Outrage: A Bra’s Unfulfilled Promise

It sounded too good to be true: a bra that boosted breast health. That, at least, was the claim for the Bràssage, an undergarment designed by the daughter of the late lingerie designer Olga that was recently spotlighted on ABC’s Good Morning America.

Introduced in 2006 and promoted as a “wellness” bra, the Bràssage featured “comfort cushions” and something called Lymphatic Enhancement Technology, a process patented by Los Angeles chiropractor Jayson Sher. According to Sher’s website, a woman’s natural movement activates the comfort cushions sewn into each side panel, which massage the lymph nodes and urge nasty toxins up and out of the breast.

Some people begged to differ. The comfort cushions “didn’t move at all, so I didn’t get what they were talking about regarding the ‘massage’ effect when you move,” said Elisabeth Dale, author of bOObs: A Guide to Your Girls, who received the Bràssage as a gift.

The Bràssage website says the undergarment’s masaging feature promotes healthy breast tissue and that Sher’s research confirms enhancing lymphatic circulation through breast tissues could improve breast health, which led some people to think that the bra might reduce a woman’s risk of breast cancer.

“There is absolutely no data proving that toxins are trapped in the breast and then lead to breast cancer,” says breast cancer specialist Susan Love, M.D., president of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation in Santa Monica, Calif. “This is pure conjecture. We desperately need to determine the cause of breast cancer, and foolish diversions like this only get in the way.”

In the interview on Good Morning America, Bràssage designer Christina Erteszek said that there was never any claim that the Bràssage prevented cancer, but that it can “help relieve possible infection or disease.”

In any case, the Bràssage appears to have surrendered its supporting role: Production has ceased, according to news reports, and a major retailer listed on Erteszek’s website says it no longer sells the $59 bra.

Cathie Gandel is a freelance writer based in New York.