"I dreamed I [?] in my Maidenform bra."

The greatest bra ad campaign of all time was the endlessly fascinating depiction of a woman out in the world doing something amazing, brazenly exposing her Maidenform bra. The absurd spectacle was justified by the notion that it was a dream -- a variation on all those dreams everyone's had where they are out and about naked. I remember seeing these ads when I was young and not quite understanding them. We kids just thought they were funny -- in 1962, we laughed at the Mad Magazine spoof -- but they were also early manifestations of feminism. You could be a powerful woman, out in the world and loving it. Structure you loosely hanging femininity with a quality foundation garment and go. Achieve your dreams.



What has that ad campaign become?

In one ad, a woman holds a baby, who, the implication is, she tried hard to conceive. The tagline: "Dreams do come true." Another shows a young couple on a beach, with the line, "I dreamed every day was Sunday." And some have a touch of the implied risqué - "Some dreams are best unspoken."

First thought: If you have a baby, you're not a "maiden." Maybe they should change the company name to "Matronform."

Second thought: I'm nostalgic for the vanguard feminism of the past! This ad campaign is reminding me of that story about women wanting to stay home with the kids that we were just talking about. Is this the spirit of the times? But, come on! What's the business sense of this? If I'm staying home with kids, that bra is coming off! A bra is for going out into the male-dominated world and achieving. As soon as you cross the home threshold, that bra is off. Right, ladies? What is the lag time for you between when you walk through the door and when you take off the bra? Five minutes, tops? Is it the first, second, or third thing you do when you come home?

Third thought: Maidenform really does make a great bra. You can waste your time trying on more expensive ones, but the Maidenform one will be better. And the new campaign seems to be about a much more comfortable bra, so maybe they are trying to reach the currently braless stay-at-homes.

UPDATE: Great discussion in the comments, including whether wearing a bra prevents or causes sagging and a Halloween costume idea. But I also wanted to update to say that I'm unhappy with the ad I've got pictured above (taken from the linked NYT article). It's clearly from the 1970s. I wish I had one of the older classic ads from the 50s and early 60s.

MORE: One of the commenters found this old ad: