Who invented the bra?

In this article we will talk about an important wardrobe detail for every woman - the bra. It appeared in ancient times, and in the process of evolution of its form acquired the form with which we are familiar now. The history of its transformation goes back more than two thousand years. Read more about this.

The history of the bra

Women of ancient civilization wore strips of fabric or leather that slightly supported the breasts from below and tightened them. They did it because the female figure had to look slender, rounded shapes were not in fashion. At that time, there was a cult of women with small breasts. Remember the ancient statues - Venus de Milo, Nike of Samothrace - the standard of beauty was moderation in everything.

Now girls with bra sizes 1–2 are attacking plastic surgery clinics, increasing their bust to incredible sizes, and Greek and Egyptian women in ancient times pulled it tighter in order to look slender like a boy.

The bandages that were wrapped around the bust performed different functions. Depending on this, various options were used:

• the fascia served as a limiter on the formation of a young girl’s breasts;
• the mamillary pulled down the heavy bust of a mature woman;
• the stanza served to support it from below;
• Kapitiya and teniya made the figure slimmer.

Important! An interesting fact: in ancient civilizations, a large bust was considered a sign of a girl’s low birth. Such breasts were “forgiven” only to commoners. All other women sought to reduce their shape.

Who invented it?

It is not known for certain who invented all these “devices” for hiding breasts. Obviously, they differed in size, material or some other details, otherwise they would not have been called differently.

In the destroyed Pompeii, on frescoes, archaeologists discovered images of women with similar bandages for the bust. In one of the villas in Sicily there is a fresco depicting girls doing gymnastic exercises in costumes that would now be called underwear - panties and breastbands.

On an ancient Roman amphora of the 5th century BC. e. A mosaic depicting the dressing of the goddess Aphrodite has been preserved. Mythical flying creatures help her put on the strophy.

The ensuing dark Middle Ages dictated its own laws. Women were no longer free, like the Romans or Egyptians. The bra, even in its primitive antique form, was no longer worn. Instead, they began to wear a heavy corset, which had a metal horizontal line to raise the bust.

The Spaniards who dictated fashion generally preferred to see the female figure almost flat. Girls were forced to wear lead corsets from an early age, as a result of which breasts did not develop.

What were ancient bras like?

In the 21st century, in one of the castles in Austria, archaeologists discovered a curious thing - the oldest of all surviving bras. Experts date its production to the middle of the 15th century. But, despite such a considerable age, in the decayed copy one can discern a fairly modern cut, little distinguishable from the models worn in the 20th century.

When did the world's first model appear?

The year 1889 can rightfully be considered revolutionary in the history of the bra. In Paris, at the World Exhibition - and in those days it was a grandiose event - the first model was presented that vaguely resembled a modern bra. A revolution could be considered a call to abandon uncomfortable corsets in favor of “le Bien-Etre” (translated as “well-being”), invented by the Frenchwoman Hermine Cadol.

The event did not go unnoticed. Two years later, the enterprising German Hugo Schindler presented his model, and in 1899, the German seamstress Christina Hardt received a patent for sewing these products.

Introduced by the Frenchwoman Cadol, the bra consisted of two textile cups with straps. The cones were connected in the middle with a ribbon and attached to the back of the corset. But 10 years later it is already a patented “women’s sweatshirt”, where reinforced breast cups are held on by straps. Now the French consider the bra to be their invention, and the Germans are confident in their authorship.

One way or another, such a long designation could not be used as a name. What is the correct name for this piece of clothing in Russian?

Bustie, bra, bra? We call it correctly

The term “bustenhalter” comes from the German language - bust (chest) + halter (hold). Bra is a Russified, assimilated form of a foreign phrase that conveys the essence of the subject. The Russian people, as a big fan of abbreviating words and attaching diminutive suffixes to them, remade the long German word into an understandable, short and gentle one - bust.

A bra means the same thing, but it's completely wrong. The bodice is the top part of the dress from the shoulder to the waist. A bra is a piece of clothing in the form of a vest with a back clasp, to which children attached stockings until tights were invented.

Important! The most correct term is bra, the other two are just colloquial options. Perhaps the word “bra,” which has changed its meaning, will one day be recognized as a literary norm, but not yet.

How has its shape changed over time?

Before the bra acquired the form familiar to us, it traveled a century-long journey:

• American Mary Phelps Jacob in 1914, with a complete rejection of corset models, patented a “backless bra” formed by two scarves and a ribbon;
• Ida Rosenthal in America in the 20s organized the production of models that already varied in size and also had straps made of elastic material. A model with a detachable top for a nursing mother has also been developed;
• In the 50s of the last century, attractive curvy shapes came into fashion. This contributed to the emergence of a bra with internal liners to increase breast volume - a prototype of the push-up;
• in the 90s, the Wonderbra model was invented, which lifts the breasts, and therefore is still very popular among the female half of humanity.