It’s 2019 – we need to talk about why most bras are still so terrible

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Coors Light does feminism lite

Picture the scene: an attractive young woman comes home from work, grabs a beer from the fridge, and takes off her bra. The scene in question is from a new beer ad. What do you think happens next?

Well, if this ad were from several years ago, the woman would hand the beer to her boyfriend and dance around him naked while he grunts and takes manly swigs. We live, however, in a glorious age where brands are passionate about Female Empowerment™. So, what actually happens next is that the woman sits on the couch, bra-less breasts still covered by her shirt, and takes happy sips of beer by herself. On-screen text declares Coors Light “the official beer of being done wearing a bra”.

As far as I’m concerned Coors Light is the official beer of people who enjoy drinking dishwater – nevertheless I’ve got to admit that I find their bra-themed ad refreshing. The beer industry may slowly be waking up to the fact that more women are drinking pints and sexism doesn’t sell, but it’s still pretty rare (if not entirely unprecedented) to see an ad in which a fully-clothed female enjoys a beer at home by herself. There’s a problematic aspect to this, of course – alcohol-related deaths amongst women are on the rise – but it’s still encouraging to see advertising conventions get broken down. The Coors spot may be Feminism Light but it’s a step forward from the sort of frat-boy humour that used to characterize beer marketing.

Perhaps what’s most refreshing about the Coors campaign, however, is its frank acknowledgment that bras are awful. Seriously, we need to talk about the fact that bras are terrible a lot more than we do. It’s 2019, for God’s sake! We’ve developed mind-reading robots, jet-powered hoverboards, and self-driving cars. But it still remains ridiculously difficult to find a comfortable bra, particularly if you’re bigger than a B-cup. And this isn’t just painful – it has more wide-ranging ramifications. A 2015 study found that that not being able to find a good sports bra stopped a significant number of women from exercising.

One of the reasons so many women are walking around in bad bras is because, just like beer, lingerie ads have traditionally been targeted towards men. The focus has been on sexiness not function. Who cares if women are uncomfortable, after all? Thankfully, things are slowly changing. Victoria’s Secret is struggling while new women-led underwear brands are popping up and putting comfort first. There’s still a way to go before bras are a joy to wear but at least progress is being made. I’ll drink (something other than a Coors Light) to that!

Philly men are listing their unions on Tinder

The labour movement is so hot right now – particularly in Philadelphia, where single guys are reportedly boasting about their union memberships on their Tinder profiles. I’m sure we can all agree this is a far better trend than posing with a large dead fish. It’s also a step up from “dogfishing.”

Black Women’s Equal Pay Day

Thursday marked “Equal Pay Day” for black women in America: meaning it took almost 20 months for a black woman to make what her white male counterpart did in 2018. Black women are paid 61 cents for every dollar their white male peers earn; white women earn about 80 cents for each dollar. Unequal pay isn’t getting any better: this year’s Black Women’s Pay Day came two weeks later than it did last year.

Shock horror, most pro-lifers are rampant misogynists

A new poll has found that anti-abortion voters are far more hostile to gender equality than pro-choice voters.

No such thing as a ‘crazy cat lady’

The sexist stereotype has been thoroughly debunked by researchers at UCLA, who found cat-owners weren’t any more likely to be more depressed, anxious or isolated than other pet owners. It’s not clear whether the study was funded by the Feline Industry.

Man arrested for taking hundreds of upskirting videos

A 53-year-old Colombian man has been arrested in Madrid after taking over 550 upskirting videos. He posted almost 300 of these to pornographic websites.

Pia Klemp is a badass

If you haven’t read about Pia Klemp yet, please drop everything and do so. Kelp is a German ship captain who refused to accept a medal for her work rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean. In a Facebook post published on Tuesday, Klemp announced she would reject a French award for bravery because honours like that are hypocritical. “[Y]ou raid protests and criminalize people that are standing up for rights of migrants and asylum seekers ... You want to give me a medal for actions that you fight in your own ramparts,” Klemp wrote. “We do not need authorities deciding about who is a ‘hero’ and who is ‘illegal,’ “ she continued. “In fact they are in no position to make this call, because we are all equal.” This is what a feminist looks like.

Trump is a latter-day Mother Theresa

The “Chosen One” has lost a lot of support amongst female voters, however there are still a few women who choose to believe Trump is a strident feminist. “There’s not a person alive that literally has done so much for … the female population,” Tana Goertz, a Trump Team Coordinator in Iowa gushed to reporters on Wednesday. “I can’t think of one person … except for Mother Teresa. I mean, literally, who has done more for women in office than Donald Trump?” Literally, it’s a very tough question. I’m going to have to get back to you on that.