Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 4, 1994 TAG: 9410220042
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHLEEN WILSON
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
(I know it's a cheap now-that-I've-got-your-attention ploy, but if it worked, lots of men out there are going to learn a lot about what it's like to be a woman.)
There's a huge pool of women out there who would scream CLEAVAGE! if Freud were around today to ask his ``what do women want?'' question.
And last Friday at 8 in the morning, if he'd been standing in Leggett's unmentionables department at Tanglewood Mall, Dr. Freud would have had plenty of proof that cleavage is the definitive answer.
Either you have it or you don't.
But let's educate the guys on some basic facts.
We don't like to wear bras. If they're lacey and pretty, they itch a lot. The underwire ones are killers.
It also takes a long, long time to find one that not only fits but is bearable to wear. Women sob when one that has been broken in comes out of the washer one day with its elastic in tatters.
Like a good man, a good bra is hard to find.
So when Leggett advertised that the Wonderbra - the one women are talking about on TV and Letterman is doing Top 10 lists about - was arriving here, in Roanoke, on Friday morning, women abandoned Bryant and Katie or went to work late to get a piece of this action.
``As soon as I put my son on the school bus, I came right over,'' said Janet Shaffer. She wasn't quite sure what her boss would think of her trying on bras over at Leggett at 8:45 a.m., but she didn't seem to care.
``I first heard about it on a talk show and am not only really curious about it, but I seriously want one.''
Friday morning at Leggett was not your run-of-the-mill bra-buying experience.
It's usually an unpleasant thing, much like buying blue jeans and bathing suits.
Columnist Ellen Goodman once wrote that she thought bathing suit fitting rooms should be lit only with candles.
It'd be great if they could do that in lingerie fitting rooms.
Purchasing a bra is a solo thing; it's not like shoe shopping with your girlfriends.
But Friday, complete strangers were running from dressing room to dressing room, screeching, ``Look!'' with pride, pointing down at the miracle of cleavage.
``WOW!'' we'd reply staring directly at the chest of some woman we'd never seen before, then tell her to go put on the bra she arrived in so we could see the difference.
Most of us there were 34Bs. And on most occasions, if asked, we'd probably fib and up the size by two inches and claim to be C cups.
But not Friday.
No, on Friday, we 34Bs had nothing to be ashamed of.
Because, as Janet put it - just as she left to buy two Wonderbras (one purple; one white) - ``It does what it promises.''
In Great Britain, the Wonderbra has been breaking sales records at a rate of 20,000 a week. When the Wonderbra made its American debut in New York City in May, they were selling at a rate of one every 15 seconds.
In its first hour at Leggett, 52 Wonderbras left the building. Before 9 a.m.
``That's about the entire number of bras we sell in one day,'' said Ginger Equi, area sales manager.
The first sale was to a man who refused to give his name. This guy was there waiting for the doors to open at 8. It was his wife's birthday, and she was going to get a Wonderbra.
``But it's not the only thing I'm getting her,'' he explained, blushing while it was gift-wrapped.
Back in Leggett's unmentionables department, the dressing room party was still going strong.
Nancy Haywood showed that even the magical Wonderbra wasn't for everyone.
``They need to make them in larger sizes,'' she said. ``I've got more to fit in and nowhere to put it!''
A self-described Kate Moss-type we'll just call Elizabeth showed off her miracle cleavage. It was a real bonding moment, watching Elizabeth discover cleavage for the first time.
``It's like buying shoes,'' she said. ``You want to wear it out of the store!''
The Wonderbra, which sells competitively with its mere mortal counterparts for $26, is a product of Sara Lee Foundations.
That explains why the little removable padded inserts are called ``cookies.''
If your Wonderbra is giving you more than you can handle, you just pull the cookies out.
``Now is that with or without cookies?'' we'd ask. ``Now go put the cookies in and let us see!''
If you really wanted to live dangerously, Ginger suggested us 34B types strap on a 34A Wonderbra. This gives you more cleavage than you ever dreamed possible. But if breathing is a priority you might have to rule it out.
In Roanoke, the Wonderbra can be found exclusively at Leggett's in Tanglewood Mall. But if you head out today, you won't find much of a selection.
By close of business Sunday afternoon the Wonderbra fixture was pretty much wiped out.
Ginger of Leggett says it'll be about two weeks before they'll be restocked.
I'll be first in line to get one. I'm still kicking myself I didn't buy one while I had it in my hot little hands.
Yes, the Wonderbra is a miraculous thing.
by CNB