Down to the (Under)wire

I’m not going to pretend to understand the world of women’s undergarments.  Pantyhose seems to be the most useless clothing item aside from possibly the necktie or the marching band plume.

So the idea that there’s some outside motivation controlling why women wear what they wear is not a surprise to me.  From the idealization to unrealistic expectations, I’m sure its men’s fault.  But the motivations and intricacies of these things I will never get is the topic of Jiggle: (Re)Shaping American Women by Wendy Burns-Ardolino.  Part gender study, part cultural study, this book takes on multiple reasons, types, and purposes for ladies’ undergarments to be what they are, from the past to the present.

You won’t, however, discover a practical purpose for the necktie.