My first bra was in the seventh grade when my mom took me to the Eden Shop- where older ladies - maybe younger then than I am now, poked and prodded and measured and said things like "she sure is blossoming." All totally humiliating for a 12 year old girl. But since then i have become friends with my breasts and the harnesses in which i encase them when i leave the home. In fact I love my boobs. they are symmetrical and soft pale lovely mounds of fat and glandular tissue. perky due to a breast reduction a few years ago and all around quite wonderful to have.
I have always favored underwire bras because I am c/d cup - depending on the maker and here is my current inventory -------------
Seamless Bras:
Cotton: 3 white, 3 pink, 1 Blue, 1 blue patterned, 2 fuschis, 2 grey- if you have ever lived through a southern summer you will understand the desire for cotton bras. Non Cotton: 1 black, 1 white, 1 cream
Lacy Bras:
4 black- lavish with lace, 3 cream, 1 peach, 3 darker beige, 3 red- one has flamed scallops, 1 tan and green ( like a jungle), 1 lavendar, 1 light blue, one blue and black, 1 brown, 1 bright yellow. Sveral of the lacy ones come with matching panties or thongs
Sport bras:
two - I never wear them
IN French I favor Lise Charmel or La Perla, Domestic I like Wacoal. WEaring a great bra that matches or contrasts my outerwear makes me feel great. So where did the need to wear these come from? the hisitory reveals the following:
1914-1918 World War I forces women into the work-force. Many women begin working in factories and wearing uniforms, making the use of daily corset wear a problem.
1917 The U.S. War Industries Board requests women to stop buying corsets to reduce the consumption of metal. Sources say up to 28,000 tons of metal was conserved through this effort - "enough to build two battleships."
1920s The bra gained popularity and began to be used more commonly during the 1920s. This was the era of the "flappers", and the flat-chested boyish look was all the rage. Warner introduces a tight, chest-flattening bra, that was designed to flatten the breasts, rather than support them.
1928 Ida Rosenthal, a Russian immigrant, and her husband William went into business as the Maidenform Company in the 1920's as a protest against the notorious flat-chested flapper girls of the Roaring 20's. Ida is responsible for the creation of bust size categories (cup sizes) and developed bras for every stage of life - puberty to maturity.
Late 1920s By the end of the 1920s corsetry companies began to manufacture brassieres that were boned and stitched into different cup sizes.
1930s It wasn't until the 1930s that shape started to become acceptable again, and the "bra" (a shortened form of the word "brassiere") changed from flattening the breasts, to holding them.
1930s Warner produces the first popular all-elastic bra, which shows off a woman's curves.
1930s It was 1932 before its shape was modified to accentuate the depth of cup. It was greatly improved by the fashion designer, Paul Poiret who even suggested that it be worn next to the skin.
1930s The "sweater-girl" look, portrayed by actress Lana Turner during the 1930s, was the next fashion development, pointed rigid bras that maintained their shape. This was followed by "falsies". These were pads worn inside the bra that were designed to enhance the fullness of the bust. These evolved into the push-up bra, stiffened cups supported by under-wiring.
1935 Warner's creates the cup sizing system (A to D), which becomes the system commonly used by all manufacturers throughout the world.
1941-1945 Common fabric materials (cotton, rubber, silk and steel) are in short supply, so manufacturers turn to synthetic fabrics.
1946 The first bikini swimwear is introduced in Paris.
1950's It was thus that during the 1950s the shape had become most exaggerated. Strapless bras also became popular at this time because of the fashion for off-the-shoulder outfits.
1960's The 1960s saw the women's liberation movement denouncing bras as a symbol of conformity and servitude and encouraging bra burning rallies. The Hippie and free-love movement would see the bra abandoned altogether, resulting in the braless look.
1960's A return to the need for support saw the bra re-emerge after this era. Developments in manufacturing and technology since the 1960s, such as lycra, have seen the materials for bras become increasingly lightweight, durable and elastic.
history
