Social institution: Womanhood
Artifact: Bras
Concepts:
- Relation between sex and gender (scientific perspective)
- Gender expression
- Objectification
- Cultural norms
- Femininity
Social institutions influence our behavior and sense of identity. I am interested in writing about bras and how this simple piece of clothing unconsciously portrays and influences an individual’s identity. This will not only be a tremendous learning experience, better yet I hope to have an increased understanding of gender and the binary system we live in. I look forward to asking myself what role does a bra play in objectifying a female’s body, what is the representation of a bra in society, and how does this influence how we view our bodies. Some concepts that have greatly influenced this artifact is the objectification of bodies, gender expression, and cultural norms.
The cultural norms and societal views on a female’s body greatly makes up how women dress. Then the question of what it means to be a woman arises, and no one really understands what this means without having in mind a specific type of gender expression. Wearing a bra was always directly correlated to the morphology of an individual, though in recent years it has become part of a gender expression statement through fashion. This in all, is very complex because even though some may try to reclaim power through these fashion statements, wearing a bra goes way further than that. A bra can be a symbol of empowerment and self love. If a push up bra is worn it can be a sign of my own validation and love of how my body looks this way, yet this same artifact objectifies a female. Wearing or not wearing a bra can also be a sign of modesty for many and boldness/liberation for others. Reclaiming our power through this simple piece of clothing is so complicated. A child may be in need and only feel secure by wearing a bra because a female’s breast size and nipples have been widely sexualized. We can see how this is a double edge sword and that which every way we try to approach it there is always going to be an obstacle. My goal is to create different levels of understanding on the influence of bras in gender expression and identity formation. What does this artifact exactly do for individuals? I have further ideas but I will organize my thoughts in order to thoroughly explain them and portray the power of this artifact.
This is great! I also think about how underwear is advertised as something to attract men and not something to support you. That is changing a bit with “body-conscious” brands and queer brands like “TomBoyX” and “Girls Will Be Boys.” It might also be interesting to you to research the history of fashion a little bit and see how these garments have changed and the conversations around them. When you analyze it in this paper, it’s OK to include your experience, but try to make that secondary and the analysis the primary focus.
Hello Stephany,
This is a very interesting topic! It made me think about how I always wear bra’s in public and as soon as I get home I take them off. I prefer to be bra-less, simply because it is more comfortable. So why don’t I just not wear bra’s in public? As Brianne mentioned, it is also great to think about underwear. I also believe underwear is advertised to attract men. During quarantine I’ve realized that I have so many more thongs than regular panties. I ended buying more panties so I can just be comfortable around the house. Why is it that we do this?