A brassiere is an article of clothing that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts. Since the early 19th century, it has replaced the corset as the most widely accepted method for supporting a woman's breasts.
Women wear bras for a variety of purposes, for support, to improve the shape of the breast, to preserve modesty by minimizing or restraining them, to enhance their cleavage, to minimize movement during exercise, to facilitate nursing, or to enlarge the perceived breast size. Most bras are designed to lift the breasts off the chest wall if they sag and to restrain them from movement. Some bra designers strive to produce a garment that is not only practical but attractive.
Some women and members of the medical community question the default assumption common to Western society that all women should wear a bra, and a slowly increasing percentage of women prefer to not wear a bra on a regular basis. The bra has become a feminine icon or symbol charged with political and cultural meanings that overlay its practical purpose. Some feminists consider the brassiere a symbol of the repression of women's bodies. Historically, when a young girl gets her first bra, it may be symbolic of her coming of age.
Construction and fit
A brassiere usually consists of two cups for breasts, a centre panel (gore), a band running around the torso under the bust, and shoulder straps. Some bras are strapless. Bras are typically made of a fabric such as cotton or polyester. Spandex and lace may also be used for various parts of the bra. The cups may be supported by underwires made of metal and sometimes coated in plastic. Strapless bras typically rely on support using underwires. Bras without underwires rely on support provided by the band under the bust. These bras are sometimes referred to as softcup bras.
The bra is usually fastened with a hook fastener on the band, typically at the back. In some bras the fastener is in the front, between the cups. Others are pulled on over the head and have no fasteners.
Some bras contain padding, designed to increase comfort and to conceal the nipples through the material. Breast pads, commonly known as "falsies," "cookies" or "chicken fillets," are also sometimes used inside the cups to create the illusion of a larger breast size. Push-up bras are designed to enhance cleavage and use padding and the cut of the pattern to achieve this effect.
Women wear bras for a variety of purposes, for support, to improve the shape of the breast, to preserve modesty by minimizing or restraining them, to enhance their cleavage, to minimize movement during exercise, to facilitate nursing, or to enlarge the perceived breast size. Most bras are designed to lift the breasts off the chest wall if they sag and to restrain them from movement. Some bra designers strive to produce a garment that is not only practical but attractive.
Some women and members of the medical community question the default assumption common to Western society that all women should wear a bra, and a slowly increasing percentage of women prefer to not wear a bra on a regular basis. The bra has become a feminine icon or symbol charged with political and cultural meanings that overlay its practical purpose. Some feminists consider the brassiere a symbol of the repression of women's bodies. Historically, when a young girl gets her first bra, it may be symbolic of her coming of age.
Construction and fit
A brassiere usually consists of two cups for breasts, a centre panel (gore), a band running around the torso under the bust, and shoulder straps. Some bras are strapless. Bras are typically made of a fabric such as cotton or polyester. Spandex and lace may also be used for various parts of the bra. The cups may be supported by underwires made of metal and sometimes coated in plastic. Strapless bras typically rely on support using underwires. Bras without underwires rely on support provided by the band under the bust. These bras are sometimes referred to as softcup bras.
The bra is usually fastened with a hook fastener on the band, typically at the back. In some bras the fastener is in the front, between the cups. Others are pulled on over the head and have no fasteners.
Some bras contain padding, designed to increase comfort and to conceal the nipples through the material. Breast pads, commonly known as "falsies," "cookies" or "chicken fillets," are also sometimes used inside the cups to create the illusion of a larger breast size. Push-up bras are designed to enhance cleavage and use padding and the cut of the pattern to achieve this effect.
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