MONO MONDAY - BRAS IN VARIOUS SHADES OF PINK

“Monochromatic photography literally means photos that have only a single colour, with variations of that hue in different tints and shades.”

Phew - well that means that shades of pink are included and can be used for this week’s Mono Monday challenge and I’m sure you will not be surprised that I found these, not only for MM but also for BCAM.

I was up and dressed before 7.30 this morning, which rather surprised Mr. HCB, but I had made up my mind to go over to Tesco before the hordes got there - and this being half term, I was sure there would be hordes of mothers and children there later - not something I relished.  At 7.45 the car park was quite empty as was the store.

I quickly nipped upstairs to treat myself to a new nightdress (actually I bought two while I was there)  - in purple I might add - and whilst wandering around came across some pink bras and quickly whipped out my phone to take some photographs, rearranging them slightly - as I do - but making sure there weren’t too many people around!   

You will know that a bra short for brassière is a form-fitting undergarment designed to support or cover a woman’s breasts, worn mainly for fashion or cultural reasons and are sometimes purposely revealed by the wearer or even worn as outerwear - perish the thought!  

There are as many types of bras as there are breasts and although you can buy full-cup, push-up, plunge, padded, balconette or underwired bras, I tend to go for comfort now as I particularly dislike any sort of bones in my bras.  However, my lovely friend, Lillieth, works in the Lingerie Department at M & S, and has offered to measure me, so, who knows, I may change my bra-wearing habits sometime soon!

Although a linen and lace garment that was thought to be like a modern bra, was discovered in an early 15th century collection from Lengberg Castle in Tyrol, Austria, the first actual bra is attributed to Mary Phelps Jacob, a New York socialite, in 1914.  Frustrated with a whale bone corset that kept popping through a new party dress, she created the bra from two handkerchiefs and some ribbon to show off her cleavage.

Since it made her look better, Phelps Jacob a.k.a. Polly started selling bras to her friends for one dollar.  She founded the Fashion Form Brassière Company, a two-woman factory in Boston, and patented the first bra as "the backless brassière" in 1914. 

A bra is one of the most complicated garments to make. A typical design has between 20 and 48 parts, including the band, gore, side panel, cup, apex, neckline, underwire, strap, ring, slider, strap join, and closure and are built on a square frame model.  Apparently, 60-70% of bras sold in the UK and the US have underwired cups - however, I am in the 30-40% of those who do not buy or wear them!

In a survey in the United Kingdom, 60% of over 2,000 women between the ages of 16 to 75 said they had had a bra fitting, and 99% said that fit was the least important factor when selecting a bra.  Increased publicity about the issue of poorly fitted bras has increased the number of women seeking a fitting. The UK retailer Marks & Spencer stated that about 8,000 women are fitted for bras in their stores weekly - soon to be 8,001!  Despite this, about 80–85% of women still wear the wrong bra size.

Interesting information, but I think that’s enough information about brassières, but of course, it fits in very well for Pinktober or Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when we are focussing on not only women’s breasts, but also men’s, because they too, can get breast cancer.  

I looked at the Government website last night and found out that in the UK if you are aged 71 or over, you are not automatically invited for breast screening. However, you do have the right to free screening every 3 years if you ask, so I will be asking.  I also read that if you are 71 or over you are more at risk of getting breast cancer than a younger woman. This is because the risk of getting breast cancer increases with age - so I find it strange that women over 71 are not invited especially as according to the blurb on the website, about 1 in 3 of all breast cancers occur in women aged 71 or over.

Thank you to everyone who has been regularly clicking on this LINK, so that those who cannot afford to pay to have a mammogram may have a free one. 

“Every day is a gift;  
     you have to find those things 
          to be grateful for.”
Susan Webster

P.S.  Just rung our local Breast Screening Service and I have booked a mammogram for Thursday 9th December - when I queried about the fact that women over 71 are no longer invited, Amy told me that they went by the guidelines, but anyone over that age can apply to have one, which is good news.  

So ladies, if you live in the UK, you are over 71, and haven't had a mammogram recently, ring your nearest Breast Screening Unit!