Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
We may be appalled at how terrible so many sports bras are today. After all, how hard can the technology be?
For some context, sports bras weren’t even a thing until the late 1970s. Up until then, women weren’t taken seriously as athletes or even as regular humans who might want to exercise in their spare time. But personal fitness was on the rise in the ’70s, and women had nothing good to run in when it came to bras.
So one running enthusiast, Lisa Lindahl, decided to try to fashion something of her own. With help from a costume designer friend, Polly Smith, and a manufacturing partner, Hinda Miller, Lindahl worked to design and sell what she dubbed the Jogbra.
It was a hit, and eventually Lindahl and her partners sold her company to what would become Champion. The rest is history still unfolding.
Follow Racked on YouTube for more videos | Like Racked on Facebook to never miss a video