You stumbled onto a pet peeve of mine.
When I was much younger, "ladies" wore girdles. The purpose was not so much to suck in their tummies, as to give them a firm silhouette free of offensive and vulgar jiggling. Women of questionable moral standing wore just their panties, or (gasp) less, under tight skirts. I remember one woman trying to describe a woman of questionable character to her friend by saying tactfully, "Well, let's just say there's a lot of movement to her."
The girdle came to be replaced with panty hose which did pretty much the same thing.
Then came the sixties. The hippie movement met up with women’s lib. Both advocated a fashion style that allowed a body to breath and move unencumbered. Bras were out, nipples became common place.
Bras then came back into fashion, but more or less to serve a utilitarian need. It seems some women really needed the support of a bra (go figure). For a brief time Farrah Fawcett-Majors made nipples fashionable but it was short lived.
Then came Madonna.
Madonna wore lacy tops combined with old fashioned industrial duty bras. The bra itself was a fashion statement. For a while she took to wearing it over her blouse.
Victoria’s Secret got into the act, promoting thick pushup bras. The bra was no longer a hidden undergarment, but an adornment. Bras got bigger and bulkier.
But somewhere in all of this, women suddenly became worried about VPL- visible panty line. VPL was first fought with "big momma", or "granny panties," but very soon, the thong style panty took its place. Going "commando" became fashion trend. It became not only acceptable, but required, to let your butt jiggle freely benith your clothing.
For the first seven years that I knew her, I never saw my wife in a bra. Not until she moved into a management position at work. Now we have two teenage daughters. They freak if my wife answers the door without a bra, much less run to the grocery store without one. I don't know where this reaction comes from. But to them, showing nipples is trashy.
Yet, I see them and their friends with their low cut pants and their thong panties ridding up their butts, thinking nothing of it. At the same time, they wear their padded pushup bras with no attempt to hide their bra straps. I just blink my eyes in bewilderment.
I can’t explain it. It defies logic, but YES, at this point in time, NIPPLES ARE OFFENSIVE- go figure.
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