bra straps

This is somewhat along the lines of yesterday's blog. Italian women are proud of their bra straps. American women do their best to hide their bra straps. In the States there are racer-back bras if you have a tank top with a narrow back. There are these little contraptions that allow you to turn any bra into a racer-back bra. There are strapless bras. There are backless bras. There are bra cups if you can't have any strap or back. America is full of ways to hide your bra straps. And with some of today's younger fashions, like the tube top, women just do without the bra rather than have a strap show.

Here in Italy, I think because they spend so much money on their intimate wear, the women have no compunction about showing their bra strap. In fact, if it's a pretty bra, I think they're almost proud if it's showing. So you see all these great summer tops and dresses, with open backs, and smack in the middle of the back is the bra strap and clasp. Or young girls will wear a tube top, and they'll just choose a bra with nice shoulder straps to wear under it.

I have to say, it doesn't strike me as very "bella figura." If you have a backless dress, it's very distracting to see straps and such. But I think they must just view it differently here. And to be honest, the way most Americans are dressed, I certainly can't say we have any claim on "la bella figura." So I'm just going to chalk that up to American prudishness (bra straps quickly leads the brain to boobs, and we just can't go there).