<![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV - Jezebel Comments]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV - Jezebel Comments]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @shanaynay: I agree that huge boobs are kind of a high class problem, you have to have a pretty decent diet to have big knockers. But obesity is rising across the globe, including developing countries. Hormones added milk is connected to big boobs and hormone added milk isn't just a US thing. And really, a lot of it is genetic- my boobs are totally genetic from my born at the turn of the century grandma.

clevernamehere

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @TurangaLeela: I wish it were projecting. But there are TONS of places where said neatly package breasts are a social IMPERATIVE and going without will have very negative ramifications for the woman. A dude can show up to a job interview in pants and no skivvies and no one will know--but can you imagine trying to interview for a job when you literally have no bra? I guess it's cool if we are ok with women never progressing beyond, like, itinerant field work, but if we want women to be able to attend school, get a non-manual labor job, etc.--then these bras become something rather significant.

GoodMorningAngels

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @clevernamehere: Um, they go higher than J. Don't ask me how I know, please.

My question is this: yes, for us gigantically-boobed ladies, bras are an absolute necessity. But how many women in less affluent countries have the luxury of being fat enough to need giant knocker-holder-uppers? I know I'm making a broad, sweeping generalization, but it hasn't been made yet!

I can't see who made the comment about not wanting to donate worn stuff, and I used to do the same thing, until one of the nice ladies told me that they take anything that's just too far gone and sell it to textile-recycling peeps, to shred and use for filling and scrap and whatever.

Also, there's nothing on a bra or in undies that proper laundering won't kill. Germaphobes must chill!

shanaynay

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @clevernamehere: yeah, what she said, but also "dumb way to save the environment" still has me steamed. It just seems like there's such a disconnect between what we take for granted and what other people are grateful for.

Miss-Pringle

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @lemurlady: My dad's factory used to be across the alley from a used mattress refurbisher....

NEVEREVERNEVER buy a refurbished mattress!!!!!!

Sleep on the floor. It's much more sanitary. Trust me.

ceejeemcbeegee

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @insert_identity_here: E's are hard to find in stores and where they do stock them, they're usually segregated off in the full-figured section. But bra sizes go up to J and I think any woman over a C cup would find bras a health aid as much as an aesthetic issue.

clevernamehere

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> I would feel bad sending them my stretched out old bras. Those things have a short lifespan.

aubonpam

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @clevernamehere: I see what you're saying. Also, I've rarely ever seen a E sized bra (I don't think I ever have actually) so in other countries, they are probably hard to come by even for people who can afford them. So in your case, donating a used bra would actually help someone.

stealthird

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @funnyface:

I was referring to used panties at the Salvation Army.

Katxyz

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> my bank account was hacked recently and there were charges to saudi air, air france, hot topic, and oxfam.
oxfam!

puritanicalish

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> And bras were invented by women. Mary Phelps Jacob (who patented her idea) created a bra so that she could wear an evening gown with no corset, but an earlier inventor (Herminie Cadolle) marketed hers a health aid. Trust me, mine is a health aid. :)

clevernamehere

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @clevernamehere: I hear you. In your case, and the case of women like you, you are right. I was viewing this from a tiny-boobed perspective.

TurangaLeela

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @insert_identity_here: There are cultures where women never wear a bra, but if someone had my build and no bra they would go through a long period of serious pain before they would get to a point where free boobs wouldn't equal pain. You'd have to break down the connective tissue for the pain to go away and even then there would still be a lot of bouncing or flopping that isn't terribly comfortable. I think running would always be an issue. I went from bra-optional to stacked overnight and I clearly remember being in high school and realizing that if I wanted to avoid pain I needed to put on a bra before going down stairs to get some cereal.

I have freakishly large boobs even in the US and I'm sure nutrition makes this something of a high-end problem, but my grandma had the exact same build so sometimes it is just genetics.

I understand that for some smaller boobed girls, bras are societal issue but for me they really aren't.

clevernamehere

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @Miss-Pringle: If bras are part of their culture, I hope the relief and support agencies work to address the need through normal and creative channels. However, I'm not ok with the assumption that every woman in a 3rd world country needs a bra because it's how we dress in our culture!

AGreenEyeDevil

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @clevernamehere: I see your point. But I can't help but wonder: what if you'd never worn a bra? Sometimes, when you get used to having things, you need them, but if you've never had them, you adapt in different ways? Just a thought.

stealthird

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @Miss-Pringle: "unbelievably callous"? Aren't you exaggerating just a little bit? Just because we joke about it doesn't mean we don't take poverty seriously. I know if I lived in Central America (for example) in a house with a leaky roof and no money for cooking oil, I think I'd have some priorities that came before having a bra. What's more, I agree with Turangaleela--bras aren't a huge quality of life issue. Shoes, on they other hand, are. (And for the record, I think that idea that Tampax had about donating tampons/pads to girls in Africa was pretty cool). I don't think "callous" is an apt description of the commenters on this thread.

stealthird

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @TurangaLeela: As a 34E, bras are not a societal thing at my size, they are a quality of life thing. Walking without a bra on is very uncomfortable for me, running would be absolute torture. I'm sure there are some ingenious developing world solutions to this, but I can see the desire for a commerically made solution. (Underwear on the other hand, is pretty optional).

Generally, I wear my bras into the ground but occassionally I get rid of one because it is horribly discolored or it never really fit well. I would totally donate them, but I usually just give stuff to my local Salvation Army and I've never seen them sell bras, so I assumed they didn't want them. Should I be donating them anyway so they can forwarded them on to developing countries?

clevernamehere

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @BitchIsATwoWayStreet: er, trying to give someone ADVICE.

BitchIsATwoWayStreet

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @Gumbina80: I agree - it's hard to imagine anyone wanting used clothes in poor condition. Then I think back to my very poor childhood, and remember that I got my first training bra used, from a bag of donated clothes. I also had used swimsuits, bought form the Salvation Army, as a kid. Sure, it skeeves me out now to think about it, but when the choice is used clothes or no clothes...well, there really isn't a choice anymore.

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> I'm going bra shopping today.

I'm going to one of those fabulous places where I get topless, an old woman looks at my tits, tells me I'm wearing the wrong size, and brings me a bra that feels like heaven.

I am currently wearing a bra that makes my tits feel like they're in some kind of SQUEEZING Guantanamo torture device.

I want my boobs to be happy.

NewsBunny

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @Riff_Randell: that was a great episode. didn't she also lose a tooth while trying to give someone advise? I also love me some Liz Lemon.

BitchIsATwoWayStreet

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> My bff's flight was delayed when we were to catch a scuba boat. I got all her gear together for a weekend aboard, bought new drawers. 10 years later she still asks why I didn't just pack some of mine. Because, the ew factor. Duhh.

Mrs. DeLesseps To You, Dahling

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @petuniacat: On a related note, apparently used underwear (yes, panties) are of great demand at the Salvation Army and similar thriftstores.

REALLY? I must have an unreasonable standard for the clothes I think are worthy to donate. I always think, "Nobody is going to want this faded shirt" or "Nobody wants jeans with the ratty cuffs." I never even considered underwear.

Gumbina80

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> When I find a comfortable bra, I tend to wear it until it is basically a lacy rag.
I do applaud the idea of donation though, and know I have various bras around that were never really worn as I bought the wrong size, or gained/lost weight.
Thanks for publicizing this, Moe.

SSteele

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @Katxyz: You have a very first-world perspective, though. Many of these bras would likely be going to women who have never had a new ANYTHING, ever.

funnyface

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @bifteck-frites: Yeah. Heck, I just wish my recycling pickup would include ALL the plastics, not just 1, 2, and 3.

@firecracker: while that may sound silly, lots of people the world over sleep on dirt floors. So a mattress might be appreciated.

funnyface

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> I wouldn' burden anyone with my unworn Victoria's Secret bras...they are unworn for a reason...they're MISERABLEY uncomfortable. Why are we pushing bras on these women anyway?!

AGreenEyeDevil

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> I'm having a hard time getting my head around a lot of these comments. The bras, which will have been washed, are going to women who do not have access to them otherwise. They will be repaired and or mended if they have holes or if underwires are poking through. Mocking the initiative seems unbelievably callous to the circumstances under which so many women must live.

Miss-Pringle

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @misssgolightly:

For real...it's admirable to donate things, but if I couldn't afford undies, I feel like using old used undies would just make me feel a little worse.

Katxyz

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> I see no problem with donating old bras but they're usually not in a state to be donated. I wear them to death. Maybe instead of a food drive, VS can just donate a store to them. Wouldn't that be great? Wearing used clothes, OH THE HORROR.
We should build they proper plumbing and give them tons of tamons so they too will be able to flush them into the environment.

dummyfakeroller

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> But if a non-used bra was too much to ask, then I'd take a used bra if I were living in a 3rd world country. Maybe that's just me being all crazy again, though.

Political Party Girl

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @funnyface: There are ways, but they're expensive, and there's no major infrastructure behind it the way that we have for plastic, glass and paper.

bifteck-frites

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @bifteck-frites: Er, two thoughts in one sentence there. What I meant was, except for the carbon footprint of shipping, reusing clothing is a great solution because there's no textile recycling infrastructure.

bifteck-frites

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @bifteck-frites: Very true. Except for that insulation made from denim.

funnyface

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @firecracker: Seriously? Thats.....not very bright. On that note, I watched a segment on dateline about refurbished mattresses. They found bedbugs on them. I tend to think of used panties that same way, no matter how clean they are, you don't know whats been there before hand.

lemurlady

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @funnyface: @funnyface: Haven't you ever considered, though, that there is no system set up for textile recycling? Except for the carbon footprint of shipping, reusing is the only method there is for recycling clothing.

bifteck-frites

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @Katxyz: Sometimes you can, I've been in disaster zones and women were looking for underwear in the donation piles.

Brigit

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @petuniacat: I bought a used mattress off Craigslist. With a mattress pad and an allergy cover, I figure I'm pretty safe.

funnyface

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @petuniacat: It's illegal due to possible health risks involved.

In many states you cannot sell a used mattress, but you can sell a used box spring. So, you give the mattress away for free to the purchaser of the box spring.

Xavoc

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @Katxyz: I'd definitely donate packs and packs of new underwear to the Salvation Army, but I wouldn't EVER give anyone my old underwear.
I used to do a lot of charity/donation stuff at church (back when I went to church), and all the nasty mean old ladies would get mad when we had standards for donating: i.e., no dented cans/expired food/used underwear. Their response was "They should just be happy with what they have!" Yeah, be happy with your rotting food, botulism-tainted cans, and dirty underwear, Thelma.

misssgolightly

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> And on a related note, does anyone remember the 30 Rock where Liz Lemon told someone not to ask her for life advice because "this bra is held together with tape!!!" That, in a nutshell, is why I love Liz Lemon.

Riff_Randell

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @NefariousNewt: Much more profitable to simply sell the used on eBay as a fetish item and buy new ones to donate to charity.

Xavoc

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> This is why I'm glad I found Jezebel - in my almost 20 years on this earth, I didn't know anyone else had nasty period panties, let alone the guts to write about them. It makes sense, I guess I just thought my vag was especially sloppy. Also, "international titocracy," hee.

Riff_Randell

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @Katxyz: I'm sure they do.

I've seen used undies at thriftstores, so I'm pretty sure they take them.

I do know they won't take mattresses though, which bugs me. I mean, yeah, it might be pretty skeevy to think about sleeping on a used mattress, but a lot of people don't have the few hundred bucks at their disposal to buy themselves a new one.

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @petuniacat:

Really? Not that it doesn't make sense that people wouldn't be able to afford it but...is that really sanitary? I'm sure it all gets washed and everything, but I think I'd rather go without undies than wear someone else's. Bras I can understand better I guess, but like someone said by the time I throw them out the wires are poking through.

dontbogartthewine

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> for some reason this makes me think of that show about Tommy Hilfiger's daughter, and how she decided that matresses needed to be donated to people in Africa.

firecracker

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @ceejeemcbeegee: I agree with you on the ew. Really, used bras, underware, or socks kind of just need to be thrown away.

badmutha

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> Ratty bras are a womans dirty little secret. When I get rid of mine I usually put them in a Target bag, knot(twice) it and throw it directly down the trash chute..praying the super does not realize it is mine. In this case the third world women deserve better!

angryblackgurl

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @ceejeemcbeegee: Yup. Serious business. When I hear stuff like that, it really makes me appreciate what I have - especially my overflowing underwear drawer.

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> I wear my smalls until they're dead.

amy1971

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @petuniacat: On a serious note - do they have any "guidelines" on what to do to the underwear prior to donating them? I'm just curious

dirtybee says bee yourself!

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @funnyface: add in "don't" before "own."

funnyface

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> Plus, this is NOT a "way to save the environment." This is a way to give bras to women who likely own more than one pair of clothes.

funnyface

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> Now I'm convinced that all that bra-burning in the seventies is what caused today's environmental problems.

stealthird

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @petuniacat:

Does the Salvation Army accept new underwear? I know people will take what they can get when they're in need, but that just seems too gross to me. I had always heard you couldn't donate underwear.

Katxyz

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @petuniacat: Ewwwww... they want my used drawers? Really?

---
I think it's more practical to donate used sports bras, which aren't sized so specifically. They wouldn't as worn out as much as a regular bra and they'd fit more women.

ceejeemcbeegee

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> I needed to read this a few days ago. I just chucked a few in the trash. There wasn't anything majorly wrong with them, I just got some newer, comfier ones and needed to make room in the drawer.

funnyface

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @Xavoc: Oh, that's mostly the Victoria's Secret bras.

rhinestonedarling

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> Sorry, but...EW ew ew ew. My bras get funk nasty when I am through with them, and I would not wish said funk nastiness on anyone. I'll donate the 20 bones for a new one. Plus, wouldn't flying them all over the place negate the benefit? How much fossil fuel goes into the production of one Playtex?

bananaballs

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> Since a good DD bra is rather expensive, I wear them until they fall apart. I am currently wearing one that the underwire has poked through, but I love it so much I just shove the wire back in. My discarded bras are not desired.

Leiakat

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> I read about this and I'm pretty sure Oxfam have been doing this for ages, but it's just come to light now. Dunno. My bras are not fit to be seen by anyone by the time they get thrown away.

beastybeatsy

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> Next up: a call for used crotchless underwear!

NefariousNewt

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> Wouldn't donating bras so worn that the underwire stabs you in the breast repeatedly be like waterboarding a terrorist?

Cruel and unusual punishment.

Xavoc

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> Just one of my old bras could provide shade and warmth to a destitute family of four.

Seriously, I never even thought about bra shortages. Wow. I'm gonna go open my top dresser drawer and put on every bra I own while thanking the flying spaghetti monster that I have the luxury of strapping my tatters in place.

AbbyNormal

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> @Pinkosaurus: Particularly if you're sending them right back to a country where they were produced in a sweatshop. Makes my head hurt to think about all those shipping containers powered by non-renewable resources passing in the night.

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> On a related note, apparently used underwear (yes, panties) are of great demand at the Salvation Army and similar thriftstores. When you think about it, it makes sense. People need undies, and new ones aren't cheap, particularly when you're deciding between new underwear and food in the tummy. I used to throw out my old panties but now I donate them. It's not just people in third world countries who are in need of undies and bras - it's people in our country as well.

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> I wasn't aware there was a need for my ratty old bras. Ok, which one do you want Oxfam? The one with all the hooks in the back bent, so they stab you if you lean back, or the one that has no underwire in the left boob?

BlondeGrlz

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> Well, if they want my black tights with the hole in the toe, they're going to have to arm wrestle me for them.

westvillagegirl (exiled in chicago)

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> What about my thongs? I have heard that women in third world developing countries are quite concerned about panty lines.

Archetype

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> How green is it to box up a bunch of old undies and then ship them, using fossil fuels? Couldn't we all just send a little cash? Seriously, all these green initiatives just seem really wasteful.

Pinkosaurus

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> Meh, bras aren't really a quality of life thing. It's a societal thing. If these women are crying out for bras, then yes they deserve them. But I don't like the idea of a cute, perky underwire being an unalienable right. It seems a bit like projecting to me.

TurangaLeela

]]> <![CDATA[Dumb Way To Save The Environment, Part LXV]]> My bras aren't suitable to be recycled when I get rid of them. The wires have usually broken or they are so threadbare that they don't offer any coverage at all. Maybe that's why people don't donate them, because they're not suitable to donate.

mocena

]]>