Underneath it All: A History of Women's Underwear by Amber J Keyser - ADVISABLE

Keyser, Amber J Underneath It All : A History of Women’s Underwear, 95 pages. NON-FICTION. Twenty-first Century Books (Lerner), 2018. $37. Language: G (1 swear); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G.

From the beginning of time, it seems men wore some sort of underwear, but what women wore is much more elusive.  This short history includes pictures from a Roman floor mosaic  where the women wore outfits similar to bikinis, to the middle ages and up to current day.  Women’s undergarments were more form than function, and often someone else’s idea of what beauty should be. We learn about the effect of the clothing industry on the environment, the real cost of cheap labor, and some modern entrepreneurs who are changing the status quo.  The concluding chapters on body image were the perfect connection for modern teens.

I learned a lot, this was a very interesting read. Well illustrated with captioned photographs, art, and media;  the side bars are informative and short.    Keyser stays age appropriate in both the text complexity and illustrations for a middle school audience, however, the subject matter may be too delicate for some libraries. There is mention of menstruation, prostitution, chastity belts and other intimate subjects.

HS - ADVISABLE Lisa Librarian