HISTORY OF THE BRA
We all need them and have worn them since puberty, but do we really know where the bra came from?
Women have been wearing them for centuries, transforming them into what we recognize as the modern-day bra today.
We can’t credit just one person for the invention of the bra. There were many throughout history that played a pivotal role in bra design today.
Women in history have always covered their breasts, whether that be for privacy, support, or modesty. After all, if we take a look at period clothing through the ages, you’ll clearly see everything was covered.
In fact, rarely were women exposed the way they are today. Even swimsuits were modest, often covering the entire body, or most of it anyway.
When it comes to bras, we should think of corsets first. In the early days, they pushed the bust upward and shaped the body into an hourglass.
Uncomfortable as they were, they did the trick even though they weren’t very practical. Can you imagine how hot and itchy they must have been?
No thank you!
As society progressed, we started to get wiser and create better ways to support our busts. The term “brassiere” made an appearance in 1907 by Vogue and referred to the upper portion of a split corset.
It didn’t take long for the word brassier to make the Oxford dictionary. Before long New York socialites started wearing the brassier, patenting it in 1914.
The first patented brassiere was actually made out of silk handkerchiefs and pink ribbon. Not much for support, but I’m sure women in those days were more than happy to wear something lightweight after generations of wearing heavy hot corsets.
It must have been liberating.
In the 1930’s the brassiere started being referred to as a bra, and cups were added. I’m sure by then, shapely garments had evolved requiring more sturdy apparatuses.
I know if I would have gone through the flapper period of the 20’s dancing around with little to no support, I would be screaming for cups as well.
Bras began to take on lives of their own, from cleavage creating bras to the bullet bras of the 50’s and 60’s that looked like pointy cones. They squashed everything in.
No wonder the next generation burned their bras.
Nowadays, bras have evolved into a diversified group. You can find one for every purpose. Sports bras, push up bras, nursing bras, underwire bras, strapless bras to name a few.
I’m sure you have your favorite. We all do. For me, I wear a different kind of bra depending on what garment I have on that day.
For example, if I wear a t-shirt, I want a smooth padded bra so lines and other unmentionables don’t show through.
Women throughout history have done the same thing, just in different ways. It doesn’t matter whether you were a Viking woman who wore a hard leather breastplate to cover the girls or a 1920’s socialite who wore a silk handkerchief brassiere.
Women are all the same.
We want to cover the jewels and support them at the same time. We need to. Our back depends upon it. Think double D’s hanging down as you hand-washed your clothing in a stream. Our ancestors didn’t have modern conveniences.
Reality is, breasts need support so they don’t flop around. Like hair in the face as we work, we need to tie them up and get them out of the way. Thankfully I don’t have that problem, but many bountifully blessed women do.
The rest of this blog post will explore different types of bras. If you want to skip to the end for a full bra resource guide you are welcome to do that. Otherwise, keep on reading.
SIZES OF BRAS
Every woman is different depending upon their body size and shape. That means there are numerous different bra sizes from A to H.
In order to find out what size you are, it’s a good idea to take a trip to a bra specialty shop. They will be able to measure you correctly. You might find that you’re not actually the size you thought you were.
As a general rule, to find the cup size that best fits your body, you must measure the underbust and the overbust.
The underbust is basically your rib cage, right under your breast area.
The overbust is basically your chest area right on top of your breast area, right under your arms and around your body.
If you are doing it at home, make sure you aren’t wearing a bulky sweater. The best practice is to measure with only your bra on.
Also, if it says you are in between sizes, it’s best to go with the larger size.
For more details on proper bra sizes and how to measure yourself, take a look at a website with all the information you need about sizing HERE.
TYPES OF BRAS
BEST BRA FOR MINIMIZING
There are many women who want to minimize their bust area. Women with large breasts want to look slimmer and not so well endowed.
But it’s also about health.
Women who have large, or oversize breasts, struggle with back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, rashes and generally need more chiropractic care than smaller breasted women do.
Getting a good minimizer bra is the best option if you don’t want to get breast reduction surgery.
Even though women who are naturally well-endowed are considered the lucky ones, and what most women want, they suffer from multiple health issues because of their breast size and would gladly trade for small breasts to get rid of chronic back pain.
Minimizing the breasts helps even out and redistribute the weight, alleviating some of the pain from breast heaviness.
Take a look at what Amazon has for minimizing bras on my affiliate link below.
BEST BRA FOR SUPPORT
As with minimizing bras which are mainly built for support, there are bras for small-sized women that also support a small breast.
You don’t have to be well-endowed to buy a supportive bra, though there are many women of all sizes who look specifically for bras with support.
Take a look at what Amazon has for support bras on my affiliate link below.
BEST BRA FOR PLUS SIZES
Now, this is a conundrum. If you are bountifully blessed and a plus size women at the same time, it is challenging to find a good bra for your size.
Your bra size is unique and you can’t just walk into Walmart and find a good one that fits. You must go to a bra specialty shop, or shop online.
Take a look at what Amazon has for plus size bras on my affiliate link below.
LARGE BUST BRAS
For the hard to fit petite women with large busts, it isn’t easy to find suitable bras. It’s especially hard to find pretty bras in petite sizes like lacy bras in a DD for instance.
Specialty shops will have an assortment, but not common places like Walmart.
There have been a number of online stores that carry them, though. Take a look at what I found for the petite full-busted woman on my Amazon link below. I can’t believe I found a full coverage Victoria Secret bra that goes all the way up to 38DDD. Check it out!
COOLING BRAS
Cooling bras are specifically made for women to wear during menopause. Night sweat and hot flashes are common for this age group and it’s all about the fabric it’s made from.
Anything that wicks moisture away from the skin does the trick.
I would definitely fall into this category with all the night sweats I have. Wearing a bra at night would be great if it kept the sweat off my skin. I’ve talked about that on Crunchy Menopause in great depth if you want to check it out.
For now, we’ll just stick to cooling bras specifically. Menopausal women aren’t the only ones wearing bras that wick the moisture away.
Women who have hormonal imbalances also need cooling bras. Pregnant women fall into this category especially because their hormones are all over the place, and that can cause hot flushes.
There are many kinds of cooling bras to choose from like this moisture-wicking racerback bra from Amazon. How cool is that!
SMALL BRAS
You might be surprised but there are many women who can’t find the right bras simply because they are very small-busted.
It is a conundrum most people don’t understand. When you are small busted, you need bras that give definition and substance to the breast. They are better known as push-up bras.
Often that means padding, but not for everyone. It’s not that petite bras are hard to find, its that they are body specific depending on your needs.
If you’ve ever tried a dozen bras on just to find one that looks right on your AA breasts, you will know what I mean. It takes the perfect fit and that means you usually have to try a lot of bras on.
This might help. Take a look at a great bra for small-busted women on Amazon. Calvin Klein really hit it out of the ballpark with this one.
COMFORTABLE BRAS
Comfortable bras are the kind you wear to bed. A lot of women want to be supported even at night, especially if they are large busted.
That concept is foreign to the small-busted woman, but even then, some just don’t like to go braless at night.
These types of bras aren’t usually padded bras, but they could be. Sometimes the most comfortable bra is a padded bra without a wire.
Who wants wires when you’re lounging around watching movies or trying to get a good night’s sleep?
Let’s take a look at Fruit of the Loom. They have this pretty little cotton bra in a size 32, all the way up to a size 44, and it’s soft and comfortable. Take a peek at it on my Amazon affiliate link.
MASTECTOMY BRAS
Unfortunately, with the rise in breast cancer, many women need to have their breasts surgically removed as part of their treatment.
The disfigurement and awkwardness of a mastectomy can quickly play havoc with a woman’s self-esteem and mental health, but it doesn’t have to thanks to the mastectomy bra.
Many beautiful bras are made for breast cancer patients who have had either single or double mastectomy surgery.
There are entire shops dedicated to selling mastectomy bras.
Take a look at what I found on Amazon.
NURSING BRAS
If you’ve ever had a baby, you know the importance of nursing bras. If you intend on nursing even for a few weeks, it’s always good to start wearing a nursing bra early.
Even before the baby arrives.
The ability to remove the front portion of the bra is a must for a busy nursing mother. Who wants to strip down in a mall bathroom when you have to nurse your baby because you wore the wrong bra?
Nursing bras are a must if you want to be comfortable at night as well. The support helps prevent leakage and engorgement as well as convenience.
Take a look at some of the options for nursing bras on Amazon. I wish I would have had comfortable nursing bras like this when I was having babies and raising little ones.
STRAPLESS BRAS
When you have a special occasion like a wedding or grad, you may want to purchase a dress that is strapless or requires a special bra with no back.
Maybe you are wearing a backless mother-of-the-bride dress and you need something to cover the girls and support them so you don’t look inappropriate.
These kinds of bras are called strapless bras and come in all shapes and kinds. You can even buy stick-on strapless bras.
How amazing is that!
Take a peek at this unique strapless, backless, stick-on bra on Amazon. I love it! You can tie it together to create cleavage and it comes in an A cup, all the way to an E cup. This would look great under a backless evening gown on a cruise ship to Alaska. Trust me! Been there, done that!
UNDERWIRE BRAS
Underwire bras are necessary. They support your bust when all else fails, and sometimes that means at the beach.
Bikinis often have underwires because they need to hold everything in place.
Sometimes that means lingerie. Often corsets are made with underwire because it’s necessary to pull it all in.
You may be needing to fit into a form-fitting dress for a special occasion and that means you need support.
I just couldn’t resist posting a great underwire bathing suit. As you age, you might not want to wear a bikini, so this is a great option. Still a supportive underwire bra, but attached to a modest swimsuit. Lovely! I think I’m going to buy this one on Amazon right now!
SPORTS BRAS
Sports bras are one-of-a-kind. Usually, they are minimizing bras because the point of a sports bra is to compact the girls. They need to be minimized for less bounce.
If you work out and your bust bounces around, it can be quite painful and uncomfortable, so sports bras were invented to prevent that.
How cool is that?
The best of the best! Exercise in style and comfort. These sports bras on Amazon come in small sizes as well as large, and go all the way up to 3X Large.
Full Body Girdle
I wanted to add a section for those women young and old who need more than a bra.
For those women who find themselves expanding in areas they don’t like as they age, this is for you. Maybe you’re in menopause like me, and that’s why you’ve come to Crunchy Menopause in the first place.
Maybe you are finding that you have a ‘unibody’ now that you’ve gained weight around your middle during menopause. It is possible to lose it if you follow my method. You can check it out through the following link, Lose Weight During Menopause by Intermittent Fasting.
I feel your pain though. I’ve had a ‘unibody’ and it’s not fun.
I’ve experienced my breasts and belly coming together with no defined shape at all. That sucks!
People tell you to just lose the weight, but sometimes you can’t. Sometimes it takes a long time. What do you do between now and then? What do you do when your the mother-of-the-bride or groom and you have to fit into that dress?
There is hope. You can minimize just like the young postpartum girls do after they have a baby. You wear a girdle.
Take a look at a good one I found on Amazon. It is meant for postpartum women, but can certainly be used for older women as well. It even comes in XXX-Large. It’s perfect!
BRA SHOPS
Below is a list of online bra shops that will help you find the perfect bra. You don’t have to go to a brick and mortar shop just to find your size anymore.
Amazon is a great online store for bras. Join Prime for discounted products and free delivery to do your bra shopping. You’ll get great savings with Prime!
BRA RESOURCES
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Author Kathleen Morris
Kathleen Morris is a successful published author, blogger, and Youtuber. She enjoys writing about things she’s passionate about and making a difference in the world.
Which is the best bra for a pregnant woman?
There isn’t one specific brand that is better in my opinion, but I would generally stick with something soft with multi adjustments. You will want to start wearing it before baby is born so it can adjust to you as you grow, both before and after. Look for something soft and absorbent with 4-way stretch. The one I posted on Amazon is a best seller for a reason. Check it out.