Bracks have long become an integral part of the female wardrobe, and perform a very specific and useful function - they support and raise their chest, and also visually increase its size. The usual name for us comes from the German words Buste (“chest”) and Halter (holder), and the synonym for the “bodice” and its diminutive “bra” - from the Dutch word Lijf (“corps”). Fashion for bras (bras) began at the end of the 19th century, although they were invented much earlier.
Brander history
The first references to the “ribbons tightening the breasts” are found in the Egyptian chronicles of the VI century BC. They cannot literally be called bras, but the purpose of these wardrobe items is identical - maintaining the female bust. It is noteworthy that only representatives of rich classes wore breasting in ancient Egypt, and for commoners they were unavailable.
This wardrobe element has become massive in the era of antiquity - until the 5th century AD. In ancient Greece, it was called Apodemce, Cestus, Cingulum and Strophium, which indicates a wide variety of breast ribbons. How exactly they looked - it is not known for certain, and it is possible to judge this only by the surviving engravings, where the “stropions” are depicted very conditionally.
In turn, the ancient Romans divided the chest dressings into Fascia (for young girls) and mamillare (for mature women). To maintain breasts from below, Strophium, Capitium and Toenia dressings were also used. They are depicted on many ancient Roman frescoes that have survived to the present day. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the bra was forgotten for a long time, and in the Middle Ages was replaced by heavy corsets with metal inserts.
Modern archaeological studies prove that the bra (in the form that exists today) was used in Austria at the end of the Middle Ages - in the 15th century. But it became a mass phenomenon in Europe only at the end of the 19th century - after the abolition of corsets in Germany. The suhnoists from all over Europe followed the example of the nonsense, and already in 1889 he was officially presented at the exhibition Erminie Cadolle (Herminie Cadolle) the first “anti -Paul” of a heavy and uncomfortable corset - an easy bra with satin ribbons.
Thus, we can say that the bra was “invented” several times. At first - ancient Egyptians and Greeks, and then by the Austrians and Germans. In 1903, the world's first “medical” bra (French doctor Gosh Saro) was created, in 1935-an bodice that increases the volume of the chest (due to sewn cups), and in 1992-raising it (the so-called “miracle-lifter »Wonderbra).
Today, new varieties of bras are equipped with smart technologies. For example, they change color during ovulation, or measure pressure and heart pulse. There are models that can be “inflated” by pressing the button, and there are bras that raise sound alarm during the attack.
Interesting facts
taking into account the fact that bras in an almost unchanged form have existed for more than five centuries (and if you take into account the breasts, then more than 25 centuries), a lot of legends and interesting facts have accumulated around this item of a female wardrobe. Taking into account the modern historical period (since 2000), it is worth mentioning that:
- The most common size of bras in the world is 36c, or the so -called "third" size.
- The largest busts in the world according to statistics are American women, and the smallest are Japanese.
- In Japan, bras are produced not only for women, but also for men. This is due to the fact that the breast muscles without training can sag, and need additional support.
- The world's largest bra was made in the UK in 2012. Its size on the generally accepted scale was 1360b, which approximately corresponds to two tennis courts.
- In 2017, Mexico was invented by an “smart” EVA bra, capable of diagnosing breast cancer in the early stages - with the help of 200 built -in sensors.
- In 1999, bras caused the death of two women in London. A lightning hit next to them during a thunderstorm, and the metal wire in the bras worked as a conductive element.
Even taking into account the last sad fact, female bodily were and remain one of the most common wardrobe items. They are used at all ages, supporting the chest, protecting it from sagging or visually increasing volume. If earlier these products were standard and the same, today their assortment cannot be counted. A variety of models are presented on sale, starting with budgetary bodies of the mass segment, and ending with unique bras, inlaid diamonds, and equipped with smart sensors and sensors.
