The San Francisco Anti-Bra Protest, August 1969

In the late 1960s the feminist movement was taking hold via the likes of Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem at the helm, and one outcome was the protest in Sept 1968 during the 1969 Miss America Pageant. Approximately 200 women descended on the event, unfurled banners and tossed feminine products in trash cans, including makeup, hair curlers and brassieres. The symbolic trashing of bras drew an analogy to the burning of military draft cards by those opposed to the Vietnam War, and from it the phrase, Burning Your Bra, was born.

Burning your Bra was an apt metaphor for women gaining rights and power, and on August 1, 1969 there was a Bra Protest in the San Francisco financial district at Montgomery and Bush with women discarding bras.  A fun moment in time, immortalized by this famous photo. (The men seemed to like it!)

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