Emma Talks Sports

Have you ever stopped or avoided exercising because your boobs got in the way? Or they caused too much pain? The struggle of breast stabilization has long plagued women’s athletics.

Breasts are made up of fat and connective tissue, lacking bone or muscular systems to provide support. As such, the breast moves independently of the body. Without external support, this tissue bounces and moves, causing pain and discomfort.

In the 1970s, Lisa Lindahl, Polly Smith, and Hinda Miller got fed up with the lack of support and comfort of their typical bras when jogging. The straps wouldn’t stay on their shoulders, their breasts bounced around too much, and their nipples chafed against their shirts.

In a quest to secure their breasts while exercising, the women created the Jogbra. Inspired by a joke made my Lindahl’s husband wearing a jock strap on his chest, the three women tried sewing two jockstraps together. In doing so, they created one of the most groundbreaking inventions in sport: the sports bra.

The sports bra functions in several ways: the elastic bands of the sports bra are more comfortable than the underwire and clasps of the traditional bra, the straps do not slip off the wearer’s shoulders, compression holds the breasts closer to the body to minimize movement, and the more breathable, sweat-absorbing fabric made exercise more comfortable.

Newer models of the sports bra have incorporated expanding colors and patterns, making the sports bra a fashionable item, not just a functional one. Brands are also experimenting with an encapsulation approach that lifts and supports each breast individually, rather than a compression-centered approach.

The sports bra opened the door for millions of women to engage in exercise and sports more comfortably; it is not just a garment, it is essential sporting equipment. By the age of seventeen, 51 percent of girls have dropped out of athletics. A variety of factors play into this statistic, but over half of these young athletes report breast-specific concerns as a barrier to athletics and only ten percent report consistently wearing a sports bra.

The quest to create a garment that is supportive and comfortable for people of all body types and sizes is an ongoing one, but there is no doubt that the Jogbra revolutionized women’s sports.