Buy a New Bra...It's Friday!!
Some of you may recall that I mentioned one of my earliest jobs was also a historical time for M&S Hull, UK? At the age of just 16 years, I became their first ever male sales assistant.
Obnoxious Teenager Makes History
I will open by admitting, I was not the best son there ever was, mostly when I turned 13 years old. The devil was in me and whilst up to that point I had been “A” streamed in the educational system, suddenly the only subjects that offered many any creative outlet (that I actually enjoyed) were English and Art.
Now, of course, working within a predominantly female environment at Sweet Sixteen was, to some extent, an eye-opener.
The game plan was to ground me in gaining experience across all of the store’s departments and eventually to work my way into Supervision and possibly management.
Pay, conditions and prospects were excellent and I soon learnt the M&S folding of stock methods…there is an art to it…specialist work, you know!
Anyway, I started out on menswear, which I guess you may have expected, but in honesty, there were more woman buying for the men in their lives than men visiting to make a purchase…perhaps that is still a “thing” even in this day and age?
After a couple of months in menswear, I was told I would be working on one of the women’s counters.
In my mind’s eye, I couldn’t see this being too different: stock replenishment, displaying, pricing and dealing with customer queries.
Well…
And this may shock you as much as it did me at the time…
I was put on women’s underwear…
Not just that, I was trained how to…
Wait for it…
FIT BRA’S!!!
I kid you not…looking back, it seems a more awkward situation for a young man to be in than it possibly was back then. I think the world was more liberal and progressive, or living in hopes of a more open world, than it is today.
When I remember those days, I don’t recall any particular fear of the circumstance (a male measuring a woman for a bra) other than trepidation as to whether I got it right or not.
The thing that I DO clearly remember is Fridays in the women’s underwear department.
Mid-afternoon became a crazy melee of women sourcing new sets of underwear and nightwear, the inevitable lead in to the Big Night Out…Friday was always a focus of being “out out”.
And, for my part…Friday afternoon gave me what seemed like an endless queue of women wanting a bra fitting…life was “tough” but someone had to do it…hehehe…
The funniest thing, in the wake of the bra and underwear frenzy of Friday, was that I also went out on the town, religiously every Friday…and now and again a woman would wave across a pub or night club and it wasnt me “getting lucky”, it was them acknowledging my legendary underwear service haha!
Thoughts:
As I reflect on those early days at M&S, it’s clear that the environment was steeped in an openness that feels increasingly rare today. I learned valuable lessons about breaking gender norms, fostering connections, and embracing the unexpected, even in the most unusual of settings.
Back then, entering the women’s underwear department as a young male was met with laughter and acceptance, not judgment. Perhaps it was a time when society was, in its way, more hopeful about challenging roles and perceptions.
Today, as we counter heightened sensitivity and constraints around gender and identity, I can’t help but wonder if that profound openness has been replaced by a more cautious, less fluid atmosphere. While evolving social dialogues are vital, I believe we must strive to retain that spirit of exploration and acceptance, one that nurtures conversations without fear and emboldens us to challenge norms with grace and humour.
So, let’s carry forward the lessons of those “crazy Fridays” where laughter, camaraderie, and unabashed honesty made even the most awkward situations enjoyable.
May we continue to embrace progressive values, freeing ourselves to explore new frontiers in our lives, businesses, and communities.
What are your thoughts?
What are your experiences (no matter what gender you are)?
Until Next Time
