Of all the plus size womens clothing, the plus size bra is one of my favorite subjects. The history of the bra, the strapless bra, the sports bra, the nursing bra, the maternity bra (they are two different items) and the push up bra.

Every woman knows the best depression cure is to go shopping , and what better item to shop at a store or online for than new lingerie? And guys, a sexy new bra is the perfect birthday present idea, when some of us women are reminiscing in the mirror, remembering what we looked like before we had kids. A new bra tells a girl that she's still got it, and that you want to see it. But how did this article of clothing come to be?

Bra History

Let's take a journey through the history of the brassiere, find out where the full figure stores have their yearly shows, and give thanks that the bra has come so far.

The bra is the best and probably was the first womens apparel accessory. In order to have the clothes fit right, the perfect waist and posture was needed, and women throughout the ages have relied on underwear as the accessory to their dresses. The first bras were actually corsets, and can be traced back to 2000 BC. It was open at the front to the waist, leaving the breasts uncovered. Small strips of leather round the waist were used to curve round the outline of the breasts

The most popular bras of the time were probably from even earlier. In 2500 B.C., warrior women on the isle of Crete began wearing a bra-resembling garment, which pushed their breasts forward and upward to look more fierce! What better  personal security product could there have been at the time than a club held by a big warrior woman! After all, there were no pepper spray canisters or shotguns in those days!)

Now let's jump ahead a few years in the 13th century, women were wearing short bodices that flattened the breasts. This left little room, and often women fainted from the pressure of the corset against their chests, in fact constricting the lungs! The purpose was to draw the eye away from the breasts.

In the 1550's women subjected themselves to the torture of whalebone and steel rod corsets. It could reduce the waist to less than ten inches, permanently altering the waist size. The corset then became dominant undergarment (in various designs) of support and restraint for the next 350 years.

Can you imagine? Now look how far we've come, our collective personal growth as women through the centuries. The sport bra has become our most constricting design for the bra nowadays. Today, there are sexy bra and panty fashion shows across the world, each year showing less and less material. Victoria's Secret has shows in New York, New York, and Maui Hawaii every couple of years, and recently (it's about time) have added a great line of plus size bras (and models) to their line-up.