Chapter 3 Section 2 Evolution History of Underwear——The Development History of Women’s Ideal Self

The bras that contemporary people are accustomed to have actually not existed for a long time.Its prototype appeared around the beginning of the 20th century.Before that there was lingerie, but it didn't look like what we thought it should look like. The period from 500 AD to the Renaissance is generally called the "Middle Ages".Religious forces have absolute dominance, and wars are frequent, technology and productivity lag behind, and the working class lives in dire straits: Therefore, the Middle Ages or the early Middle Ages are generally called "Dark Ages" in Europe and the United States.

The biggest feature of the ideological culture at that time was the deep religious imprint.The strict church interprets the Bible like this: the ancestors of mankind are Adam and Eve.Because they violated God's prohibition and ate the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden, they committed a great sin. As their descendants, human beings must atone for their sins from generation to generation, suffer for life, and don't have any desires in order to enter heaven in the next life.Therefore, in that era when almost everyone was a Christian, only serving God wholeheartedly, forgetting oneself, and getting rid of carnal desires were worthy of respect and admiration.This is reflected in the clothing, which is to pursue simplicity and monotony, and to cover up the natural curves of the body.

Medieval lingerie for women was more a set of nightwear than underwear.It is called smock or chemise. Figure 1-1 shows a typical dress, which is a bit like a contemporary dress, but it is all very wide, without chest line and waist line. The length reaches the calf, and the sleeve length just covers the wrist. It covers the body tightly; the color is all ivory white, without any patterns.In fact, there was also a relatively primitive three-point underwear at that time, with a piece of cloth on the top and briefs on the bottom. Who wore it? --prostitute.

In the Middle Ages, when one was dedicated to serving God and carnal desire was a sin, maternity-like women's underwear created the image of the Puritans at that time: although there were no curves, no feminine beauty, even unattractive and "boring", it was true. In fact, it was the ideal self of women at that time. In the late Middle Ages, the European royal family and aristocratic class regained the ruling power from the church, and the people were no longer required to be ascetic.At the same time, under conditions such as the gradual recovery of the commodity economy and the budding of capitalism, at the end of the 13th century, the Renaissance movement with far-reaching influence began in Florence, Italy, and then spread to Western European countries, reaching its peak in the 16th century. .The core idea of ​​the Renaissance is humanism.Humanists use "humanity" to oppose "divinity". They praise the wisdom and strength of people, oppose the asceticism and other-worldly thoughts in the Bible, and advocate enjoying the happiness in this world.

Carnal and sensual pleasures, which were once considered sins, have finally been rehabilitated and even actively advocated!Look at the paintings and sculptures of the time, where the beauty of the human body, especially the female form, is well depicted: Mona Lisa, David (beauty of the male body), Venus of Malbino , "Pastoral Ensemble", "Sleeping Venus" and so on.In those soft and plump naked bodies, gorgeous and harmonious colors, and soft and smooth lines, the beauty of female bodies is repeatedly rendered and strengthened, and the spirit of asceticism in the Middle Ages disappears without a trace.

When it comes to the famous Italian clothing brand Versace, people often evaluate it as one of the advocates of "Renaissance style".What is the "Renaissance style" in the fashion industry? ——The colors are gorgeous and bright, and the styles are sexy and self-cultivating. They pay great attention to the use of lines to reflect women's body curves. So in the Renaissance, an era when the brilliance of human nature began to shine, the tight-fitting corset, which has been criticized and controversial in the history of underwear, appeared on the stage. The trend of tight-fitting waist originated in Spain. At first, it was all made of cloth, and the waist was narrowed by tightening the belt.Later, in order to emphasize the waist and maintain the overall shape, whalebone was actually embedded in it.Baleen is a huge thin sheet of cuticle that grows on the mouth of a whale. It is hard, like a human fingernail, but much thicker, so it is also extremely flexible.One can imagine how uncomfortable it is to embed such a hard and strong thing into underwear.But this does not stop women from being crazy about corsets.Princess Caterina, the concubine of King Henry II of France, is a veritable "corset fanatic", and she did not forget to bring it in her dowry, and this corset is actually made of iron. One side is equipped with a hinge, and the other side is fixed with a hook.

Under the impetus of the royal family, corsets quickly became popular in European high society, and its production technology became more and more detailed.The front part needs to be shaped by inserting ribbon-shaped whalebone or wood or metal pieces to ensure a flat abdomen; the baleen must be straightened in the back to compress the shoulder blades, flatten the back, and make the chest more prominent; the waistline is getting smaller and smaller, " It can be grasped" from rhetoric to reality.The lower end of the front part of the waist is pointed, which not only visually makes the waist look slimmer, but also draws the line of sight down, which is very provocative.

The tight waist reached its peak in the Victorian era.So much so that when we mention it today, everyone will invariably think of the heyday of the United Kingdom.The classic female image of that era is: a tight-fitting waist, a long skirt with panniers and hip pads, and lace decorations all over the body.The woman's waist is as thin as 14 to 15 inches; do you know the size of Lin Chiling's waist? 23.5 inches! Nowadays, some women who use various methods to spoil their appearance often comfort themselves: "There is a price to pay for beauty." Such words were also applicable hundreds of years ago, and the price is really not small.The corset sculpts the female body into an hourglass shape (as shown in Figure 1-2), and the price to be paid is health and even life.Because of restraint, women's lung function is severely weakened, stomach, kidney, intestines and other organs are forced to move down, blood vessels in the lower body are strongly compressed, and the three major functions of the human body - breathing, digestion and blood circulation are blocked at the same time, and fainting , and directly lead to sudden death. In "Titanic", "Pirates of the Caribbean", and other film and television works, there are plots in which the heroine faints or endures pain because of wearing a corset.

If wearing a corset is so uncomfortable and costly, why did women wear it at the time?Is it worth paying for beauty?Or is it really a patriarchal dictatorship, as some feminists charge?But in fact, women at that time were willing and flocking to them, because their hearts were liberated under the tight waist "shackles"-shaping an ideal self-female image: prominent curves, gorgeous and sexy. Do modern people, especially women, want to ask, why are they so single?so superficial?Not at all. This drastic change in ideal self-image is the embodiment of the spirit of humanism. By affirming and emphasizing female gender characteristics (thin waist, big breasts and fat buttocks), it affirms human lust and human secularity.And this aspect of human nature, that is, the desire for sexual attraction, is the most primitive and natural, so it was eagerly revealed during the Renaissance when human nature was initially affirmed, and it will never disappear in the future.

The so-called feminist rights in modern times, that is, equality, freedom, individual consciousness, etc., are higher-level requirements.It is neither primitive nor natural, but essentially a political and cultural reflection of socioeconomic relations.Women in the Renaissance still had no economic strength, so how can they talk about political status?Most women don't mind, because there is no economic soil to cultivate, and feminist consciousness has not yet sprouted. It can be called "the happiness of the ignorant". Under the guidance of such a "single, superficial" ideal female image, around the 15th century, the predecessor of the tight-fitting waist, wrapping clothes appeared to achieve the effect of corseting the abdomen and highlighting the chest. The waist officially entered the history of clothing and was popular in Europe until the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

In fact, women's rights consciousness had been produced as early as the mid-19th century. In 1848, the first American women's rights conference was held in New York, which marked the beginning of the women's rights movement.After that, feminists continued to run and appeal, issued various declarations, and formed various organizations, but the real effect came after World War I, when the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution officially granted women the right to vote in 1920.The main reason is that during World War I, men all went to the battlefield, and women took over men’s original positions and assumed wartime work. Work means economic status and strength. Women not only have a deeper understanding of women’s rights, but also have the ability to realize women’s rights. At the same time, the traditional prejudice against women in society has also been reduced with the role of women in wartime.Women's ideal self is no longer limited to having sexy curves, and these changes are clearly reflected in underwear. In 1907, French couturier Paul Poiré took a crucial step, designing women's clothing (though not underwear) that conformed to the natural body shape.The Paris Chamber of Commerce felt that it would have a very adverse impact on the corset industry, so it sent a delegation to ask him to change his mind, but was refused.In the same year, the American version of Vogue appeared "brassiere" (brassiere), and bras began to be familiar and accepted by the public. In 1912, the first patented bra in the United States was invented by a girl named Mary Phelps Jacobs. When she attended a ball, she used two handkerchiefs and pink ribbons to form a bra-like underwear, which attracted the envious eyes of her girlfriend and businessmen. keen interest.She then made many of the same for her girlfriend, which she patented in 1914 under the name Caresse Crosby.The patent was later bought by Warner Bros. underwear company. The outbreak of World War I in 1914 sounded the death knell for the corset.It can be seen from the bra war between Germany and France.Germany insisted on big breasts lifted by corsets; France, on its own, started promoting small breasts created by strapless elasticated bras.The outcome of the Bra War was the same as in a real war, with France winning the finale. In 1917, sales of boned corsets began to decline.Cloth underwear made it easier to get the job done, and there was even an initiative in the arsenal to ban women from wearing metal corsets. In the early postwar 1920s, women were obsessed with tall, slender figures and went on brutal diets.French tennis champion Suzanne Lanling represented the new woman of the 1920s, and her androgynous look was a sign of the times.And the bras of the time simply flattened the breasts by this fashion standard. I think how women's ideal self and real self are shaped by bras in this era can be summed up with a famous anti-corset (corset) speech: "I exist, and the primary role is not a wife, nor a wife. Mothers, but women... New women have the right to dress strong, comfortable and happy.” ——Stop wronging yourself for men, stop focusing on sex appeal, and become a “strong and comfortable new woman who values ​​self-needs” woman". After the First World War, men returned from the war and continued to work, and women returned to their families and became housewives again. Naturally, becoming a woman who attracted men became the first goal in their hearts.At that time, Hollywood "sexy goddess" type actresses appeared in large numbers and were sought after by the majority of women.Representatives include Jean Harlow, Mae West, Marlene?Dietrich (Marlene Dietrich), Greta Garbo (Greta Garbo) and so on.They don't necessarily all wear revealing clothes (although most of them are), but they must have soft and graceful curves, which are exciting. I have to emphasize the stunning beauty Jane Harlow, who is also in love with Hollywood's sexy nose Marilyn Monroe.Jane Harlow, who was only 19 years old at the time, worked as an extra on the set to subsidize her family. Hughes (the director of "Hell's Angels") had a mediocre impression of her, but the dialogue screenwriter couldn't help but marvel at Jane Harlow's figure.Under the persuasion of everyone, Hughes decided to take a risk, and Jean Harlow squeezed out Carlo Lombard (who later married Clark Gable) and got the chance to perform.When taking promotional photos, Hughes ordered the photographer to highlight Jane Harlow's chest line, and then those very revealing and attractive photos began to appear in major newspapers. After "Hell's Angels" was released in 1930, it became a sensation in the film industry, and Jane Harlow also became famous in one fell swoop from an unknown person, becoming the sexiest actress at that time. There is also Mae West, in fact, she is not particularly beautiful compared to other actresses, and she is older, but she is indeed full of plump body, and she is mainly a sex symbol. Rather than saying that these sexy actresses guided the fashion for femininity and curvaceous beauty in the 1930s, it is better to say that they reflected the ideal self of women at that time, and they were sought after by people. Reflected in underwear, underwear that used to be practical, convenient, comfortable and even "breast pressing" as its main appeal has become sexy again.Clothes at that time widely used soft and gorgeous satin and crepe de chine that could stick to the body and show sexy lines, so that it could slide over the hips and waist, and separate the breasts so that the bust line became the focus of attention. The underwear is made into a cup shape to achieve the effect of "lifting up". "Shangju" also became a popular term at that time. The relevant data of women's underwear during World War II is very scarce. For example, nylon material is an ideal material for making underwear because of its lightness, high strength, softness, no need to iron, and easy drying. All cloth bras made a fortune in war.This phenomenon is actually not difficult to understand. During World War II, materials were in short supply, and underwear became a de facto luxury at that time.At the same time, men have entered the battlefield one after another. To be honest, being too seductive and charming is actually useless.Most importantly, women were once again out of the kitchen and living room to take up the jobs and heavy wartime jobs left behind by men.What about the ideal image of women at the time?Take a look at one of the most famous posters of the time - "Rosie the Riveter" (Fig. 1-3). You can see that she is quite a hunchback, with a towel on her head, wearing a plain blue overalls, pulling up her sleeves and bending her arms to show off her strong muscles, shouting: "We can do it!" point.And this poster is one of the propaganda actions of the US government. They actively called for it, and newspapers and magazines also actively cooperated. Articles and advertisements were overwhelming. The slogan at the time was: "The more women work, the faster we can win the war naked. "Rosie the Riveter" represents the strong image of working women in factories during World War II, and she has also become synonymous with American working women in World War II. The lackluster World War II in lingerie history is finally over, and sexy lingerie is making a comeback in a big way. In 1948, the famous underwear manufacturer Frederick Company proposed the world's first push-up bra - "Rising Star".This is a sign of returning to the chest after years of emphasizing the waist. And I have to mention the "missile bra", the trendy choice at the end of World War II. In 1949, Mei Dengfeng (literal translation: "Lady's Bra Company") launched the "Chansonette" (Chansonette) with a circular weave, which made the cup appear conical, and the chest was not only firm, but also ready to come out like a missile head, just like Figure 1 -4, so commonly known as "missile bra".This kind of bra has been popular in more than 100 countries for more than 30 years, achieving a sales performance of 90 million pieces. Fashion guru Christian Dior also launched such a "new style" series at the right time: using tight belts and hip pads to recreate the image of women with distinct breasts, waists and hips.The decidedly sensual and provocative "Dior New Style" was admired by ladies in the 1950s for its star-like breasts, slender torsos, sloping hips and elongated legs.While the waist was slender, it wasn't as extreme as it was in the 1940s, when it was often controlled with corsets. Figure 1-5 is the corresponding corset used by Dior: this kind of corset has a 12-20 cm belt made of whalebone, which is hooked at the back to help women present their outlines. It has the style of a corset a hundred years ago . After World War II to the 1950s, all kinds of underwear appeared. In 1954, the American "Contour" company first applied two-way elastic fabric to "Little X" underwear.This elastic fiber-based underwear can control the body shape into a variety of sexy shapes.The very "notorious" underwear at the time was the "cantilever bra", worn by the actress Jean Russell in the film "The Defector".Designed on the principle of a cantilevered bridge, its impressiveness has given rise to a craze for fake breasts, allowing every woman to have the same fuller look.This kind of underwear is not only improved in shape, but also in color.When Lycra fiber hit the market, the lingerie industry quickly saw its potential and used it for an entire lingerie line.It is often combined with new printing and dyeing techniques to make the cheapest clothes have strong colors or prints. These dazzling new shapes and designs all have the same purpose: to make women more attractive and sexy.The reason is very similar to that after World War I. Men came back from the battlefield and "grabbed" back to work again."Rosie the Riveter" during World War II, because the middle-class society after World War II required women to return to the family, a 180-degree change prompted the media to create a large number of "housewives" images and advocated "women go home". When the women who lost their jobs returned home, it became their job to take care of their husbands. It would be impossible to be like "Rosie the Riveter". At this time, women should naturally be gentle, sexy, and full of femininity.Whether it is missile underwear, "Rising Star", "Little X" or "Dior New Style" matching underwear, they can help you shape. The 1950s and 1960s were a turbulent and extraordinary period in American history.After World War II, the United States made war windfalls and material pursuits were unprecedentedly prosperous, but the gap between the rich and the poor has gradually widened; the McCarthy era was filled with white terror, and the political atmosphere was tense; racial discrimination was serious, class conflicts were sharp, and civil rights were insufficient.It was such contradictions that became the fuse of many social changes and political movements in the late 1960s, including the second climax of the feminist movement.It is precisely because of such complex social contradictions that the feminist movement has reached a more radical end. The biggest enemy of the feminist movement is the deep-rooted "essentialist view of women": men and women are inherently different and should be so.When women's rights go to the extreme, it is natural to demonize their struggle for freedom, the discovery of potential, and the release of desire as "women want to be like men" in order to oppose this "essentialist view of women". ".Coupled with the invention of the oral contraceptive pill (1960), the anti-social and anti-traditional "sexual liberation" movement, the equality between men and women is actually reflected in this way: men are full of dirty words, so women can still scold them; Holes, so all women wear jeans with front zippers; men can bare breasts, so women burn their bras on the street.That's right, burning bras.This is the dark period in the history of underwear. Radical feminists rushed into the "Miss America" ​​ceremony and shouted: "Underwear is a sinful invention and the enemy of women's freedom!" They piled up underwear, high heels, silk stockings, mascara, etc. that hindered freedom and planned to burn them, but unfortunately they did not Give up the arson certificate.Correspondingly, France has set off an upsurge of "swimming in the sky".Radical feminists strip off their underwear and go topless right on the beach.This trend was greatly influenced by the cooperation of the student movement, and many women began to wear no tops. Topless women are often seen on the beaches of Spain, Italy and France.The profits of underwear manufacturers have plummeted, and they are miserable. While not wearing underwear, there is another trend, which is the extreme sexualization of underwear.But in this special period, sexy is a means to claim sexual freedom and liberation, not to attract men's attention.So sexiness tends to be self-indulgent and revealing rather than the traditional bumpy, curve-focused one. The trendy youngsters ditched the curves of the 1950s in favor of the tall, lean silhouettes that had come to symbolize the 1960s.The introduction of the contraceptive pill revolutionized women's attitudes toward sex.The bottom hem, as part of the erogenous zone—which also included the overtly exposed thighs and midriff—became the focal point of the design.Wear a minimal amount of underwear under your skinny jeans.Women wear less and less underwear. In 1964, when women were trying to redefine "femininity" after the padded molded bra was abandoned, Rodi Gernreich launched his "No Bmbra" as a Reply.His goal was to design a shoe that fits comfortably on the chest and doesn't necessarily have to form a certain shape. Meanwhile, while younger women are wearing less underwear, women over 30 are still obsessed with stockings, garter belts and belly belts.Yet as a compromise to sexual liberation and feminist empowerment, many of them adopted bolder colors and patterns than in the past. In that turbulent era, women tried to eliminate the natural differences between men and women, get rid of the shackles of traditional concepts, and satisfy their desires freely, becoming the freest and most individual women.The characteristics of lawlessness and indulgence are formed in the underwear, which is either not worn, or it is as if it is not worn, or it is full of impact, so that you can't help but sigh its boldness. The 1970s are still historically within the second phase of feminism, but with a different character.The overly radical movement seems to be slowly returning to rationality, and at the same time, the influence of the sexual liberation movement has not completely disappeared (in fact, the influence of the sexual liberation movement caters to the original "humanity" that sprouted during the Renaissance, and it will not disappear in the future).On the one hand, women pay attention to taking care of their own needs, but on the other hand, they are not against being sexy and attractive.The female ideal self finally has the signs of becoming complete.It is reflected in underwear, that is, women wear underwear again, and there is a trend of returning to nature, emphasizing practicality and emphasizing the combination of sexy. Reasonable feminist awareness is reflected in underwear, which means returning to nature and focusing on practicality. Therefore, many technological innovations and fabric improvements that appeared in the 1970s were quickly applied to the underwear industry.Traditional underwear has been abandoned by a new generation that cares more about their body, diet, and exercise.Once bodybuilding and personal fitness became the trend, dancewear such as tights and pantyhose became everyday outerwear and underwear, and were everywhere.The sports bra also appeared at this time, invented by two women who love jogging, and became an important secondary product in the lingerie market. However, the influence of the sexual liberation movement is still continuing, and sexiness is also one of the characteristics.Including the new material with high smoothness developed by DuPont in the United States in 1971, it is widely used to make tight girdles because of its ideal control and shaping effects.There was also a sensational lingerie accessory: lacy bras, panties and garter belts in silk satin by the designer, with a message of intimacy, excitement and sensuality. Since the 1980s, women's underwear has entered a golden age again, and various innovative functions, shapes, and materials have appeared one after another, completely beyond people's imagination. The magic bra: Debenhams, the online British fashion department store, recently held a poll for the "greatest fashion invention".The magic bra got about 20% of the vote, making it the greatest fashion invention. In fact, as early as 1943 in the movie "Outlaws", director Howard Hughes designed a bra with a breast-lifting effect for the leading actress Jane Russell, but Jane Russell claimed that she would never wear it again.In the 1970s, the Canadian underwear brand Wonder bra was born, but the response was still mediocre.No wonder they, one was in power before World War II when "Rosie the Riveter" was in power, and the other was when feminism clamored that even underwear could not be worn, the breast-lifting effect caused by the "magic bra" was hard to get women's favor. It wasn't until the early 1990s that the Magic Bra finally caught on, thanks to a photo of Eva Herzigova ("Marilyn Monroe of the '90s") wearing a Magic Bra with the words: "Hello , Boys." In 1992, "Vogue" magazine declared: "Bras that show cleavage and walk on the edge of light can best show new femininity." In April 1994, the American magic bra debuted in New York for 10 days. 3000 sets were sold within that time. Wearing underwear outside: Jean Paul Gaultier wore the "missile bra" on the outside of the men's striped suit at the underwear conference in 1983.But the idea of ​​wearing undergarments really took off thanks to Madonna's 1990 world tour, when she wore a statuesque bodysuit with a cone bra by Jean-Paul Gaultier, starting her "blonde hair". Girl's Ambition" world tour performance, the stitching on the cone is the bra style of the 1950s, but it reflects the ambition and boldness that came after the second wave of feminist climax in the 1960s, which attracted the attention of the world. Invisible bras: In the 21st century, no one wears "bras without bras" anymore, but there are more convenient and practical silicone bras and nipples to take over the "invisible" baton.Spice Girl Victoria often uses nipple stickers instead of underwear, which is quite popular in this country. It can be clearly seen that from the 1980s to the present, bras have entered a new era in the areas of gorgeous, sexy, sports, body shaping and other underwear.Underwear can be comfortable and simple, or it can be gorgeous and sexy, it can be invisible or explicit, it can enhance curves or show natural curves.In short, there are only underwear styles that you can't think of, and there is no style of underwear that you can't buy. The reason behind this is not only the continuous development of technology, clothing technology and design concepts, but also the fact that under the repeated impact of the feminist movement, contemporary women have a relatively complete sense of femininity.They not only recognize that women are born different from men's characteristics and proudly display the unique beauty of women, but also pursue autonomy, freedom and individuality beyond sexy.The ideal female self is not only sexy, beautiful and charming, but also full of wisdom and personality. However, it is not difficult to find that sexy appeal is the mainstream in underwear.Why is this?We believe there are three reasons: First, in most cases, underwear, that is, clothes worn under outer clothing, its main function is ultimately in the relationship between the sexes.Therefore, sexiness (sexual attraction) naturally often becomes the primary factor to be considered; more importantly, after the sexual liberation movement, sexiness is not only a performance of submitting to men, but also reflects women's sexual autonomy and freedom; moreover, Due to the advancement of technology and design, considering sexiness does not conflict with taking care of women's comfort, work and other needs. The enrichment of contemporary women's ideal self makes all kinds of underwear flourish. At the same time, due to the above three reasons, sexy has also become the mainstream feature of underwear. From the ups and downs of the centuries-old underwear history, we can find that the two forces of sexiness and feminism complement each other, which determines the ideal self of women, and this ideal image is vividly reflected in the underwear women choose.When sexiness prevails, women rush to S-shaped curves, even if they want to wear a shackle-like tight waist, they will not hesitate; when feminism prevails, women pursue comfort and flat breasts, and some extreme ones even choose not to wear them. Underwear; and so far, sexy and feminism are no longer fighting to the death, but have begun to "peacefully coexist", so we see more and more "lifting" (sexy), "folding" (sexy), Elements such as "no steel ring" (healthy and comfortable) coexist. Figure 1-6 summarizes the historical process of women's underwear. According to the above, it also summarizes the historical evolution of women's self-ideal image: The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the importance.The black line means feminist consciousness, so the trend of the black line represents the change in the emphasis on feminist consciousness in the female ideal self with the evolution of history; the gray line means sexy (sexual attraction elements), so the trend of the gray line represents the ideal of women The development of the emphasis on the erotic element in the ego.The gray and black lines intersect with each other, showing the relationship between two factors, namely feminist consciousness and sexy, in a woman's ideal self. At the same time, it also represents the proportion of the two elements in successful underwear. In the Middle Ages, in a world ruled by strict religious ideas, it was the ideal image of a woman to be a Christian who forgot herself, abandoned carnal desires, and served God wholeheartedly.Therefore, women's underwear strives to pursue simplicity and cover up body curves, so as to show their aspirations. The Renaissance heralded the beginning of a new era of recognition of humanity.The abandonment of asceticism and secularism and the pursuit of beauty and worldly enjoyment are the ideal self of women gradually embodying human nature - sexual attraction to the opposite sex.At that time, the role of women in society was still an appendage of men. We now take it for granted that women should be independent and autonomous due to the lack of social and economic foundations, and have not yet been enlightened.Therefore, women's underwear at this stage, that is, tight corsets, is the embodiment of the image of the "ideal woman" who is crazy about curves and sexy. The feminist consciousness that arose in the middle of the 19th century did not sweep the public until the First World War. During the First World War, women who took on the jobs of men realized their own rights and the possibility of being accessories of men, and also because of the accompanying work. coming socioeconomic status, the first upsurge of the feminist movement was produced.At this time, whether it is the emergence of the prototype of modern women's underwear, the invention of the word "bra" or the defeat of Germany's "corset + big breasts" in the "underwear war" between Germany and France, and the victory of small breasts advocated by France, they are all in use. The language of underwear interprets the ideal female self at that time: "New women have the right to wear strong, comfortable and happy", they are independent, independent, and have pursuits, not just accessories. After World War I and before World War II, men returned to the workplace from the battlefield, women withdrew to their families, and women's ideal self can be seen from the Hollywood women they pursued - the "sexy goddess" style, Jean Harlow, May ·West (Mae West) or Marlene Dietrich (Marlene Dietrich), the lines are tactful, sexy and charming, and attract people's imagination.And it's no surprise that lingerie was re-sexualized at the time. During World War II, supplies were scarce, and underwear became a luxury item.At the same time, women shoulder the heavy burden as in World War I. The toughness of "Rosie the Riveter" is amazing.Therefore, underwear is not only unconditional to pay attention to, it seems that there is no need to pay attention to it. The best example is the all-cloth bra that has helped Warner Bros. to make a fortune. After World War II to the 1950s was the golden age of women's underwear. All kinds of new designs and new materials all pointed to the same goal: to shape female curves and exude sexy charm-this was also the ideal image of women at that time, whether it was The voluntary mentality adjustment after returning to the family is still the media's hype about the image of "correct housewives". The following 1960s and 1970s were not only a period of social upheaval, but also a more complicated period in the history of women's underwear. In the 1960s, various social thoughts and contradictions intertwined, the rapid accumulation of social materials and the widening gap between rich and poor, McCarthyism created terror, racial discrimination and so on all promoted the second climax of the feminist movement.In fact, for such a period of time (since the first feminist movement), basic feminist rights have been basically realized, such as voting rights, equal rights, etc., but this movement has gone to an extreme-advocating absolute equality between men and women, and even trying to erase women feature.What is the idol in the hearts of women at this time?Look at how they wear their coats: if they don't wear them, the "air movement" in France, Spain and other European countries and American feminists clamored at the "Miss America" ​​ceremony that underwear is a sinful invention, so don't wear it; or go to extremes Sexy, "no-bra-style bras," bolder patterns and colors, but not for men.Women's underwear in this era is really sexy if you want to say that it is sexy, but it is to promote women's autonomy and freedom, indulgence and individuality, not to attract men. The 1970s slowly returned to rationality.Women are wearing underwear again, focusing on practicality such as the invention of sports bras, and focusing on sexy such as the popularity of underwear accessories and shapewear.The embryonic form of the contemporary women's underwear market has gradually emerged, no matter whether it is sexy or practical.From it, we can also see the embryonic form of contemporary ideal women, who must be sexy and charming, but also independent; they value themselves and do not clamor to overthrow patriarchy. Since then, the underwear market has entered a golden age, and various innovative functions and shapes have appeared one after another, showing splendor.The popularity of magic bras, underwear worn outside, invisible bras, etc., but we can see that although the practical function of women's underwear has not been weakened, the main appeal is still sexy.The main reason is that contemporary women's thinking has developed relatively mature, and equality between men and women does not mean erasing femininity; sexy is not only to attract men, not only to submit to men, but also to reflect women's sexual freedom and autonomy; and sexy Nor does it completely conflict with the need to take care of the female ego.There is also an undeniable point that underwear is worn under outerwear (most of the time), and its main function is ultimately in the relationship between the sexes, so it is only reasonable to be sexy. 回顾女性意识和女性内衣的发展史，我们不难看出，对于内衣品牌而言，它们绝无可能“忤逆”历史潮流而胜出，只有紧贴女性理想自我的曲线，才能获得女人们的垂青，成为她们的心头所爱。