤣
'Beribbon ourselves' is my new favourite phrase.
I never questioned it because everyone of them brings me joy. Just a little tiny bit of joy each day ❤
I've always hated these tiny bows and never stopped to think why they are so prevailent.
Now I know who to blame.
For real, I have wondered this for years and years, so pumped to watch this video.
okay but that original jockbra looks comfortable as hell
The décolletage violet mooning was everything I needed for today ❤ great video!
I remember watching a documentary about a small underwear designing company that tried to make high quality underwear that was still low price and they were trying to avoid them being simple and bare. As many of us surely mostly experienced when searching "localy and ethicaly made underwear", there tends to only be very simple black/white/"nude for white people only" colours and two or three shapes. So the creator was trying to get around that in a economical maner and tiny bows were one of the ways to add details and ornementation on underwears that was cost effective and the point was indeed to not make underwear only practical but also pretty.
I like that you said that more bows could be added with attachments! I think we need to give everyone bows
I really wish more people talked about sports corsets - they existed I think in the Georgian period or something, but I can’t see much about them - other than that they existed, and I wish I could still use one. I do think it would work better for me than a sports bra
Bernadette Banner did a Video about this after Adidas came out with a "corset", but it was meant to be a fashion thingy. Doesn't help with finding an actual modern one, I'm sorry, but there you can at least learn about the history if interested :)
There’s a video of a creator making modern sports stays, will link if I find it: th-cam.com/video/u4aOgymBGVw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=QArAm-I9BF37JEQH
Riding corsets are also known from literature.
By researching historical corsetry, you might be able to find a pattern in one of the old journals/magazines. And then you just need to size, shape, muslin, sew, and tweak. It could be quite the hobby rabbit hole!
Riding corsets were cut high over the hips to allow for more movement, especially when riding sidesaddle. They also performed the same function in protecting the spine in a fall as modern back protectors.
that's really cool! @@InaMacallan
5:40 I had to pause the video after “for someone else’s eyes” just to scream into my own hands
“UUGGHHH ITS NOT ABOUT YOOOUU!! 😤🤬” (and by you I mean the men…obviously lol)
I’m surprised by how strongly I reacted to that, but it just made me immediately livid.
Men truly think the world revolves around them 💀 The level of arrogance and entitlement is beyond infuriating!!! Like the idea that we might make personal choices based on personal preferences is not only unimaginable to them, but I’ve found it makes them super angry if you contradict them on it. Most of them really think their opinions should dictate every aspect of our private lives, it’s an inherently abusive mindset and you have every right to be angry at it!
Maybe you’ve had enough internet for today
@@uikmnhj4me lol, you’re entirely right; had to pump the breaks and took a breather.
This was really insightful and entertaining, and your presence is truly magnetic. It's funny because I get annoyed at the random bows on my underwear but actually they can be pretty useful in figuring out which way round they go lol.
This makes me want to buy a pack of tiny satin bows, go to a department store, and just start sticking bows on all sorts of garments in the male section, female section, kids section… bows on shorts, bows on socks, bows on jeans, bows on neck ties! Bows bows bows bows bows!
I mean some of my underwear HAD tiny bows on them and I took the tiny bows off. I'm not a tiny bow person
Lucky you.
What do you do with them? Give them away to someone who recycles them into greetings cards?
I'm more of a tiny flowers person. Never really liked bows.
Nobody does niche history like you! Thanks for answering the questions and debunking BS at the same time ♥ I like bows, but I absolutely want them bigger. Forget pretty and dainty. I want STATEMENTS.
male underwear could do with some bows, some have their label on the front, which makes it easy to get the right way around and outside out. some have a label in the back inside, which also works for that purpose, but some have printed text, which wears off after a time, leading to longish observation in bright light to determine the front.
Can also check for which side the flap is on, unless you have underwear that doesn’t open in the front for urinal use. But if it doesn’t open in front, and there’s no tag/seam on the back (or front) of the waistband… is there even much difference between back and front?
The front has a very different paneling at least, unlike with female underwear
You are a classy and funny lady. Lifelong crossdresser here... as a fella who loves pretty clothes, I thoroughly appreciate the humor and history in this. I feel like I've learned a lot here. Thank you.
I am also a 28 band and a larger cup size. Panache is my absolute favorite brand for this!! There are more (and the UK is particularly prolific in D cup & up brands, so I’m sure you’ve found some) but Panache is my all-time fav for comfort and durability. 🎀
I have one of their sports bras in 28FF (I'm actually a 26 band but in mean, good luck finding those ANYWHERE, let alone 28s!), and I really love how sturdy they are. They feel so well-constructed that the higher price compared to Primark or something is totally worth it.
As a trans masculine person who always hated bows and lace on things, and also as a person with sensory issues and sensitive skin that gets very irritated by things like lace and bows anyway, it was actually very interesting to watch this video. I hadn't really thought about WHY it was almost impossible to find underwear that didn't have annoying bows on back when I was still presenting as female.
I guess I just assumed that all other girls/women just liked bows and it was just yet another way that I was broken and weird. Of course I've learned in more recent years that nothing about gender is ever that ridged even for people who feel they fit firmly within the binary of the gender they were assigned at birth. Now we just need the consumer market to catch up with that concept and stop making every product so stupidly gendered!
As a trans feminine person I really like the bows but I can see your point.
@@PlurCo that's what I mean though, there are always going to be people anywhere on the gender spectrum who love those traditionally gendered things and also people who don't.
There seems to be a tendency for things to swing too far one way or too far the other - either making things too strictly gendered or thinking everything should be neutral but what we need is a choice of both so that everyone can choose what they feel suits them best. you still get all the bows you want but there would be a few more choices for the people who still want the female underwear but don't want any bows on them too.
Does that make sense?
Non-binary person who doesn't really care one way or the other checking in.
Now we know.
Gender is bows.
Yep, as a fellow trans masc person with sensory issues I totally agree. I threw many a "tantrum" (aka meltdown) over how itchy the lace elastic was. It drove me insane but my parents refused to get me new underwear "so you learn that crying doesn't get you what you want". Yeah, what I wanted was not to have a friction rash. I had a line of red irritated skin all around my hips but nope, I "just had to learn to live with it". Then when the elastic "wore out" (I might've helped) *they bought the same stuff again!!*
@@waffles3629 oh, dude, yeah, the agony of meltdown after meltdown being put down to just 'tantrums' and 'bad behaviour', and even when the same things trigger them over and over, it never occurs to them to sit you down and have an honest conversation about what's wrong and whether some small change could help, because behaving 'normal' (ie learning how to well and truly mask) is way more important! 😖
I'm sorry you experienced that too.
Oh, and the real salt in the wound was when I found from my mum out that my little sister had been diagnosed autistic but it never occurred to anyone in the family that I could be autistic too because I had had to learn to mask too well, and never say what my experience of the world was or what I was feeling/struggling with.
I wish parents would treat kids more like actual people and less like craft projects to turn into what they want them to be. That's one of the reasons I love this channel. I came for Jessica's great way of presenting queer and disability subjects but now I get to watch some wonderful parenting too
This was simultaneously hilarious in ways i wasn't expecting and informative in ways that I never expected. You even explained the tangents which raised questions.
Bravo.
I feel unreasonably emotional about this video - probably something to do with the migraine that's floored me all day AND your thoroughness.
You're one of my absolutely favourite TH-camrs. Thank you for your content!
Also, that dress is awesome :)
First off, I LOVE UR FASHION HISTORY STUFF (especially how you easily site your sources ON SCREEN!! As a fellow research enthusiast you have BLESSED my feed) Absolute instant follow!
Perfect delivery, various subjects all done with a sarcastic beautiful smile and made me laugh too.
25:28
Proudly supporting Jessica for 5 years now!
I was so excited when I saw this. I'm a cis man who does not wear underwear with bows but I am constantly curious about why those bows are there, especially on otherwise minimalistic examples or at odds with the style I'd expect of the wearer.
Since a frozen shoulder injury, I have been on the search for a good front-closer. I finally found cotton-containing ones with a vertical strip of hook and eyes that have held up quite well. (I replied to this comment with the brand/model)
Would you put the brand name/model in for other people with problems (back neck injury) to have a look at please? Thanks!!🥰
Many sympathies. I'm dealing with frozen shoulder myself currently. Left was a couple of years ago, & now I'm dealing with the right side. I'm right-dominant, so I could deal with the left being frozen so much more easily. It's also been extremely difficult to find front close bras in my size that have enough padding to deal with the... erm, "no, it's not cold; that's just how I'm built" situation.
I second including the brand. I also have shoulder issues (maybe? frozen shoulder) and putting on and removing the bra is not fun.
@@boofyhalfpint8559 I just did.
@@bndergltd3053 I just did. BTW, physical therapy loosened up my frozen shoulder a lot. Not 100%, but probably worth asking about with your doc.
I hope this makes you laugh a tenth as much as your video made me laugh! due to an unfortunate series of events [a difficult delivery that tore my pelvic floor, then a stroke which gave me OAB, I now suffer from all forms of minor incontinence, stress, urge, etc. forcing me to wear "protective" underwear, these are made from a paper fabric much like you get at the doctor's office or X-ray, or even a bib at the dentist. I'm sure you can't stitch on these so they have printed a bow on the front, you can't feel it so it doesn't help you dress in the dark, but it does distinguish the front from the back I never thought much about it until I watched this video, now, it cracks me up
This makes so much sense because I've always seen knickers without bows as sporty no matter the shape, like bonds and brands like that rarely have bows and I feel like that has to be to do with the modern style they go for and maybe me seeing it as sporty is because of sports bras