Bras and Burqas

            I feel bushwhacked every time I hear a woman in a bra, pantyhose, high-heeled shoes, and a suit use the liberation of others from burqas as their rationalization for supporting murder and destruction. Hard as I try, I find no logic, intelligence, or honesty in her position. It’s even more confusing when the same woman bows her head in respect for a nun or priest similarly dressed, or goes public the next day to censure Paris Hilton for wearing a skimpy bathing suit on television.

            There probably are women who love their bras and would be disappointed if forbidden to wear them but I don’t know them, probably because I try to stay away from people who enjoy masochism. Likewise, I never hear anyone say the best part of her day is when she pours into her pantyhose. On the contrary, the women I know feel liberated when they shed their bra, pantyhose, and high-heeled shoes at the end of the day.

            Ironically, women in suits believe they have power, when in fact the suit screams the opposite. Suits are not comfortable or flattering, so the woman who proudly wears hers tells the world someone has manipulated her into believing it isn’t possible to be both attractive and intelligent, and she has forfeited choice and comfort for a sliver of male-controlled status.

            Strong women wear what they like, not what others want to see them in, or what the religion their grandparents joined believed was appropriate at the time. Women with power worry about hunger, health care, and world peace, and realize wardrobe malfunctions at ballgames and bathing suits in hamburger ads have no affect on anything that matters in this world.

            An intelligent woman knows it is ridiculous to wear suits and pantyhose in ninety-degree weather and then waste resources conditioning the air to accommodate her poor clothing choice. An intelligent women refuses to wear an article of clothing that puts her at increased risk for medical problems, and there is documented evidence that bras increase the risk for breast cancer (as well as a host of other problems), pantyhose increase the risk of candidiasis, or thrush, and high-heeled shoes can affect the entire body. I find no documentation of similar health hazards associated with the burqa.

            On the other hand, the only purposes I find for the bra are sex related, both to enhance the sexual attractiveness of the breast and to hide hard nipples (is it any wonder women are confused). The burqa at least serves to protect the eyes and skin from sand and sun.

            Maybe someone should liberate the bra-wearing women in this country, before they kill themselves or embarrass us further.

Sandy Knauer