Blooming through our bras but rooted in our souls is the oversexualization of women from years of oppression.
People want to separate modern bra struggles from the long-standing and often unconscious belief that women must have ‘perfect bodies,’ but it isn’t, and never will be, that simple.

Women are judged by other women for buying bras or underwear that are cute because that must mean they want someone to see them. They’re also judged for choosing items that are comfortable because then they don’t look attractive enough. And nothing with push-ups is permitted because cleavage is promiscuous. But bras without structure make cleavage look ‘saggy.’

Women are told they have freedom, yet when they take off their bra they are still criticized over something as simple as a nipple. Something every single person has.

Though men are not rid of fault, it’s ridiculous that we continue to foster a climate where women judge other women for wearing or not wearing certain clothing. For trying or not trying to succeed in a career. For choosing to become leaders or followers.

However, this isn’t our fault. It’s the constant pressure of our history.

As women, many struggles we face are somehow tied to how the world rates our bodies on a scale from one to 10. In the Victorian era, women were taught to see themselves and each other as ‘erotic objects.’ That mindset still shapes expectations today: how much cleavage is considered acceptable, and even why it’s seen as ‘proper’ for women to sit with their legs closed.

For centuries, men have used these norms to pin women against each other. In the Victorian era, 1837-1901, women were taught to label each other as ‘loose women,’ a term used for a woman who has premarital sex. They feared the idea of losing their innocence because men would no longer desire them, creating purity culture. Like Jean-Jacques Rousseau, an enlightenment philosopher, wrote: “Women have the same desires as men, but do not have the same right to express them.” While women were shamed men were described to simply be expressing their sexual desire.

In the current century, many women call each other bops, hoes, and sluts as ways to degrade each other and boost their own morality. It may not be the same words as were used in the Victorian era, but there is still the same painful idea that follows women wherever they go: our only worth is made in the eyes of men.

But for centuries, our feminist ancestors have fought for our right to choose. The choice to dress ‘revealing’ or ‘modest,’ the choice to cross our legs or ‘man spread,’ and many more are choices that define the ‘modern woman’.

Yet, many women are still held back by a simple rebrand of internalized misogyny that has followed between generations. From corsets to bras, and petticoats to pants, the same judgment is held within the seams.

Men have always used this idea of modesty as a guise of ‘protection,’ that exposing our bodies was dangerous for other men. But according to the New York Times, in countries like Egypt where 90% of women wear a hijab or Islamic head coverings, women still face the same amount of sexual harassment.

It’s never been about protecting women, it’s always been about controlling them.

We have the ability to break that cycle of woman versus woman. We have the ability to praise each other’s accomplishments and fight along each other not against. It’s not about liking one another, it’s about respecting and standing up for what’s right. There should be an understanding that we are all fighting for the same thing. It’s far beyond bras and corsets. It’s burning down the belief that women are inferior. It’s a freedom of choice and expression that has been taken from us for far too long.