Medieval "Lingerie" From 15th Century Castle Could Rewrite Fashion History 177
fangmcgee writes "Archaeologists have unearthed several 500-year-old bras that some experts say could rewrite fashion history. While they'll hardly send pulses racing by today's standards, the lace-and-linen underpinnings predate the invention of the modern brassiere by hundreds of years. Found hidden under the floorboards of Lengberg Castle in Austria's East Tyrol, along with some 2,700 textile fragments and one completely preserved pair of (presumably male) linen underpants, the four intact bras and two fragmented specimens are thought to date to the 15th century, a hypothesis scientists later confirmed through carbon-dating."
Re:Why bras? (Score:5, Informative)
comfort maybe? The larger the breasts, the heavier they are and the more support is needed.
Your comment reveals your still a youth as more senior slashdotters are well aware of the long term effects of gravity on the female breast, they are not so perky any more.
but anyway bra's make a woman look more attractive , especially the ones where you get the opportunity to remove the bra.
Re:Why bras? (Score:5, Informative)
I suspect you won't actually care for an answer, but it's for both practical and aesthetic reasons.
My breasts would not be considered "big" by most people's standards, but they still move enough to make running without a bra very uncomfortable. Being braless is a hindrance to free, impulsive movement for me.
If that weren't reason enough, my natural breast shape is not considered fashionable in this decade (or since sometimes in the 50s, I reckon). Also, since almost no one has their daily streetclothes personally tailored to them these days, a bra is often necessary to make one's silhouette fit the cut of modern off-the-rack clothes.
Not only, but also (Score:4, Informative)
Why am I being a pedant? It narks me, very slightly, that the GPP post is off-topic and gets modded +5, while on-topic posts are ignored. Come on guys, I know this is Slashdot, but have you really never seen a bra before?
Re:Why bras? (Score:2, Informative)
>Your comment reveals your still a youth as more senior slashdotters are well aware of the long term effects of gravity on the female breast, they are not so perky any more.
There have been several studies that suggested the opposite. The theory being that since Breasts contain almost no muscle, what holds them up is the ligaments in the chest. The bra moves the pressure to the shoulder muscles, which makes those ligaments weaken - so in fact wearing bras INCREASE sagging.
Re:Why bras? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Why bras? (Score:4, Informative)
>I guess that's why african women who never wear bras have their breasts almost touching their vaginas.
Actually that's pretty much a myth. The saggy-boobs on African woman is actually caused by malnutrition. There's no observable sagging in healthy women.
I actually LIVE in Africa, I see African tits every day of my life.
Re:Not only, but also (Score:3, Informative)
Come on guys, I know this is Slashdot, but have you really never seen a bra before?
To quote admiral Ackbar: "It's a trap!" Be careful before you answer, because mentioning your private collection of Victoria's not so secret catalog, will result in even less people willing to shake your hand.
Fewer. Sorry, pet peeve. Fewer of a distinct number, less of an homogenous mass.
Re:Why bras? (Score:4, Informative)
This is not actually true - the shape of one's breasts is far more closely related to genetics, nutrition, and number of children nursed. Especially nutrition - most of the effects of nursing are due to borderline nutritional quality during lactation. If all of your protein is going to making milk instead of maintaining your mammary ligaments your breasts will sag.
So you have birth control pills and improved farming practices to thank for perky breasts.