Frederic P Miller

Brassiere Frederic P Miller

Publisher Marketing: Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. A brassiere is an article of clothing that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts. Since the late 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.