Bound for Glory: Mugsie Pike on revolutionizing lingerie

The anger and frustration Mugsie felt when her body did not conform to standard bra sizing fueled her insecurity: "Swimsuit shopping was always ugly and ended with me in tears. But I never thought, what's wrong with the swimsuit. I thought, what's wrong with me?" Mugsie eventually channeled the frustration and negativity she felt into making her own clothing and in using her passion and creativity to help others.

"My goal is to combine these interests and fight the ridiculous barrage of body-negativity through my sewing. I love you, and I love your body and whatever you want to do with it. I think people of all types and sizes should have lingerie that supports them, and that fits their bodies and personal styles."

After schooling Northwestern, (a Gender Protection Initiative Mugsie is involved with recently fought for and won the inclusion of gender identity in the school's non-discrimination clause) Mugsie has her sights set on the booty behemoth, Victoria's Secret, whose restrictively ranged bras are geared toward the ideal 36 C. All bras smaller than that size are padded and all bras larger than that are minimized in order to conform to this "perfect" size.

It's not surprising that Victoria's Secret's measurement system varies wildly. They want to boost your ego, by boosting your cup size. The last time I was measured, the sales rep told me I was a 34 D, which is patently ridiculous, yet it did give me a subtle self-esteem lift, enough for me to buy a damn bra anyway. That didn't fit, of course.
 

Mugsie's Rainbo Brite corset. The first one she ever made.

There are many problems that are associated with wearing the wrong bra size, which, according to Mugsie, are decreased blood circulation, sagging, consistency (boobs can change shape drastically over the course of one's life), and lack of support which puts pressure in your shoulders and can cause back pain and bad posture. Not to mention the ethical problems of Victoria's Secret business practices, which include appalling conditions of sweatshop labor. You can read more about that in this HuffPo article. Their catalogs are also increasingly geared toward men, as is indicative of the Porn Lite poses.

What lovely bras they are wearing.

For those of us in Chicago who don't know where to look for under garments, Mugsie has two local recommendations for finding ethical underwear that actually fits. One is Isabella's (840 W Armitage) and the other is Intimacy, in Water Tower Place, which was featured on Oprah.

While Mugsie hasn't ventured into the realm of making her own bras yet, (There's a whole school in Ontario devoted to learning bra making) she does create amazing custom corsets, dresses, panties and top hats, designed for your unique body. Check out her website, With a Bite, for more photos and to place an order. I call dibs on the Rainbo Brite corset though.

In an age where hating one's body is par for the course of modern womanhood, it is truly inspiring to have people like Mugsie Pike fighting the good fight and working to create change in an industry that is monopolized by big business and fueled by women's insecurities. After all, there is nothing sexier than loving one's body the way it is.