For generations, women have used various methods to secure and contain their breasts. Binding the breasts with fabric can be traced back over five hundred years, thanks to ancient artwork. Women needed to be able to work, care for their homes, and go about their day without worrying about their chests getting in the way of things, so they improvised. Beyond that, women needed to present their bodies in a way that befitted societal expectations of their time. Using various fabrics and methods to secure them, women simply gathered up their bosom in the best way they could and sallied forth. Fortunately, technology eventually intervened, and today, women can choose from a variety of available styles to suit their needs and tastes. Bras today serve both a practical and an aesthetic function and have evolved from just another piece of clothing to an item that can help a woman express her personal style.
Types of Bras
Bras come in two main types: underwire, and wire-free or soft cup. Most women own bras of both types, for different purposes. There are then several styles of bra that fall under each type.
- Underwire bras provide support through the use of a semi-circle-shaped wire, fitted in a channel in the cup where it sits against the ribcage, just beneath the breast. The presence of the underwire allows for the use of thin, sheer, or other lightweight fabrics, such as lace.
- Push Up bras are meant to shape and lift the breasts, giving the impression of fuller cleavage. These bras typically include padding.
- Convertible bras are those with removable straps that can be detached to make the bra strapless, or that can be connected to the bra in various ways to accommodate different styles of clothing.
- Balconette bras are cut straight across the breast, just above the areola, and can be worn with lower cut tops and dresses. These bras were first popularized by pin-up girls who wore them in the early twentieth century.
- Minimizer bras offer full coverage and are meant to reduce the appearance of cleavage by one or more inches.
- Wire-free or Soft Cup bras do not utilize an underwire and rely on their construction to provide support. For this reason, sturdier fabrics are often used to make soft cup bras, including cotton and cotton blends.
- Bralettes are less structured bras, meant to be worn where the desire for comfort outweighs the need for support.
- Bandeau bras are made of stretchy material and do not have straps. They are meant to be pulled on and provide coverage of the breasts, without much structure.
- Sports Bras are meant to be used to contain the breasts, minimizing jiggle and bounce during exercise or athletics. They are usually very structured and may use several types of fabric in conjunction to achieve their high level of support.
Tips for Proper Bra Fit
Ensuring proper fit is the most important part of purchasing a bra. No matter how supportive or beautiful the garment is, it won't work if it is not properly sized for the wearer. The only way to ensure a proper fit is to measure, and this process is most easily carried out by another person. Most stores that sell bras have trained their staff to fit bras. Barring that, you can ask someone you trust to measure you.
- The person being measured should stand up with both arms extended fully, straight into the air in an upwards direction, while wearing their current bra.
- Using a flexible measuring tape, wrap the tape around the bosom, measuring at the fullest point, and write this number down. This is the bust measurement.
- Use the tape to measure around the person's body at the rib cage, just below the bust where the bra's band will sit. Write this number down, it is the band measurement.
- Add four inches to the underbust to get the band size. If this falls between numbers, round down.
- The difference between the band size and the bust measurement determines the cup size, and the larger this difference, the larger the cup. For example, a one-inch difference means an A cup, whereas a five-inch difference means a D cup.