Research¶
REFERENCES¶
From experience and talking with many women (friends, family, acquaintances) I've gathered information and opinions about how hard it's to find the perfect bra size and how is so normalized that it almost never fits 100%, but still I wanted research papers to backup this statement so vene tho I haven't stop asking every woman I've met I wanted to have some clear and organized scientific information on this. So...Let's start with my first two references which are research papers and what conclusion could I get from them:
1.Becoming a ‘Woman to the Backbone’Lingerie consumption and the experience of feminine identity¶
Lingerie and Identity:
- Lingerie is a tool for women to manage and express both their social and personal identities.
- "Technologies of the self," where wearing lingerie enhances self-awareness and identity.
Social and Psychological Dimensions:
- Identity is constructed on two levels: social (external acknowledgment) and intra-psychological (personal satisfaction and self-gratification).
- Lingerie plays a paradoxical role boosting confidence while exposing vulnerabilities about self image.
Contradictions in Lingerie Consumption:
- It goes back and forth between empowering women and reinforcing traditional gender norms.
- For some, lingerie is an intimate and empowering choice but for others, it reaffirms society standards of femininity and beauty.
Stereotypes:
- Women categorize lingerie (housewife-like or whore-like) and distinguish between practical, everyday, and special occasion pieces.
- Social identity is tied to these categorizations, with "competent" women knowing how to match lingerie to occasions.
Experiential Consumption:
- Lingerie is used not just for outward presentation but also for internal pleasure, enjoyment, and comfort.
- Women often buy lingerie for themselves rather than for their partners, emphasizing selfcare and personal gratification.
Study Context:
- The study interviewed 22 middle class women aged 21-41 in Denmark, combining semistructured interviews with indepth insights.
Conclusions:
- Lingerie serves as both a symbol and tool of identity, enabling women to manage femininity through social norms and personal gratification.
- It helps maintain selfesteem, distinctiveness, and continuity in identity while allowing for exploration and experimentation.
Jantzen, C., Østergaard, P., & Vieira, C. M. S. (2006). Becoming a ‘woman to the backbone’: Lingerie consumption and the experience of feminine identity. Journal of Consumer Culture, 6(2), 177-202.
2.‘You do act differently when you’re in it’: lingerie and femininity¶
Lingerie and Feminine Identity:
- Lingerie plays a significant role in the performance and construction of femininity in everyday life.
- Women engage in both accommodating and resisting norms of femininity through their choices and practices around lingerie.
Contradictions:
- Lingerie exists within a postfeminist consumer culture that emphasizes women’s empowerment.
- Women negotiate conflicting feelings of pleasure, anxiety, and critique in their experiences with lingerie, reflecting broader cultural tensions.
Body and Embodied Experience:
- Wearing lingerie involves both physical and emotional experiences, including feelings of confidence, discomfort, and vulnerability.
- The body becomes a place of ongoing negotiation and transformation, reflecting cultural ideals and individual resistance.
Representation and Expectations:
- Lingerie advertising and branding perpetuate narrow standards of beauty, which many women find unrealistic or pressuring.
- Women express uncertainty toward these visual norms, balancing desires for selfexpression with critiques of societal expectations.
Class, Taste, and Authenticity:
- Judgments about lingerie often intersect with ideas of class and taste, with terms like “tacky” or “classy” shaping women’s choices.
- “Nice lingerie” is associated with subtle, tasteful femininity, often in contrast to the overtly sexualized designs of certain brands.
Relationships:
- Lingerie is often framed as “making an effort” for partners, blending selfcare with the maintenance of intimacy.
- Women navigate tensions between wearing lingerie “for themselves” versus “for others,” highlighting its dual role in personal and relational contexts.
Resistance through Humor:
- Some women use lingerie playfully, incorporating humor and role-play to disrupt traditional notions of femininity.
- Laughter and performance allow women to critique and reimagine the gendered norms associated with lingerie.
Comfort and Critique:
- Discomfort with lingerie is both a physical sensation and a critique of the societal pressures it represents.
- Feelings of unease can lead to questioning and resisting the expectation to conform to idealized femininity.
Conclusion:
- Lingerie serves as a medium for women to navigate the complexities of femininity, agency, and society's expectations.
- Practices around lingerie reflect a continuous process of negotiation, blending pleasure, critique, and identity formation.
Wood, R. (2016). ‘You do act differently when you're in it’: lingerie and femininity. Journal of Gender Studies, 25(1), 10-23.
3.FABRICADEMY: Past Projects¶
On the other hand I went through Fabricademy's past projects to see what could be a guide to my project and luckily thanks through my mentors and Anastasia guidance I found these beautiful works:
SARA ALVAREZ: Symbiotic Shoes
- Her project focuses on 3D printing to create customizable, zero waste, circular footwear. The parametric design makes it easy to personalize using Grasshopper, and the shoes, made mostly from 3D-printed TPE, are designed to be taken apart and recycled. I find this really inspiring because it aligns with my goal of combining customization and sustainability but instead of shoes, I want to focus on creating bras.
Here you can check her work
DINESH KUMAR: Expanded Lines
- "Introducing 'Expanded Lines'—a groundbreaking fashion couture collection that merges technology and textiles to create a mesmerizing range of 3D-printed outfits. Drawing inspiration from the ethereal beauty of underwater organisms and human anatomy, this collection features captivating, truly unique designs. It showcases a variety of experimental techniques, using an impressive range of filaments and textiles in each piece."
This is how Dinesh describes his project, and his work with parametric design and experimenting with diverse filaments has inspired me to explore how different materials interact with the body and the sensations they create when touching the skin. He achieves an aesthetically stunning result, which is something I aspire to in my own work.
Here you can check his work
ANA SAN ROMAN: Lingereat & Lingerfeel
- She works in the development of innovative lingerie that stimulates the five senses and targets erogenous zones, aiming to enhance empathy and communication between partners. This concept differs from mine as my main focus is not sex-based but instead sensuality and personal comfort, but still is very interesting the approach seh takes and how she puts together many techniques through bio-materials and robotics.
Here you can check her work
SHAPE AND HEALTH ISSUES¶
- From what I've experienced, seen and talked with other women is that all bust shapes can be very different from each other, one breast can be smaller or bigger than the other, the structure, nipple and skin. They can vary so much that no two breasts are exactly the same, even on the same person. And a wrong bra size can lead to health issues such as back, neck and shoulder pain, posture problems, skin irritations, and breast pain and sensitivity.
Standardized sizing often fails to accommodate this diversity, leaving bodies like mine without proper options. While offering a broader range of sizes could address these issues, many companies lack the economic resources to invest in creating inclusive sizing options.
4.Ari Van Twillert: Curvearis¶
Ari van Twillert offers a Custom Fit service for their structured bras, utilizing advanced 3D scanning and printing technology to ensure a personalized fit. The process involves several steps from booking a fitting to 3d printing the Curvearis til the final fitting.
And you must be asking What's Curvearis?
Here you find her website
Curvearis is a held patent of breast support element that follows the body curves to precisely fit the body. This piece is 3d printed and they assure comfort and customization through 3D body scanning. I find this such an innovative and amazing solution to the problems women face everyday while finding a right bra size!
But this got me thinking what differentiates my project from this amazing idea, and it's that I want the whole bra to be 3d printed while also allowing women to adjust the pattern to their own liking and personal preferences, so no bra would be the same one twice. People can be able to own a one of a kind piece!