Why Are These Lawyers Being Forced to Take Off Their Bras in Jail?

Because the American justice system, of course.

Last night at dinner, a friend of mine—citing societal pressures—decided to do a little mid-meal social experiment. She walked into the bathroom, took off her bra, and sat back down at the table. (I take immense pride in the fact that I was the first to notice.)

Good on her, she’s a got a pair you can do somethin’ with, but not all women take to the bra-free lifestyle with such ease. Namely, a group of defense attorneys in Portland, Maine, who were told to remove their underwire bras as they entered  the jail in Cumberland County. As reported in the Portland Press Herald, the culprit, of course, was the metal detector. The jail recently cracked down on their metal detector policy, and it’s not sitting well with women who need wire to keep their boobs in place.

Quick bra lesson: two-thirds of the bras sold in the US are underwire, according to a spokeswoman for Hanes interviewed by the Herald. If you’re particularly endowed in the chest region, this is the type of you need, keeping breasts hoisted ever upward, reaching towards the heavens . Underwire: good for you, good for America.

But back to the sexual harassment allegations at hand. Basically, the women were told by jail officials to proceed into the jail without their bras, wear a different bra without metal, or just not see their client. The claim from the lawyers, who may or may not press charges, is that the metal detector policy is violating inmates’ civil liberties by denying them counsel, and that women should also probably not be asked to take off their underwear to do their job.

Sigh. America. Land of the free, home of the bra-less lawyers.

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