The Return of Cleavage

The Return of Cleavage: Breast Implants, Push-Up Bras and Modern Sensibilities

Through the ages, breasts have long been the focus of much debate and controversy. Representations of the female breast in art, advertising, literature, fashion and other forms of social expression vary widely and, alternatively, often reflect social sensibilities of the time. While cleavage is nothing new, the popularity of the lifted, coquettish silhouette has waxed and waned over time and did not make its last rise until very recently, in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

No brand speaks to the growth and change of the bra industry like Wonderbra. Wonderbra is the perfect example and representation of why and where from cleavage emerged in the past few decades. The Wonderbra gained worldwide prominence in the 1990's, despite its popularity in the UK and Canada for several decades previous. In 1991, the push-up Wonderbra became a sensation in the UK, and the bra was redesigned for reintroduction in the US in 1994 (“Wonderbra”). The brand emphasized sex appeal and titillated the masses with their advertising campaigns, driving people towards cosmetically-fueled happiness.

The utilitarian 1930’s and 1940’s insisted intimate apparel have a “job,” or purpose. Little importance was put on style, instead the stress was placed on function. In 1952 a new line was adapted to the “new fashion trend towards a pointed bust, inspired by Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’”. Sales of this line were tremendously successful and “delivered 50% of bra sales by 1957." Swiftly following this success, Wonderbra directed Louise Poirier to create a “deeply plunged, laced push-up design, numbered the 1300,” destined for immortality in the lingerie world. This very model garnered UK acclaim in the early 1990’s, and became a European sensation in 1993. Soon after in 1994, it staked its claim in American history as the “One and Only Wonderbra” (“Wonderbra”).

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, a great majority of women were still wearing “highly-structured undergarments”.  During this transitional time, the feminist movement fired back, throwing these undergarments to the fire. Bra burnings gained notoriety and as skirts and shorts crept up the leg, girdles were on the receiving end of much animosity, viewed as “unattractive and obsolete” (“Wonderbra”). The industry paid attention and learned that women wanted "less bra” and in 1974, a line of seamless, molded cup bras was introduced to fill this need.

Wonderbra employed a multitude of advertising ploys meant to capture the attention of the sensitive, empowered 1970s woman, basing their ads on fashion and emotional appeal. Wonderbra aimed to make women see these bras as a cosmetic improvement or “beauty enhancer”, as opposed to simply a functional garment (“Wonderbra”). As a result, cleavage became an aesthetic goal with no real functionality and gained more popularity as the ‘80s and ‘90s presented us with their love of material wealth and image.

The plunge style of the Wonderbra sold well in the UK market, and became a sensational product. Out of nowhere, sales took off: between 1991 and 1993 UK sales of the plunge Wonderbra “quadrupled to $28 million, accounting for 12.5% of the $225 million UK” market (“Wonderbra”). The Wonderbra's 1994 reintroduction to the US was a great success, stimulating the US economy and resulting in a “43% increase in push-up bra sales by the end of 1994” (“Wonderbra”).

Breast Implants and Cleavage

Not surprisingly, the advent of the cleavage phenomenon coincided with a series of flare-ups related to breast augmentation. “In the early 1990's breast implants became the subject of heated controversy” as reports of serious health damage due to implant placement, rupture and surgery scarring became widely publicized in the media (“History of Breast Implants”). In April of 1992, “the FDA issued a ban on the use of silicone…implants for cosmetic augmentation.” Plastic surgeons found themselves amid a great storm of turbulence and lawsuits (“History of Breast Implants”). The cleavage that women had so long coveted (and paid for) was causing problems that no one had foreseen: “silicone dripping from nipples”, hardened breasts, deformed breasts caused by ruptured implants or related removal surgeries (Zuckerman).

By 1962, silicone breast implants were “tested” on a woman who claimed “the operation changed the way men looked at her” (Zuckerman). While implants remained rare throughout the 60s and 70s, the practice of augmentation grew quietly until, in the late 1980s, the FDA took notice and began to “require manufacturers to conduct safety studies” (Zuckerman). Marking the beginning of the cleavage wars, the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPRS) delivered information in support of breast implants to the FDA and “claimed that there was ‘a substantial and enlarging body of medical opinion that these deformities [small breasts] are actually a disease.’” (Zuckerman). This “professional” opinion of breasts at that time lends substance to the theory that “cleavage” is a very American, if not exclusively American, concept.

From 1991-1992, fewer than one million women had implants. This group was substantial enough to raise their voices about their breasts which sparked even further opposition from the ASPRS. Hundreds of women were enlisted to support their viewpoint that implants should remain on the market including post-mastectomy patients, implant patients and doctors. As a result, “more than 200 Congressmen and Senators wrote to the FDA Commissioner advising him to keep implants on the market” (Zuckerman). All in the name of cleavage, that almighty money maker, intense investigation was underway, looking to unearth any evidence to the contrary of the ASPRS’s argument. It was soon found that “scientists and salesmen had expressed serious concerns about the implants’ safety, but that Dow had sold the implants anyway.” (Zuckerman). Not long after, the silicone implant ban was issued and there has been constant controversy ever since.

 Cleavage Today

American women started the new century with a new perspective on cleavage. This new generation of women learned some major life lessons during the recession and want to change the public's perception of their bodies. This new generation would “rather stick pins in their eyes than drive a gas guzzler…or wear a low-cut wrap dress with a Wonderbra revealing several inches of puffed-up bosom” (Watson).  In-your-face cleavage is perhaps seen as a representation of extravagance, “the fleshy equivalent of bling.” A more covered, supported breast is a “sign of a thinking…politically aware human being” (Watson).

Today’s women aren’t relying on their “party cleavage” to reel in a mate. Females now find confidence in their other attributes, presumably to take the focus away from the easily objectified bust-zone, therefore evening the power playing field, specifically when it comes to the workplace (Watson).

References

                                                           Watson, Shane.”The Big Cleavage Cover-up.” The Times Online. 9/29/2009.

                                                           http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/fashion/article6844050.ece. 3/8/2011.

“Wonderbra.” Wikipedia. 1/11/2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderbra. 3/8/2011.

“History of Breast Implants.” Breast Implant Safety. http://www.breastimplantsafety.org/ImplantOptions/history2.php. 3/8/2011.

Zuckerman, Diana, Ph. D. “The Second Coming of Breast Implants.” IRIS: A Journal about Women, special issue on The Politics of the Body. Issue 38. Winter/Spring 1999. pgs. 10-14. http://www.breastimplantinfo.org/archives/2ndcoming.html