Rosario Dawson isn’t afraid to make you uncomfortable. As an actress and activist, some could argue that’s part of her job. But when it comes to women getting the support they need and deserve, Dawson doesn’t believe in being uncomfortable. From her perspective, women have been told for far too long that they should simply smile through discomfort. An investor and board member for premium intimates brand EBY, Dawson is now also the face of what’s possible when you reject rigidity and embrace evolution, launching the EBY Pain-Free T-Shirt Bra.

“We’ve gotten used to thinking discomfort is the price we pay for support,” said Dawson. “But it doesn’t have to be. This bra is about unwiring from all of that—literally and metaphorically. For someone like me, constantly on the move—doing stunts, being with my grandson, juggling work and life—I need flexibility without sacrificing support. We shouldn’t have to pick one over the other.” EBY Founder Renata Black and Dawson have been friends for more than 15 years, a constant presence as each woman navigated life, work and everything in between. Coming together for the launch of a life-changing product was the easy part. “I wanted someone who epitomized authenticity and represented the future—this was undeniably Rosario,” said Black. “She is a force, figuratively and literally, and is the real deal. She is a symbol of tenacity and standing for what she believes in. Given this bra was built to challenge the status quo—no wires, no pain, no compromise—she was the obvious choice.”

As a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand, EBY obsesses over customer reviews. Unfiltered, honest-to-goodness feedback directly from customers; the good, the bad and the ugly. Consistently, over and over again, women expressed their hatred for wired bras. How they couldn’t wait to get them off at the end of the day. They were a necessary evil. The keyword being necessary. “Like most women, I’ve had that love-hate relationship with bras—the wires digging in, feeling like you’re harnessed, not held,” said Dawson. “Comfort should meet you where you are, whatever stage of life. And if you’re a woman, the stages are always changing. One day you’re in boss mode, the next you’re rushing to fit in date night or dealing with a body that just feels different. Your bra should evolve with you. That’s the real differentiator.”

Lingerie is a $1.7 billion business in North America, alone. With spending power and the desire to back companies that positively impact the world around them, women are driving consumer demand for better products and better companies. And the companies that pay attention will reap the benefits. A Berkeley Economic Review article explored how women are more than just a market segment, noting, “…simply paying women the respect they deserve as consumers in the market. By doing so, companies are not only meeting market demands but also challenging antiquated norms, paving the way for a more equitable future. Women should not have to settle for products that ignore or fail to fully meet their needs. It is imperative for companies to recognize that addressing women’s needs and integrating them into senior or executive roles is not just good business sense but a necessary step towards progress.”

“I don’t get involved with something unless I believe in the people behind it, the purpose, and the product. I’ve been an investor for years—getting the updates, seeing the inner workings,” said Dawson. “So when Renata brought me the concept for the Pain-Free T-Shirt Bra—with this smart silicone that gives you lift without the wire—I thought she was really onto something. It was a real shot at solving something women have been tolerating. It means not counting down the minutes until I can rip my bra off at the end of the day.”

Famous for being designed by a man, but worn by women, the bra has seen over a century of configurations, mostly relying on uncomfortable metal wires for support. Consider the basics of an underwire bra: two u-shaped pieces of metal are supposed to support soft tissue. When you move, the metal pushes back. It’s rigid. It digs in. It wasn’t designed for how women actually live and move. Then Black ditched the metal and upped the tech, all in pursuit of smarter support that made every woman, no matter her shape or size, feel comfortable. Three years. Over 100 fit tests. Countless molds. Sleeping on factory floors. EBY worked until they cracked the code.

“There are no two female shapes alike—so how is the same metal wire supposed to embrace the uniqueness of every woman?” remarked Black. “It’s wild, we’re only solving this 100 years since the underwire bra was first invented.” EBY’s patented Smart Silicon Tec® enables a silicone wire that’s 3D printed with a nylon thread, which molds to every unique curve. Thicker where you need it, thinner where you don’t, built to move with you, not against you. Additional support in Smart Wing Tec distributes breast weight evenly, reducing pressure points. “In 2025, when we’re FaceTiming like the Jetsons, sacrificing comfort for support just didn’t make sense. So I went on a mission to find a replacement for metal wires,” said Black. “This is without a doubt the future. Soon, all bras will be using our technology and wired bras will be like flip phones—outdated and impossible to go back to.”

With availability in XS – 2XLDD, the Pain-Free T-Shirt Bra is size-inclusive. In many cases, plus-size customers are charged more and offered limited options from other brands. Dedicated to being inclusive and providing options for all women, regardless of their size, EBY uses separate fit models for missy and plus sizes to ensure garments fit all customers perfectly. Placing a high value on fit, EBY takes the extra step to make patterns and tech packs representative of all body sizes.

As EBY prepared to launch the new Pain-Free T-Shirt Bra, it wanted the world to know that while a bra may serve as a metaphor for what women face every day, what the company stood for was far more than metaphorical. It was time to unwire antiquated thinking. It was time to prioritize today’s woman over yesterday’s ideals. It was time to completely break the mold and innovate. Whether going the metaphorical bra route or the real life philosophical route, EBY is challenging everyone to question, “Why are we still tolerating pain for support?”

This is a question Dawson is ready and willing to answer. Stepping in as the face of the new Pain-Free T-Shirt Bra campaign, she’s showcasing the epitome of women supporting women. Understanding and aligning with EBY’s mission, Dawson joined EBY as an investor and board member in 2022. “She didn’t just sign on; she was in it from the ground up, making sure the product was truly delivered before backing it,” said Black. “She’s an investor who has bet on me, believed in me, and pushed me to exceed my limits. For all she represents to the world, the absolute next level human being that she is, no one could be more perfect to introduce this category-redefining innovation.”

For the EBY team, supporting women is both literal and figurative. They know their customers understand the power of choice and how every decision has a global impact, from the coffee they drink to the underwear they choose. Alongside EBY’s goal to support women’s comfort through its products, it also supports women’s pursuits across the globe, funding microloans with every purchase. “Microfinance is a proven, astonishingly effective way to alleviate poverty and empower women. It provides them with the necessary resources to start and grow a small business,” said Black. “The repayment rate for our loans is 98 percent, which makes it the most productive way to help people create sustainable income, lift themselves out of poverty, and break the cycle for their children.”

EBY has committed to enabling a million women to transition out of poverty and into business, harnessing that power of choice to drive transformative impact in women’s lives. “Renata and I have always had that mutual respect and drive to do work that actually matters,” said Dawson. “I’ve seen her build EBY from the ground up with straight grit and grind with a mission to support women both with incredible products and the microloans afforded through the sales of them.”

Many DTC intimates brands have collapsed chasing unsustainable VC-fueled growth, but EBY’s early focus on profitability and smart unit economics is paying off with long-term scalability. In 2024, EBY tripled its revenue, while remaining profitable. Nearly 50 percent of women admit finding bras uncomfortable, yet 80 percent still wear uncomfortable bras every day. With advanced, woman-created products, EBY is working toward closing the gap in those figures, and Rosario Dawson is here for it. “Her commitment to wipe out metal wires in bras in five years? I mean, that’s a bold goal,” said Dawson. “But I respect when people take big swings—why not. Someone’s going to eventually do it. Might as well be her.”