The Unlikely Story Of How One Woman Pioneered A Revolutionary
Industry --And Helped Level The Playing Field
In Business & Sports For Millions Of Girls & Women
As an aspiring
artist, part-time secretary, and part-time undergrad student at the age of 28,
Lisa Z. Lindahl, a person with Epilepsy, was an unlikely candidate to create a
sports garment that would reshape the athletic landscape and become a 19
billion-dollar annual industry. Her new book reveals the amazing story behind
the creation of the sports bra, an entrepreneurial victory that has landed her
in The National Inventors Hall of Fame (the induction ceremony is May, 2020).
Unleash the Girls: The Untold Story of the Invention of the
Sports Bra and How it Changed The World (and Me) takes us back to 1977 when women,
whether they wanted to go to the gym, compete in sports, or jog (as Lisa did),
had no protection against bouncing, chafing, sweaty breasts. After casually
talking to her sister about the need for such a bra, she went to her good
friend, Polly, who later became an award-winning Muppets costume designer,
about the need for an athletic bra. Lisa was determined to set out to find a
better way to protect her body.
Lisa’s story takes us
through the many challenges, ups and downs, and successes of launching a
business by women for women in an era and an industry dominated by men. She not
only shares “learn from my mistakes” advice, she also provides encouragement to
anyone looking to turn an idea into a business.
Lisa’s story is brutally honest and reveals how she navigated – and
sometimes fell into – the many pitfalls faced by female entrepreneurs in an
industry that had ignored the needs of women.
Below is an interview
with Lisa, who is represented by the book public relations firm that I work
for:
1. Lisa,
what inspired you to write Unleash the Girls: The Untold Story of the
Invention of the Sports Bra and How it Changed the World (And Me)? I
wrote “Unleash The Girls” for two reasons, really. The first was that the
sports bra had become more than just an undergarment, morphing into a symbol of
women’s freedom and empowerment — an iconic symbol of women's liberation. What
I had considered simply my first business born of solving my own problem was
living on beyond my involvement, creating dynamics and consequences far beyond
my initial vision. This realization,
arrived at over 40 years after its invention when the Smithsonian archived the
original Jogbra, prompted the next inspiration for writing the book: today’s
young women and this era’s chapter in the feminist movement, and the importance
of women telling their own stories, in their own voices. The story of how the
sports bra came into being is not a sweet story, but a complex tale of women
growing and struggling to become. The story has the possibility to be as
empowering as the garment itself proved to be.
2. This
spring you’ll be honored by the Smithsonian Institute and the National
Inventors Hall of Fame. Did you ever think your idea would turn you into being
a pioneer? No. I invented the
sports bra just to solve my own problem. I never had any idea that it
would unleash so many other women and girls, that it would release so much
potential and power in so many others. I'm really proud and humbled by what the
creation of the sports bra has facilitated for so many others.
3. We
take the sports bra for granted today, but take us back to the 1970s, when you
invented something that revolutionized women’s sports and health. What was the
environment like back then? The
1970’s were a time of fluidity and change. The old rules were disintegrating
and often we were making up our own new ones. For instance, mine was the first
generation to have access to reliable birth control. Title IX allowed girls to
have equal athletic opportunities in schools. Hair was getting longer and
skirts were getting shorter. Girls were rejecting their mothers’ girdles and
stockings and opting for tights and miniskirts. Bras were being burned or left
in the drawer. Pantyhose was invented. “Women’s Lib” was going strong. We
lobbied to have equal pay as well. Imagine! And the idea of fitness—jogging,
aerobics, yoga—was just beginning. The influence of these dynamics on me and
the culture appear quite a bit in “Unleash.” It was a time when everyone was
experimenting, inventing and re-inventing. It was exciting, invigorating and,
for me, sometimes frightening.
4. Your
entrepreneurial venture initially had two other co-founders. But one of your
partners got squeezed out and you temporarily lost control of the company. How
can people avoid launching a business with people they can’t trust? Ask good questions; listen to your
heart and gut. But there are no guarantees. If a person isn’t being entirely
honest with herself, she automatically is not being honest and transparent with
those around and those she is dealing with—she is fooling them as well as
herself. This is just further cause for us all to keep on top of our own inner
work in order to move forth in the world responsibly and with integrity. Plus,
if you learn to trust yourself it is easier to spot others deserving of your
trust.
5. You
wrote in your book how women need to help women in business but you were
surprised at how difficult your business partner, a woman, could be. Are women
any different than men when it comes to business? Is any person different from any
other when it comes to business? Of
course. And different strengths and different weaknesses need to be identified
and addressed appropriately. Differences often can translate into strengths. I
dislike generalizations; they are dangerous.
If we are going to make an impact in curtailing our current cultural
paradigm of polarization, we need to avoid too many easy generalizations. Women
have considerations in life that men do not: they bear children – an
all-important cycle— that has been too greatly undervalued in how the Western
world does business, and thus women have had to create a different way of
“doing” and “being” in business. SO much more can be said here, but not in 125
words or less without being grossly misunderstood!
6. Ok,
Lisa so take us back to 1977. How did the sports bra, or what you called the
Jogbra, come about? It
was started with a joke! A funny comment! I had been running for a while and my
sister decided she would start too. But
after a few tries, she called me to ask what in Heaven’s name did I do about
the discomfort of bouncing breasts? I told her not much, the best I’d found was
wearing a bra that was one cup-size too small, but even then the straps still
stretched out and slipped off my shoulders…annoying! And then there could be
chafing too! She asked, “Why isn’t there a jockstrap for us women?” I laughed
at the silly image and replied, “Yes! Same idea, different part of the
anatomy!” We both laughed a lot, but I took it seriously. I wrote down what
functions such a garment would have to do. But I can’t sew. So I went to my
friend Polly, who was a costume designer, and together we figured it out. The first working prototype was actually two
jockstraps cut in half!
7. Was the original sports bra
actually based on the men’s jock strap? Yes! When
I asked Polly to help me create this bra for jogging she told me that it would
not be simple: that there was only one thing that might be more complicated
than a bra to design, and that was a shoe! This is for several reasons: both
are 3-dimensional items, it must support as well as cover and the wide
size range must accommodate several different areas of a body converging at the
point the garment covers. ( Years later I discovered that most traditional bras
were in fact designed by engineers!) But we went ahead, and after several
disappointing prototypes, it was two jock straps cut in half and sewn back
together that guided us to our solution: the pouches became cups and the
waistband became a rib band; the straps crossed in the back and it went over
the head — a new concept! Polly then sourced far better materials for our
use, including what was then a new unused fabric — Cotton/Lycra!
8. What advice do you have for entrepreneurial
women? Be clear
about your purpose and then be true to it: In your entrepreneurial endeavor how
important is your time? Your independence? The money? Recognition? The
message? Then go for it. Ask any
questions of anyone (even competitors)—most everyone wants to be helpful. Then
sit quietly and listen to your own gut and heart. There will always be
naysayers; don’t let them discourage you.
9. How
did you handle the areas of the business that you knew little about or had no
real feeling for? I was fortunate in that my partner
had an interest and a knack for a part of the business that I was not
interested in, the production end. So
while I took care of sales and marketing, she did production and
inventory. Together we oversaw hiring
and finances. But the basic truth for
every entrepreneur – for both happiness and healthiness in business – is to
recognize what you are good at, and what you are terrible at. Dedicate yourself
to what you are good at and find someone you can trust to be steward of the
latter. Then, as it becomes possible, hire out all the rest. The balance of the
truth is that you may be good at something for a bit, then as the biz grows it
needs more expertise than you are able to give that area. The smartest thing I ever did was to hire
those who had a greater depth of knowledge about some aspect of my business
than I did. A bonus: if it was an area I was interested or talented in, they
became a great teacher.
10. You advocate in your book for people to be
kinder to one another, to be more thoughtful, and to see the true beauty in
each other. So how do we go about creating a “humanhood”?
Who can review our current culture
and not see a paradigm of polarization? How many feel helpless in the face of
what appears to be a hopeless set of dynamics?
Appears is the operative word
here. We all know appearances are deceptive. Each one of us in fact has the
power to make a difference. It is in action and behaviors that change is born.
The poet John O’Donohue says “All contemporary crises can be reduced to a crisis
about the nature of beauty.” What is
authentic beauty? By its very nature, beauty is harmony. And how might we
practice it to help turn the tide and create a kind, compassionate globe on
which the human species is a contributor as much as a consumer? The book
“Beauty As Action, The Way of True Beauty & How Its Practice Can Change Our
World” begins this journey with its 16 practices of True Beauty.
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Brian
Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas
expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or
anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and
email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when
discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog
©2020. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His
writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.
This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the
top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best
resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.
