Undergarment Boudreaux showed the world that an American woman could establish and run a company, and she also caused a revolution in the underwear industry. In 1913, a New York socialite named Mary Phelps Jacob created the first modern brassiere by tying two handkerchiefs together with ribbon. Jacob's original intention was to cover the whalebone sticking out of her corset, which was visible through her sheer dress. Jacob began making brassieres for her family and friends, and news of the garment soon spread by word of mouth. By 1914, Jacob had a patent for her design and was marketing it throughout
Carissa Phelps which he acknowledged her accomplishments. When her mother's response was less than enthusiastic, Phelps acted out in various ways, including fighting, shoplifting, and staying out past curfew. Oftentimes, she would disappear for hours at night riding her bike, just to keep out of the drama that enveloped the family's home. When Phelps was 11 years old, her sister, Sky warned her that their stepfather had been making sexual advances toward her and offered money in exchange for her virginity. Sky suggested that Phelps moved with her younger brother, Jacob, to Redding, California, to live with their father and older brother,