EXCLUSIVE: Nearly 50 years after the invention of the sports bra, Tyra Banks, in partnership with Forbes Entertainment, will bring the stories of Lisa Lindahl, Polly Smith, and Hinda Miller to the big screen. The women are the inventors of Jogbra, the world’s first sports bra, which made its debut in 1977. Britt Brewer is writing the screenplay.
Banks will executive produce and produce through her shingle SMiZE Productions and will have a role in the film. Up next, production will begin a search for a director and cast the main roles.
The film is inspired by the story “Women Supporting Women: The Inspiring Story Behind One Of The 20th Century’s Least-Appreciated Innovations—The Sports Bra” published on Forbes in 2020 by Maggie McGrath, Editor, ForbesWomen.
Set against the backdrop of the late 1970s in Vermont, the film follows Lindahl, Smith, and Miller’s unconventional journey alongside the experiences of women confronting the physical limitations, deep frustrations, and expectations surrounding their bodies at the time. What began as a seemingly simple problem would lead to an invention that transformed women’s freedom to move. But the road to getting there was anything but simple or ordinary. Somewhere along the way, a man’s jockstrap became part of the solution. And three women had the audacity to rethink how support for a man could translate into support for women’s bodies.
“I’m a fuller-busted woman, and when it came time to work out, a great sports bra gave me freedom. I could run, jump, box. Move with abandon. And then I learned the absolutely wild story of the three women behind that freedom. I knew we had a movie. And it’s about damn time people know that the sports bra isn’t just some Lycra and fabric. Behind it were three visionary women, a wild idea, and the audacity to challenge something the world had simply accepted,” Banks shared.
“The Jogbra would never have happened if the three of us hadn’t come together,” said Lindahl. Smith added, “I just knew it would be useful. If there’s one thing to take from it, it’s that we really did make a difference in women’s lives.” Miller said, “There’s always room for a great idea, and always an opportunity to create something that can change people’s lives.”
Together they added, “Our story is about resilience, friendship, taking chances, and the power of three very different women coming together to create something that would help women around the world. We’re so excited to share our story on the screen. And what better time to celebrate the Jogbra than as we approach the 50th anniversary of its creation? We couldn’t be prouder.”
The Jogbra film follows SMiZE Productions’ recently announced feature about nail beauty icon Sally Hansen. Banks, SMiZE Productions, and Forbes Entertainment are repped by Echo Lake Entertainment, which led the charge in packaging the project. Brewer is repped by Heroes and Villains Entertainment and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof and Fishman.