- Contrary to popular legend, the brassiere was not invented by a man named Otto Titzling. Although women have worn chest-binding garments for exercise at least since the time of the ancient Greeks, the modern bra was invented by a French woman named Herminie Cadolle in 1889. The word brassiere—denoting an upper-body harness with straps—has been in use since at least the seventeenth century. It wasn’t until the 1920s that the term referred to a garment that supports the breasts.
- At Hong Kong’s Polytechnic University, students can major and get a degree in bra studies.
- Sleeping on one’s chest can change the shape of breasts over time, stretching the skin and leading to sagging. Experts recommend that women sleep on their side with their breasts supported by a pillow.
- Wearing a bra to sleep does not lead to breast cancer.
- Breasts contain no muscle tissue, so there’s no exercise that can change their shape. The only way to make breasts look firmer or perkier is to exercise the pectoral muscles underneath the breast tissue.
- Men can lactate, too. It’s exceptionally rare, but since men possess mammary glands just like women do, they have the capacity to produce milk. When male lactation happens, it’s usually because of hormonal treatments for diseases like cancer.
- According to the American Surgeon, up to 6 percent of the population has extra breast tissue, a condition called polymastia. The excess tissue usually exists in the armpit, although in rare cases, extra breasts may also appear on the neck, face, back, buttocks, vulva, thigh, or even foot and may be fully functional for nursing. The development of extra nipples without breasts is a condition called polythelia.
- “Breast ironing” is a practice in Cameroon in which young girls’ developing breasts are beaten and flattened with heavy objects to prevent their emergence. Usually performed by mothers and older female relatives, the procedure is intended to ward off men’s unwanted sexual advances, as well as to prevent early marriage.
- According to lingerie manufacturers, the average American woman’s bra size has increased in the past ten years, from a 34B to a 36C.
