LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: There is an adage that goes "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," right?</s>DARYN KAGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Moscow, a museum exhibit takes that saying to the edge. CNN's Steve Harrigan has the story.</s>STEVE HARRIGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a museum exhibit some women said they were afraid to come to: On display is underwear from the Soviet era.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): On one hand, it is sad to realize just how terribly we lived. On the other hand, it is like a pleasant return to my childhood.</s>HARRIGAN: The snaps and buckles of brassieres and bloomers that once dug into the flesh of the proletariat are now preserved as works of art, and remembered with a smile.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My first Soviet bra was covered with all kinds of acrylic lace. After I wore it once, my God, I could hardly walk home.</s>HARRIGAN: Scarcity in the Soviet Union meant nothing was thrown away. T-shirts became dust rags. Stockings turned into doormats. Tights became a basket to gather apples. For some modern Russian women, the hidden view of Soviet life comes as a shock.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It says they changed their underwear once a week. That's hard to understand.</s>HARRIGAN: Those who grew up after perestroika may never know the pain or the joy of the past.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It was so hard to find anything nice. I remember the thrill of finding imported lingerie from Eastern Europe.</s>HARRIGAN: It was a time when, for most Russians, if you wanted something beautiful, you had to make it yourself. Steve Harrigan, CNN, Moscow.
Soviet-Era Bras Bring Back Memories