Out with the Wonderbra...in with the sag?
I wrote a story for the New York Times about
celebrities wearing plunging necklines that seem to defy the use of
regular brassieres.
I enjoy writing about fashion most when it relates to social trends or aesthetics. What we perceive as sexy or attractive has evolved over time, and as a journalist I think it is important to chronicle that. Breasts are a big part of female sexuality, so seeing them presented in a new way--not lifted and pushed together (a la the Wonderbra or Playboy bunny) but allowed to rest against the body in a very 70's, natural, "American Hustle" manner--signals a significant shift.
From the article:
This is a new kind of cleavage ideal: Not the often artificially inflated breasts of yore, but a more naturalistic teardrop shape that harks back to the 1970s. Tired, perhaps, of exposing the top of the breasts, with the obvious leers that practice inspires, stars are now exposing the sides (sometimes at their peril: witness, along with a tsking Twitterverse, the “House of Cards” star Robin Wright’s flash of a pasty during her acceptance speech).
Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, has noticed the shift. “What we had before was so much controlled and presented sexuality,” she said, referring to the corset-style gowns and push-up bras that have ruled the red carpets in awards seasons past. “The newer look is more dégagé, more natural.”
I enjoy writing about fashion most when it relates to social trends or aesthetics. What we perceive as sexy or attractive has evolved over time, and as a journalist I think it is important to chronicle that. Breasts are a big part of female sexuality, so seeing them presented in a new way--not lifted and pushed together (a la the Wonderbra or Playboy bunny) but allowed to rest against the body in a very 70's, natural, "American Hustle" manner--signals a significant shift.
From the article:
This is a new kind of cleavage ideal: Not the often artificially inflated breasts of yore, but a more naturalistic teardrop shape that harks back to the 1970s. Tired, perhaps, of exposing the top of the breasts, with the obvious leers that practice inspires, stars are now exposing the sides (sometimes at their peril: witness, along with a tsking Twitterverse, the “House of Cards” star Robin Wright’s flash of a pasty during her acceptance speech).
Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, has noticed the shift. “What we had before was so much controlled and presented sexuality,” she said, referring to the corset-style gowns and push-up bras that have ruled the red carpets in awards seasons past. “The newer look is more dégagé, more natural.”
Red Carpet Cleavage
posted by Tatiana Boncompagni Hoover @ 6:41 AM
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