The Bra: A Debutante's RebellionEscaping the torture of whalebone corsets

From the show

The Secret Life of Objects

Mary Phelps Jacob refused to let a stiff whalebone corset ruin her debutante ball gown. With two silk handkerchiefs and some pink ribbon, she stitched together a solution that offered freedom of movement. Her impromptu sewing project ended centuries of painful undergarment tradition.