Saturday, August 6, 2011

From Modesty To Bare Nothings: Ditching The Undies Revolution part: 4 (a)



By Miriam B. Medina

"What has been the fashion once will come into fashion again..." Japanese proverb

In the first 3 parts of this 4 part series, we explored the beginnings of women's underwear in an era of sexual repression and the evolution of underwear up through the sexual revolution, allowing for a freedom in lingerie and women's underwear that never existed before. Now we literally will explore the sexually charged undies and lingerie that dominates the market today, or what I call the "passion stimulators."

PASSION STIMULATORS

Torpedo Bra- The Bullet Bra, also known as the "Torpedo Bra," came into play in the late 40's, which was quite popular with the use of sweaters worn by the pin ups of the 1940's and 1950's. Jane Russell had worn one of those bras in the Outlaw. The purpose of the bullet bra was to provide full support and coverage to the breasts. In the extent of 30 years, 90 million bullet bras were sold by Maidenform's Chansonette, the company that launched them. The cone bra was revived in 1990 by Jean Paul Gaultier when he redesigned it as an outerwear for Madonna's "Blonde Ambition" tour. Since then, bras have gone through many style changes, such as: strapless, t-shirt, padded, push-up and even transparent bras that show the nipples of the breast.

Modern Panty: Today, it's more than just a bit of cloth that covers both genitals and buttocks. The panty in its many variations has become an object of sexuality. The panties that a female wears can make a bold statement as to how she sees herself, whether she is sexy or downright modest. Some women may secretly want to wear the bolder styles, but are afraid to do so because of Christian principles or a rigid moral upbringing. The wonderful thing about panties is that they have been designed into many different styles for every type of woman, from modest briefs to sexy open crotch panties. For example, one can choose to display: briefs, hipsters, bikinis, boyshorts, tangas, thongs, g-strings and, of course, the "unmentionables," open-crotch panties and the edibles which are sensual and highly suggestive. By the way, the last two have become a favorite among straight and lesbian couples. So my dear friend, there is always something to fit whatever mood you might be in.

Fashion designer Rudi Gernreich has been credited with introducing the first thong bikini in 1974. "The thong is a narrow strip of cloth which sits between the buttocks and connects the front to the waistband behind the wearer, thus giving a full view of the cheeks." Today the thong has become one of the fastest-selling types of underwear among women and is also worn by men. Women prefer using thongs to minimize panty lines when wearing tight-fitting trousers. Most men are strongly attracted to a woman in a thong or a g-string.

Edible Panties: This concept was invented by David Sanderson and Lee Brady in 1975. The product of this joint venture was a company named Cosmorotics, Inc., formed to manufacture and sell edible underwear under the name of "candypants, the original 100% edible underwear." Within weeks after patenting their product, hundreds of thousands of pairs were manufactured and distributed. The sexual revolution was reaching into the American middle-class. Bedrooms were reignited as candypants, with its naughty innocence, made its debut. Demand exceeded supply as the word spread like wildfire. "Candypants" were rapidly filling up the lingerie and clothing shops, leading sales at department stores, candy stores and motorcycle shops. The news media thought it to be an outrageous delight, pushing edible underwear not only into the national lime-light, but world-wide as well. Everyone wanted to see the panties that tasted so yummy. It still is so popular that they have a his and hers edible underwear panty collection. How adorable.

Well my dear readers, I guess I have reached the final part of this long and winding tale. So I think it's safe to say that modesty was immodestly devoured by the sexual revolution of the 20th century, which pulverized former sex standards and patterns, while introducing a modern understanding of sexual freedom among women. Since then, modern America has gradually been publicly undressed.

To be continued: Part 4 (b)

To contact: miriammedina@earthlink.net
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