Fighting for sports bra awareness in India
by neo
Update: It just so happens that today is National Cleavage day (hat tip: Vicki Boykis)
Neo has always been a regular at the gym, in both the US and now in India. He’s the sort of obsessive-compulsive guy who has three identical sets of gym clothing, so that one can be washed while the other is being worn (and one extra set just in case). His ipod has a workout playlist to include just the right mix of Neo’s favorites, podcasts and rarely heard songs. Neo has also a specific height at which his ipod earphones are pinned to his workout t-shirt so that they don’t come off.
But you don’t have to be a obsessive-compulsive gym rat like Neo to notice the distinct lack of use of sports bras amongst women in India.
After a careful study carried out at three gyms in two cities over a period of two years, Neo estimates that less than 40% of the women in Neo’s study wear sports bras.
Mrs. Neo was predictably more interested in angrily discussing how/why Neo noticed this (wait till she finds out he even blogged about it). But, lets be reasonable here, is this something that anyone can fail to notice ?
Some have suggested that the issue is one of availability of sports bras in India, rather than their cost. Neo doubts this theory very much. No, the issue must be one of awareness.
Vir Sanghvi says that most Indian women have never even been properly measured for a regular bra. Mid-day reported in 2007 that 9 out of 10 Indian women wear the wrong size!
Neo feels a sense of bonding with those who share his passion for fitness. And so he’s saddened that many women just don’t realize that they are undergoing needless discomfort and hampering their workout performance.
But, it’s not like Neo can saunter up tomorrow evening to a breathless Anita who’s cranking up the pace on the elliptical trainer and say, “Hi, I realize this might be awkward, but have you considered the use of a sports bra ?”
And, so, as with so many issues that keep Neo up at night – the answer is the same – blog about it and hope that Anita, Minal, Aunt Ujwala and the rest of the aerobics group – are reading this blog.
Jeez, thank you! One would think those wall-to-wall mirrors might drop subtle hints. But then, mirrors don’t blog. BTW, it’s not just women in India, it’s often Indian women elsewhere too. I can imagine some thinking “Why spend that much just for one hour? Who’s going to know?” Well, at least they now have an answer to the second question :P
g
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yeehehehehe!! Yeah, I noticed too specially with women who jog!! I guess it is the ‘frugal’ temperament that induces women to ‘look the other way’! As long as they are ‘secure’ they think they can get away with it.
Btw, I HAVE got sports bras in India, so there is no lack of availability.
And, btw, I also think the Mrs Neo has a point!!
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neo, you have just joined the list of creepy desi men. A blog is no excuse.
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@no-one
Your comment was at least as ironical as the online feminist group that refused me membership because I was a man! :-)
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I’d have thought.. by now.. you’d be flamed.. chewed out.. if not already a crowd of villagers, pitch forks and all.. drag you from your sub- terranean (Transylvania) lair.. and brand you a pervert.. oh! well.. in the good old days..
All you get now is a “no-one” calling you “creepy”.. Sheesh! It’s a different country now.. what with jaded pink panties campaigners and a consortium of men who chase “pub going loose women”..
You can’t cause shock and awe among your enemies by shouting penis and vagina in a crowded room any more. Those were the good old days.
Am surprised though that you’re a tit man.. tsk tsk.. I figured you to be a Leg man..
Nothing beats the joy of lifting weights, strategically placed to watch the gyrations of Maria – the most delicious, as she exerts twice weekly on the stair master.
There are few joys in a gym that smells of arse.. much less in a gym where wrinkled old men crowd the sauna naked.
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Hey Bud.. no updates for a few days now.. wasssup.. with that..
So anyhoo….. Happy Easter….. was at a dinner at a friends place.. and I devoured the honey backed/smoked ham and a whole bottle of Coppola’s Pinot Noir.. excellent…… am sooooooo buzzed and am sooooooo getting laid…. sooo…….g’night bro.. hope you’re gettn some :-))))
So any ways… did I tell you.. I’ve a massive buzzzzzzzzzz….
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@Easily
You are on this blog before getting laid ? Ill take that as one of the finest compliments this blog has ever gotten. :-)
And posting was slow because I was traveling! See my latest blog post to hear me whine about it. :(
-neo
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Is that your wife in the pic jogging? You are a lucky man. Where does one find such physically fit Indian women? Desi people are not particularly into health and physical fitness.
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What about a water bottle? Reminded me of this I had written a while ago: http://tinyurl.com/dd8kx5
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@Shefaly
For some fascinating reason most people in my gym prefer to periodically pause the treadmill, walk to the water dispenser, and then drink water out of a new plastic cup each time – thus wasting 2-3 minutes (and destroying the environment a little more with the plastic cup).
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:D Hilarious! damn hilarious!!!
“…But, its not like Neo can saunter up tomorrow evening to a breathless Anita who’s cranking up the pace on the elliptical trainer and say, “Hi, I realize this might be awkward, but have you considered the use of a sports bra ?” ”
OMG! am still lolzing imagining the situation!!! :D
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With all these potholes in place and the amount of jumping jacks they put my breasts through, sports bras are a must in this country. :P
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“But, lets be reasonable here, is this something that anyone can fail to notice ?”
of course it is … if one were the ‘rampur kaa lachhman’ of the 21st century ;-) which, based on your research and results, you obviously are not.
- s.b.
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And might I suggest that Mr. Lacchman would have had a difficult time convincing my wife to marry him ? Ergo, she should not expect me to embody his values. :-)
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Nice one!
Mirror mirror on the wall
How about a sports bra for all
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