Spirella and Sport

 

I do believe that the daughters of today would find it hard to believe that women actually wore foundation garments to play sports, but they did. By the standards of the times, women often possessed a more flexible garment for sporting activities, but in the 1940's (when the picture on the right was taken), it was regarded that a women who indulged in athletics without proper 'support', would suffer in later life from a whole list of unpleasant ailments.

Spirella went to great lengths, as these publicity shots reveal, to convince the modern, sporting girl, that their garments were flexible. This had been a fundamental part of Spirella's philosophy, ever since 'Pa' Beaman invented the flexible stay. 

Britain's famous Olympic athlete of the 1960's, Mary Rand, featured several times in Spirella's publicity, mainly in an attempt to dissociate Spirella from the infamous perception that the younger generation tended to foster:-

“To the uninitiated, the word Spirella all too often conjures up a vision of unyielding strong satin, rows of hooks and eyes, yards of lacing, and bones, bones, and more bones” Spirella Magazine January 1958

 

Right from the beginning of Spirella, the flexibility of their patented spiral stay was used whenever possible in advertising. The Edwardian tennis player (left) has been well corseted by the artist, yet is still able to deliver a cracking serve. 

 

The photographs of the sporting girls (below), show that the high-waisted girdle was as flexible on the tennis court or golf links, as on the dance floor. The lady on the right appears to be grasping the handle of a wooden tennis racquet, however, it might just be a croquet mallet. "How dare you photograph me in my girdle. Take that, you bounder!" My husband adds that some of the women currently playing at his local golf club might benefit from a decent foundation. He also remembers that his mother used to play tennis (well and vigorously I might add), whilst wearing a firm girdle, although it was from Marks and Spencer, not Spirella.

 

Mind you, it wasn't just Spirella that grabbed the golf club. Spencer had a go as well (bottom).

 

Not that different as Spencer (right) shows!

  

There is one sporting arena where the corset and girdle might be expected to make its appearance, and that is, of course, bowls. The lawns of Britain come alive in summer with the elderly practitioners of this sport. The bending of the torso as the ball is released tightens the blouse and skirt of the player embossing the details of her foundations in embarrassingly candid relief to the spectators.