There's an urban legend (perhaps popularized by the movie Beaches?) that the first bra was invented by a guy, but really, the modern over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder is credited to French corsetmaker Herminie Cadolle but the first person smart enough to patent the design was New York socialite Mary Phelps Jacobs. But leave it to the urban legends to give a guy credit for the work of a woman.

Anne clued you into the new Maidenform backless bra already, but have you seen this ad campaign? Supposedly, these are the male advertising executives (plus, one guy who looks a lot like '80s icon Gallagher) trying to "Think like the Audience" (a.k.a. people with boobs), standing around completely and wholly secure in their masculinity because dude, they're wearing bras. This is how naive I am: at first, I thought the point of the ad was to say "Look at these silly men, wearing bras with backstraps." But then I realized...huh, where are the chicks? It took a bunch of guys to come up with the idea of a backless bra? Oh these silly girls, they've only been wearing the things for over 100 years, but stick a bunch of guys (with suspiciously defined pecs) into a room wearing Vicky's Secret and suddenly, they've reinvented the concept of lift and separate?

Sexist much?

To be clear, like Poppy, Mags and VerseFameBeauty, I'm a little iffy on the whole backless bra concept. I have a problem keeping regular bra straps on my shoulder (righty always wants to slide down. I'm starting to wonder if I'm not developing a hunched back) and require what can only be described as "rigorous support" from my undergarments. My lingerie is not there to be pretty. It resembles not so much a lace hanky but rather suspension bridge rigging. And that backless thing? I can imagine striking a couture pose and suddenly there would be a loud SPROING and then an unfurling of fabric and voila, suddenly my bosoms come flying out.

Ladies, it's time we get a sanity check from one Ms. Jane Russell.