Lingerie, like any other fashion accessory, has undergone many transformations over the decades. From the agonizing apodesme used in Ancient Greece to the peculiar pantalettes of the 1800’s we have seen it all.
An apodesme was an ancient Greek brassiere made of a band of wool or linen wrapped across the breasts and tied or pinned at the back. The idea was that by tightly banding the breasts, women would prevent the development of large breasts- something the ancients deemed as undesirable and associated with aging.
Sex experts Katie Lasson and Tatyana Dyachenko from Dimepiece LA have created a couple handy infographics which delve into the changing fashion trends of lingerie over the last 100 years. Take a look and learn a bit more about lingerie through the decades.
“What I found most interesting whilst doing the research for the infographic is the concept that lingerie should be visually appealing didn’t come into effect until the late 19th century.” Katie
Lady Duff-Gordon of Lucile was one of the main pioneers for developing lingerie that freed women from the traditional restrictive undergarments such as corsets.
The famous Flappers of the 1920’s further cemented these ideals with their blatant disregard for society standards and desire for more free-flowing lingerie.
Both Katie and Tatyana understand the important role that lingerie plays in a person sexuality and sexual experiences.
The right underwear can transform the way you feel about yourself. It gives you a confidence boost that you never knew you needed.
Katie had this to say “Lingerie is a tool that, when used correctly, can help you to feel more sexy and confident. Everyone deserves to feel good in their own skin and sexy underwear has the power to transform the way you feel about yourself”.
Tatyana says “Remember to wear lingerie for you, if you feel good it shines through and makes you appear more attractive to others. Confidence is sexy so embrace your body, curves and all. It’s time for you to feel good and lingerie can help you achieve that”.
Come on, breastfeeding is not obscene. Breastmilk has evolved into an immune-building milk tailor-made for each child to protect infants and children from illnesses in their environment. There are over 400 ingredients in breastmilk whose reasons for being there are not fully known. There is a component in breastmilk which is only there to grow the baby’s brain. That’s it. It can’t be replicated. Saying a certain non-humanmilk-based formula is ‘closer to’ breastmilk is akin to saying Michigan is closer to Hawaii than Pennsylvania. True, but one wouldn’t be closer to Hawaii’s environment, would they?
Our September Print edition cover- It is western culture that has sexualized breasts to the point where seeing a mother breastfeeding her child is obscene. image: courtesy of the author
Did you know that if you leave a naked baby on mom’s chest right after birth, they have the knowledge and ability to crawl to the breast and nurse perfectly by themselves (especially if mom was un-medicated during the birth). It is a beautiful moment to watch. That instinct is there for 3-4 months.
Should breastfeeding ever hurt? No. Just because many women do have pain in breastfeeding, doesn’t make it ‘normal.’ Most pain in breastfeeding, in my 20-year experience, is from poor latching or lack of knowledge. There isn’t enough time in a full prenatal labour/birth class to give breastfeeding instruction the time it needs. Attending La Leche League (LLL) meetings while pregnant can help prepare you (www.LLLc.ca). Or, talk with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant if you are nervous speaking in a group. Plus, partners may feel more comfortable speaking individually. IBCLC’s are listed here: http://www.americas.iblce.org/ibclc-registry. Both LLL and IBCLC’s are available before and after you have your baby and are a tremendous resource and support.
Maternite (Motherhood) by Maria Blanchard. Due to physical conditions that prevented Maria from ever being able to have children, she powered up her paintings with sentiment and substance. CP
The World Health Organization, and the Canadian Pediatric Society both say to exclusively nurse your baby for the first 6 months of life and to breastfeed for 2 years or more. That is the world standard. It is western culture that has sexualized breasts to the point where seeing a mother breastfeed her child is obscene. There is no food on earth which can replace the vitamins, minerals, and immunities which are found in human milk. How is seeing a baby nurse in public worse than seeing the lingerie models in the mall?
Dads should not be left out of baby’s life. But, if dads were meant to feed babies, they would lactate. Skin-to-skin bonding with dad/baby increases parenting hormones and normalizes baby’s temperature, heart, and breathing.
Public breastfeeding- what’s the big dealio? image: courtesy of the author
Dads, or other support people, may use a medicine cup (like what comes with children’s fever medicine) to feed the baby. In addition, baby’s tongue works similarly to breastfeeding, so feeding a baby with cup and at the breast should not cause nipple confusion.
There are documented risks to formula-feeding (increased risks for obesity, diabetes, and general colds/flus). Plus, moms may have an increased risk of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes if she chooses formula feed. Breasts are part of our anatomy to feed our babies. Honour that.
For the Silo by Aboriginal midwife Stephanie MacDonald, IBCLC. Contact Stephanie on twitter @StephIBCLC
Supplemental- 30$ per scoop Ice cream made from human breastmilk on sale in London, England
