If you’re in possession of a set of breasts, you’ve probably wondered once or twice: who invented bras? And how can I go back in time to stop them from doing such an evil thing? The bra as we know it (and, you know, hate it) acutally came along quite late in the game, and, in fact, there’s a rich and fascinating history to explore when it comes to the creation of the brassiere.

Why do women wear bras , anyway? The main answer is for support—and that has always been the case. The earliest forms of what we call bras were simple (and existed solely for practical reasons) but as changes in society occurred and expectations for women shifted, so too did the form of the brassiere.

These days, more women are going braless or prioritizing comfort by opting for bra alternatives . This means that the bra market is also changing, with more specialized brands popping up to cater to all the unique breast shapes and sizes of the world.

Bras are still continuing to evolve to suit the ever-shifting social landscape which makes it all the more interesting to learn where and how they started out. Come along with me as I sail the historical seas to track down the evolution of the bra!

I’m going to skip ahead a bit to sample the main course of today's meal: who invented bras? If you’re looking for a specific name, Mary Jacob is your girl. Many credit her with the invention of the modern brassiere. The story associated with this invention is one of wardrobe malfunctions and creative quick thinking.

Basically, (circa 1913) Miss Mary was fed up with corsets and when one refused to stay fully concealed under her gown one night, she decided to ditch the thing all together. In its place, she fashioned a brasserie out of handkerchiefs and ribbon. When other women caught wind of this, they became interested in purchasing Mary’s creation and, lo and behold, we have the birth of the bra (not to mention, a girl boss).

That said, Mary’s bra became the most popularized alternative to corsets but it technically wasn’t the first, nor was it a design reminiscent of the bra as we know it now. Mary’s design was a lightweight, single-panel bra. A woman named Marie Tucek patented her version of the bra in 1893 and her design included two separate pockets for each breast, over-the-shoulder straps, and a hook and eye closure at the back. Sound familiar? It looks like Miss Tucek is more responsible for all these crimes against women.

Jokes aside, the bottom line is that it’s difficult to say exactly who invented the bra because there have been so many different versions of it throughout history. On that note, let’s shift gears to another question that will allow us a broader perspective: when was the bra invented?

To put it simply, the invention of the bra, as we know it (complete with torturous underwire and padding), didn’t come about until the 20th century. However, garments for supporting and containing breasts have been around for much longer than that. Let’s take a look at different forms of the bra throughout the centuries!

As I mentioned, bras first popped onto the scene as a result of practical necessity so it’s no wonder that the first mentions of the bra can be traced back to female athletes of ancient Crete.

This garment was known as a mastoeides and it was worn wrapped around the ribs and under (not over) the breasts for support. So this was technically more of an underbust band that left the breast and nipple exposed yet offered lift and support to women engaging in sports.

Speaking as someone more full busted , this contraption sounds like a nightmare to wear, let alone do any kind of physical activity in, but I suppose we had to start somewhere!

For a long time, it was believed that women in medieval times went braless under their dresses. While this may still be true, a 2008 discovery of a vault in Lengberg Castle (built circa 12th century in Austria) revealed that women did use some form of breast support in those times.

First reported in 2012 by BBC History , the brassieres found in the Lenberg vault were referred to as “breast bags” based on references from historical correspondences. These breast bags sometimes resembled the modern bra with two separate pockets and shoulder straps but they were often sown directly into dresses. They also had a strap that could be tightened to provide support and lift the breasts.

There’s no evidence as to whether this undergarment was worn by all women on every occasion but the examples found in the Lenberg vault suggest that bras, as we know them, were around even before the corset.

The corset is decidedly the most well-known of historical undergarments for women. Corsets have been notoriously referred to by many actresses of period films as “torture devices” but the reality is that corsets were highly technical and painstakingly designed garments . They were made to fit and accentuate the human (female) shape and, save for the extremely rigid waist-cinching creations of the Victorian times, were not all that uncomfortable.

Corsets were popular from the 16th century up until the start of the 20th century, and their design changed as the desired silhouette of the times changed, but the main idea of a corset remained the same. Their function was always to highlight the waist and contain or lift the breasts.

Corsets became (almost) obsolete around the time of World War I due to material shortages. While early corsets were structured using whale bone, later corsets were made using metal which was a necessary resource during the war. In addition to that, as women were joining the workforce to aid war efforts, they began to require more comfort and range of motion which corsets did not offer. This led to the development of bra styles that more closely resemble what we wear today.

Now that we’ve gotten past the corset era, this is where things start to get a little more familiar. The 20th century was a very big time for the brassiere. Griddles and corsets were still in use around the 1910s but the women’s liberation movement changed all of that with the creation of more practical bra styles.

Here are some of the most significant bra styles to hit the market in the 20th century:

Flapper Bra: When material shortages halted the production of corsets, women turned to bandeau-style bras. This style of bra was meant to create a more androgynous figure by flattening the breasts and creating a uni-boob look. Lifting, shaping, and emphasizing the breasts was not the goal in the rebellious times of the 1920s!

• Maidenform Bra: In the late 1920s, Russian immigrant Ida Rosenthal created the Maidenform bra to improve the fit of the dresses she sold in her shop. This bra was designed to support and flatter breasts rather than flatten them and it became so popular that it grew into a venture separate from Ida’s dress shop and became the largest bra manufacturer in the world. 

• Padded Bra: In 1946, Frederick Mellinger established his lingerie brand called Frederick’s Hollywood, with the intention of making women’s undergarments sexier. A man did that? I’m shocked (not)! Needless to say, it’s not all that surprising that he’s responsible for the creation of the push-up bra and padded bras, in general. 

• Bullet Bra: Bullet bras were invented in the 1940s but became popular in the 1950s as a symbol of rejection of traditional expectations for women. They were often worn under tight-fitting clothing to accentuate the exaggerated shape of the bra and to show off the breasts. The women who rocked this look were referred to as  sweater girls.

  
  

• Sports Bra: Even though some of the first bras ever made were used to support women during sports, the creation of an actual sports bra didn’t come about until 1977. Three friends came up with the idea when one of their husbands was following around with his jockstrap, wearing it on his chest like a bra. The women took the silly moment as inspiration to make a bra that would support women’s breasts during physical activities. They called it the  Jogbra  and sold it to Playtex in the 1990s which is when it became more popular. 

   

As I’ve suggested with my tone in this post, I am not a huge fan of bras and I know many women share that sentiment. The underwire bra vs no underwire debate has been going strong this decade since many women started ditching the bra during quarantine.

As far as bra styles go, the bralette has taken center stage in recent times. What is a bralette? It’s an unlined bra with no underwire. Bralettes come in many different styles and usually offer medium to low support for the girls but many women swear by them for their comfort.

The top things women look for in a bra these days are:

• Comfort: Mainstream bra companies of the past few decades can easily be defined as being fueled by the male gaze. That’s not to say that wearing lacey, padded bras designed to make your titties pop can’t be empowering. It’s your choice. And that’s the point. When the choice comes down to women and not societal expectations, most women choose comfort. 

• Sustainability: What can I say? Modern girlies love the planet and so does your body. Wearing bras made out of natural fabrics allows your girls to breathe and prevents things like skin irritation and  boob sweat . Hemp fabric and organic cotton are two of the best choices for sustainable, quality bras. 

• Durability: I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to shell out some big bucks on a bra, that thing better be my ride-or-die. Hemp fabric is the strongest fabric made of natural fibers so you can hit the sustainability and durability quotas in one go with one of WAMA’s  hemp bras . 

   

To make this info dump a little easier to swallow, here’s a timeline of the history of bras, from the strange and exposing mastoeides to the universally loved bralette!

1. Who invented bras? 

The creation of the bra is often credited to Mary Jacob but other bra patents existed before she started selling her own product and coined the term “brasserie.”

2. When was the first bra created?

The first bras can be traced back to ancient civilizations, specifically the Minoans of Crete, but they are much different from the bras we know today. The first modern bras started popping up in the late 19th/ early 20th centuries.

3. Why are bras so uncomfortable?

Every woman has asked the question “ Why are bras so uncomfortable ?” once or twice. The culprit is usually underwire and the generally restrictive and compressive designs of modern bras. Thankfully, there are many solutions to uncomfy bras like opting for bralettes and sports bras!

The questions “Who invented bras?” and “When were bras invented?” are not simply answered with one name and date. The truth is that bras have been around for ages in many different iterations and each one has been a stepping stone for bras as they are today.