Stratification Based on Size
Size stratification is the difference in internal and external stigma felt by women who either have small or large breasts. Although the invention of the sports bra has lead to many positive outcomes involving the empowerment of women, it has also been proponent in the creation of this stigma. Until very recently, there were only two types of sports bras on the market, compression and encapsulating (find out more here.) In short, compression sports bras were for women with smaller breasts, while encapsulating sports bras were for women with larger breasts. Compression sports bras are available in bright colors and appealing patterns, while encapsulating sports bras are primarily white or black.
Add in your typical sports bra advertisement: a large breasted, attractive woman wearing an appealing colored compression sports bra. The result is massive internal stigma felt by women with both large and small breasts. The advertisement sends society terribly mixed signals by idealizing both large breasts and compression sports bras, and much worse: large breasts within compression sports bras.
This message creates a stigma within women with large breasts by leading them to believe that their sports bras are ugly and makes them long for the appealing colors and styles that compression bras can offer. Yet these bras do not give larger-breasted women the support that they need and can cause additional discomfort during exercise due to their tight fabrics. Still, women with large breasts often buy these sports bras, drawn in by their popularity and appealing colors, yet must layer multiple compression sports bras on top of each other to actually receive support. Large-breasted women are often self-conscious of their breast size and therefore use compression bras so that they can obtain the “modest” (and borderline “mono-boob”) look that compression sports bras offer.
This stigma is felt in the exact opposite way by small-breasted women, who view advertisements with large-breasted models in compression sports bras and subsequently feel inadequate. Due to the hyper-sexualization of women in the media, it is a reality that society values the sexual, physical assets of women, such as boobs. These values have warped our society and caused women to sexualize their appearance. Push-up bras are a staple in our society, and almost every bra that is not worn for exercise (and even some that are) have padding to make breasts appear larger. Compression sports bras have absolutely no padding whatsoever. In fact, they do the exact opposite to breasts, pushing them tight against a woman’s body to decrease mobility and bounce. It’s why they are functionally effective for sports and exercise, but also why they are unable to support women with large breasts. When small-breasted women, who have already developed an internal stigma about their breast size due to society’s warped expectations, then put on a compression sports bra—the stigma gets worse. Sometimes to the point that they believe they need encapsulating bras, which have a shape to them, to retain their femininity. Yet just like a large breasted woman utilizing a compression bra, this defeats functionality.
Thankfully, this stigma can be eradicated in the near future as stratification is no longer as prevalent due to the increasing advancements made in the sports bra world.
-Brielle
Add in your typical sports bra advertisement: a large breasted, attractive woman wearing an appealing colored compression sports bra. The result is massive internal stigma felt by women with both large and small breasts. The advertisement sends society terribly mixed signals by idealizing both large breasts and compression sports bras, and much worse: large breasts within compression sports bras.
This message creates a stigma within women with large breasts by leading them to believe that their sports bras are ugly and makes them long for the appealing colors and styles that compression bras can offer. Yet these bras do not give larger-breasted women the support that they need and can cause additional discomfort during exercise due to their tight fabrics. Still, women with large breasts often buy these sports bras, drawn in by their popularity and appealing colors, yet must layer multiple compression sports bras on top of each other to actually receive support. Large-breasted women are often self-conscious of their breast size and therefore use compression bras so that they can obtain the “modest” (and borderline “mono-boob”) look that compression sports bras offer.
This stigma is felt in the exact opposite way by small-breasted women, who view advertisements with large-breasted models in compression sports bras and subsequently feel inadequate. Due to the hyper-sexualization of women in the media, it is a reality that society values the sexual, physical assets of women, such as boobs. These values have warped our society and caused women to sexualize their appearance. Push-up bras are a staple in our society, and almost every bra that is not worn for exercise (and even some that are) have padding to make breasts appear larger. Compression sports bras have absolutely no padding whatsoever. In fact, they do the exact opposite to breasts, pushing them tight against a woman’s body to decrease mobility and bounce. It’s why they are functionally effective for sports and exercise, but also why they are unable to support women with large breasts. When small-breasted women, who have already developed an internal stigma about their breast size due to society’s warped expectations, then put on a compression sports bra—the stigma gets worse. Sometimes to the point that they believe they need encapsulating bras, which have a shape to them, to retain their femininity. Yet just like a large breasted woman utilizing a compression bra, this defeats functionality.
Thankfully, this stigma can be eradicated in the near future as stratification is no longer as prevalent due to the increasing advancements made in the sports bra world.
-Brielle
Effect on Body Image
In accordance with what feels like almost everything these days, a large part of the success of the sports bra has to be attributed to the marketing techniques. This brings up the heavily discussed and prevalent issue of how companies decide to try to advertise their products.
In today’s society, the “ideal” looking girl is thin and tan with large breasts, flawless skin and white teeth. At least, that’s what we are taught to believe, right? These ideals aren’t just left to the Victoria’s Secret Angels and movie stars, they’ve made their way into every kind of advertising there is, including the advertising of sports bras. Take a look in magazines, TV commercials or even pictures in the stores where you’re buying these items, they all display the beautiful, athletic and large breasted woman. This seems like an anomaly in this particular case though, because of the purpose of sports bras. They are meant to support and compress a woman’s breasts in order for exercise to be made easier and more comfortable, but since when has the idea of exercise and looking gorgeous and runway ready been associated? This boils down to the epitome of societal flaws in today’s world, especially the widespread issue of body image.
It is not fair to make anybody believe that they have to look like the models in the ads for sports bras, especially since almost nobody looks like that when they are actually wearing them. Body image is seen in today’s culture as one of the most common issues among teenage girls. The statistics are horrifying as well as telling as to what we need to change. 54% of women would rather be hit by a truck than be fat (yes, you read that right), 81% of ten year-olds are afraid of being overweight, 67% of women ages 15-64 withdraw from life-engaging activities because of insecurities concerning their looks, in the US as many as ten million females are suffering from anorexia or bulimia; these are ridiculous and alarmingly true facts, all pointing to one obvious idea, this “ideal” needs to stop. It’s not healthy or safe for girls to be looking up to something that is not possible or has too much risk involved in achieving the goal.
Organizations have tried to combat this issue in a number of ways. Through informational sessions, support groups, and constant education throughout adolescence, the message is trying to be spread about what is healthy and what is unrealistic. Fashion models are thinner than 98% of most American women and if mannequins were women, they would be too thin to bear children. These are the facts that need to be out there in the world. We need to combat this issue of body image, especially when dealing with clothing like sports bras.
-Shannon
In today’s society, the “ideal” looking girl is thin and tan with large breasts, flawless skin and white teeth. At least, that’s what we are taught to believe, right? These ideals aren’t just left to the Victoria’s Secret Angels and movie stars, they’ve made their way into every kind of advertising there is, including the advertising of sports bras. Take a look in magazines, TV commercials or even pictures in the stores where you’re buying these items, they all display the beautiful, athletic and large breasted woman. This seems like an anomaly in this particular case though, because of the purpose of sports bras. They are meant to support and compress a woman’s breasts in order for exercise to be made easier and more comfortable, but since when has the idea of exercise and looking gorgeous and runway ready been associated? This boils down to the epitome of societal flaws in today’s world, especially the widespread issue of body image.
It is not fair to make anybody believe that they have to look like the models in the ads for sports bras, especially since almost nobody looks like that when they are actually wearing them. Body image is seen in today’s culture as one of the most common issues among teenage girls. The statistics are horrifying as well as telling as to what we need to change. 54% of women would rather be hit by a truck than be fat (yes, you read that right), 81% of ten year-olds are afraid of being overweight, 67% of women ages 15-64 withdraw from life-engaging activities because of insecurities concerning their looks, in the US as many as ten million females are suffering from anorexia or bulimia; these are ridiculous and alarmingly true facts, all pointing to one obvious idea, this “ideal” needs to stop. It’s not healthy or safe for girls to be looking up to something that is not possible or has too much risk involved in achieving the goal.
Organizations have tried to combat this issue in a number of ways. Through informational sessions, support groups, and constant education throughout adolescence, the message is trying to be spread about what is healthy and what is unrealistic. Fashion models are thinner than 98% of most American women and if mannequins were women, they would be too thin to bear children. These are the facts that need to be out there in the world. We need to combat this issue of body image, especially when dealing with clothing like sports bras.
-Shannon
Sports Bra's Effect on Plastic Surgery
The next step in observing how the sports bra has effected society is again portrayed in the media on the regular. Cosmetic plastic surgery, and specifically breast augmentations, grew in popularity in the 1960s, when showgirls would inject liquid silicone into their breasts in order to have a more “perfect” looking body according to bosses and costumers. In 1992, breast implants were removed from the open market due to reports of breaking or leaking implants. During this period, breast implants were still made available to women who had suffered breast cancer and undergone a mastectomy. After years of trials and errors, the FDA finally approved the sale of silicone breast implants in 2006, ending the 14 year ban. To say popularity grew would be the understatement of the century, women everywhere started to scrounge up the money needed for a boob job. It is seen in the media as well as in many local communities in the US and has become a cultural phenomenon. Throughout its history, plastic surgery has been shaped by cultural priorities and pressures that illuminate the complex interplay between necessary reconstruction and purely vain cosmetic procedures. The fact that many Western societies today have become more comfortable with plastic surgery suggests that they view it as another method of self-improvement, not just for women, but men as well. While critics warn that plastic surgery is creating a world where beauty standards are brutally conformist, plastic surgeons today implement an exciting array of technological advances that continue to push the boundaries of their industry.
So you may be wondering how this relates to our 11th thing, the sports bra. As mentioned in the piece about how it correlates with body image, many of the advertisement techniques used to sell sports bras display women with large breasts and lots of cleavage dressed in athletic gear, including a sports bra. This type casts what a woman is supposed to look like in a sports bra, causing people to create a prototype of what a “hot” woman is. This continues to play into how women feel about themselves and who looks good in athletic gear and who doesn’t. Have you ever seen a woman wearing just a sports bra at the gym? One may find themselves asking when that became appropriate, you don’t see woman parading around the mall without shirts on, why is the gym any better. Well, take a look at any number of sports bra ads and rest assured that you’ll find every single one of a woman without her shirt on. This may seem like an obvious point, how else could something like a sports bra be sold if no one ever see’s them. But it is a deeper issue than this, not only will every model in every ad have her shirt off, she will most likely also be sporting large breasts, a small waist and a sex appeal that leaves the costumer wondering why everyone doesn’t wear just sports bras all the time. Going back to that girl at the gym, I’d put my money on the fact that she looks just a bit like the models in these pictures (and by just a bit, I mean a LOT).
So there it is, we now have a stereotypical “hot” or beautiful girl, and surgery that can get someone closer to looking like that. The question is not what would anyone want a boob job, it’s why would anyone not want a boob job? I mean it guarantees an increase in self-esteem, right? And then you’ll never have an issue with wanting big boobs again, correct? Obviously, these are not all correct answers. Yes, most women report an increase in self-esteem after receiving a breast augmentation, but a number of them, in fact 40% of them report issues that they never saw coming.
To begin, this procedure is no cheap fix, ranging from $6,000 to $10,000, many women feel a financial burden after receiving this procedure. Especially because no one talks about the multiple check up’s needed after the original surgery, not to mention the need to get the implants redone after around 10 years to ensure that they don’t leak or pop. Continuing on, women often get the surgery and expect it to solve all the problems that they had in life beforehand. But at the end of the day, boobs are just boobs and they do not solve life problems for anyone. In fact, a number of women reported not liking their new larger breasts, stating that it made it harder to exercise and that sports bras did not work for them like they used to. This is one of the most important facts in the public that is never talked about. These women achieve the look they want, they look just like the gorgeous models on billboards and store fronts with maximum cleavage and best looking body in the gym, but there is no point in looking that way since they can no longer work out comfortably or effectively. The trick is that the models in those pictures aren’t actually working out, and while this may seem obvious, vulnerable women see those ads and only focus on the looks of the model, and not the practicality of having big boobs in everyday life.
In conclusion to this point, I decided to conduct research on the also surgical procedure known as Breast Reduction surgery. Yes, there is actually a surgery that exists to make boobs smaller. While this point will be discussed further in the topic of Women’s Femininity and the Sports Bra, I though it made sense to discuss how this is a reality in everyday life and yet there are women getting breast augmentations every day. This just goes to show how the grass is always greener on the other side, and how perfection may just be a figment of each individuals imagination.
-Shannon
So you may be wondering how this relates to our 11th thing, the sports bra. As mentioned in the piece about how it correlates with body image, many of the advertisement techniques used to sell sports bras display women with large breasts and lots of cleavage dressed in athletic gear, including a sports bra. This type casts what a woman is supposed to look like in a sports bra, causing people to create a prototype of what a “hot” woman is. This continues to play into how women feel about themselves and who looks good in athletic gear and who doesn’t. Have you ever seen a woman wearing just a sports bra at the gym? One may find themselves asking when that became appropriate, you don’t see woman parading around the mall without shirts on, why is the gym any better. Well, take a look at any number of sports bra ads and rest assured that you’ll find every single one of a woman without her shirt on. This may seem like an obvious point, how else could something like a sports bra be sold if no one ever see’s them. But it is a deeper issue than this, not only will every model in every ad have her shirt off, she will most likely also be sporting large breasts, a small waist and a sex appeal that leaves the costumer wondering why everyone doesn’t wear just sports bras all the time. Going back to that girl at the gym, I’d put my money on the fact that she looks just a bit like the models in these pictures (and by just a bit, I mean a LOT).
So there it is, we now have a stereotypical “hot” or beautiful girl, and surgery that can get someone closer to looking like that. The question is not what would anyone want a boob job, it’s why would anyone not want a boob job? I mean it guarantees an increase in self-esteem, right? And then you’ll never have an issue with wanting big boobs again, correct? Obviously, these are not all correct answers. Yes, most women report an increase in self-esteem after receiving a breast augmentation, but a number of them, in fact 40% of them report issues that they never saw coming.
To begin, this procedure is no cheap fix, ranging from $6,000 to $10,000, many women feel a financial burden after receiving this procedure. Especially because no one talks about the multiple check up’s needed after the original surgery, not to mention the need to get the implants redone after around 10 years to ensure that they don’t leak or pop. Continuing on, women often get the surgery and expect it to solve all the problems that they had in life beforehand. But at the end of the day, boobs are just boobs and they do not solve life problems for anyone. In fact, a number of women reported not liking their new larger breasts, stating that it made it harder to exercise and that sports bras did not work for them like they used to. This is one of the most important facts in the public that is never talked about. These women achieve the look they want, they look just like the gorgeous models on billboards and store fronts with maximum cleavage and best looking body in the gym, but there is no point in looking that way since they can no longer work out comfortably or effectively. The trick is that the models in those pictures aren’t actually working out, and while this may seem obvious, vulnerable women see those ads and only focus on the looks of the model, and not the practicality of having big boobs in everyday life.
In conclusion to this point, I decided to conduct research on the also surgical procedure known as Breast Reduction surgery. Yes, there is actually a surgery that exists to make boobs smaller. While this point will be discussed further in the topic of Women’s Femininity and the Sports Bra, I though it made sense to discuss how this is a reality in everyday life and yet there are women getting breast augmentations every day. This just goes to show how the grass is always greener on the other side, and how perfection may just be a figment of each individuals imagination.
-Shannon