Bras are bad, debunking the killer bra myth with structural engineering.

Burn your bra ! (credit cards accepted)

So Honeys, here we go, wearing bras is unnecessary. Let's burn them, destroy all bra factories and let them all hang loose. And get a big deal of self-promotion in the process.

Even doctors support this theory. Which is kind of normal, doctors are not structural engineers. Just saying,

Prevailing opinion is that compression exerted by bras is noxious for lymphatic circulation and all bad things that can happen will. So let it all hang loose.

That far their understanding of structural engineering goes. Compression, the most evident of all constraints.

Reality has other things nice such as extension, shear moment, dynamic efforts. To start with.

Take an elastic band, stretch it, it falls back to shape. Good. Let it stretched a few hours, surprise...

It won't go back to it's previous shape. Do the same experiment with a high quality steel spring, it will revert to shape.

Compress it for even longer, like years, and surprise again, it won't go back exactly where it was.

Transition from elastic (recoverable) to plastic (permanent) deformation is not that easy or intuitive. Stressed materials "creep", that's why sometimes bolts come loose even on static displays.

Shear is another terribly interesting and often poorly understood phenomenon. Exactly how scissors work. Take my words for it, the maths behind are darn complex indeed. And the stress endured by the materials huge to the point of breaking their structure despite the moderate effort applied on the scissors.

Inertia dynamic forces arise whenever there's movement. Those can be huge, envision a full blown train wreck. Dynamic forces are nasty, often repetitive and very energetic.

They  can beat the crap out of any structure and lead to insidious material fatigue.

Start bending a paper clip. It will bend that many times before snapping at once.

Traction might seem apparently easy to understand. I mean, pull it that much, it breaks.

Really ? Get a tube and start puling on it. It will break but, unless the material is too brittle, it will also extend in the process.

And that extension will lead to a decrease of the cross-section available for fluids to travel.

Pulling on a somehow elastic tube without reaching it's breaking point will result in a longer element with thinner less resistant walls and dramatically reduced cross-section.

Now combine pulling and bending and voila, the tube walls suddenly collapse leading to an obstruction. How cool is that ? Well, not that much in reality. A failure occurs often shortly after as contained fluids fail to circulate where they're needed.

Ready for one last experience ? Plastic bags, top quality industrial grade duct tape, several pounds of jell-o cake. Some assembly required.

Breast Implants, bags of Jell-O !

Tape the bags on your chest as if they were boobs. Exactly. Only on their periphery without crossing over with tape as a bra would do.

Then fill 4 pounds or so of jell-o in each and seal the contraption.

Precarious? Now, move, jump around. Feels funny and not very secure as all effects, material fatigue inclusive, start to overcome the otherwise robust bonding ducttape.

Voila, a zero complexity approach to what happens in unsupported breasts.

Shake it till you break it.

Their containing skin distends and whatever's inside is deeply shaken in a realistic attempt to blend the contents to an uniform mess.

Credentials: "E" cup breasts and

structural engineering.

My department. I am a genetic male who managed to grow sizable boobs. A Sissy.

With another secret. Yep, happens I know the effects of forces and resulting constraints on a first name basis.

A privileged position to observe and analyze how different types of bras work.

So why should you read any further instead joining the bra burning crowd ? After all, I'm just an engineer and not a medical doctor. Right. Not a doctor. Read that twice. However...

Bras are structures !

Doctors don't build bridges, cars, sky scrappers, planes. We, the engineers do. So chances are we know a thing or three on masses, constraints, deformation, material fatigue, dynamics, gravity, bending and other incredibly complex and weird effects of forces.

Realities of a physical world, including boobs.

The horrible molded cups contraptions assume that boobs are spheres. And force anything they can into that shape.

Molded cups T-Shirt bra. Horrible !

Their support is mostly of the compressive type.

Whatever does not conform will be jammed into the mold even at the cost of bending vessels or compressively reducing their cross-section.

Sadly enough, the only type of bras 95% of today boob owners know. What a shame.

Cheaply mass-produced mostly by press-forming flat sheets of synthetic foam, here.

This bra is a devious glamour killer with serious options on your boobs well-being. Look ma, no nipples !

Padding adds further compression in the battle of foam against breasts.

Minimizer and sports bras, a.k.a. tit-anihilators.

Exclusively severe compression here. You are not entitled to have boobs, quit trying, it's all locked up under control.

Portable bondage anyone ?

Cheaper alternative, band it all tightly with duct tape.

Understandably necessary for those very specific moments when boobage display is prohibited or excessive potentially damaging shaking can occur.

Happens I wear them when I need to conceal my "girls".

Ok I admit without a fight that some rather appealing models might exist. Granted.

However the contrast of switching from one of them to a more appropriate for breast emancipation bra is so rewarding.

Engineered underwired shelves / balconettes.

Quite some engineering indeed !

You recognize those by their "torpedo", or rather "pointy" sheer cups. No spheres here.

Cups are made by the intersection of two elliptical cones so that the lower part provides mostly vertical support with very little inwards compression while the upper part helps gravity to uniformly distribute breast tissues.

If you think that this is a rather complex shape, then keep in mind that "3 panel cups" also involve ellipsoids.

The result is rather amazing. Breast tissues are uplifted in a very comfortable manner and compression reduced to minimum.

This however also results in prohibitive for today standards production costs, require good fitting and produce a rather "pointy" silhouette.

Which is exactly what the proponents of higher profit margins "one size fits most" style bras pick on relentlessly. Declaring the pointy form corny, grand-motherly or has-been.

Most modern women do not have even the slightest idea of how a properly designed mechanically correct bra feels and looks and spend hard earned cash on noxious inferior to all standards contraptions.

Structured engineered coverage.

Supreme comfort of engineered structured support. 

Comfortable support created from flat panels of fabric require complex geometry. Best embodied by the classic "3 panels" design softcup models.

Excellent support, superior shaping and moderate compression are the major features of this approach.

Strategically located stitches direct the pattern of forces to a mostly vertical component anchored at the base, the sturdy chest-band.

Large side-panels add further support to counterpart the forwards momentum by directing it's reaction towards the back of the bra.

Production precision of +/- 1 mm !

Mechanically correct support can be also achieved with two-panel cups and proper transfer of forces to the chest band and side panels. This is the fundamental secret of the famous Playtex models which combine low parts count and superior comfortable support.

Subsequent copy attempts revealed the necessity for  very high manufacturing precision, typically two millimeters.

Which is why these were phased out for production cost reasons in favor of less intrinsic quality demanding models. Such a shame.

Even more so when one considers the requirement of heavier breasts.

Full forward emancipation, zero compression !

Note the almost horizontal lower cup section.

Weight does not result in inwards compression.

Breasts are free to emancipate and achieve projection without constraints. Now that's healthy !

Such bras often figure a "chassis", sort of sling that provides purely vertical support at the base of the breasts, a.k.a. IMF, "the bend" where severe shearing forces would otherwise induce devious material (boobs skin !)  destructive constraints.

Masses are guided essentially forwards, standing on a "ledge" suspended laterally on large side panels and vertically on solid straps.

An admirable structural engineering challenge indeed.

Avoiding compression and creeping of breast tissues towards the armpits is a long standing sign of proper construction. Cups acting as "slings" with mostly vertical force components require complex cutting, precise assembly and good fitting.

What lingerie industry has mostly decided to discard in favor of cheaper and more "misfit-tolerant" models.

Underwires: Sign of quality support of mark of the beast ?

Both exist.

Mechanically correct use of underwires is a delicate topic. In a few words, you get what you pay for.

Sublime vintage engineered underwired sling bra.

Elaborate structured models combining sling and underwires can do wonders for proper force distribution. Sadly most of them have vanished from the shops...

Ideally underwires serve the purpose to distribute uplifting force while allowing to position straps further apart.

However modern bras use their rigidity to anchor cups to the chest and generate potentially projection killer inward forces.

Press-formed cheaply mass produced models are the worst illustration of such purpose hijacking.

Logically, sling bras are coming back.

Few and far apart, mechanically correct underwired bras are still possible to get. Those will often disguise the sling portion under the fabric of the cups for a smoother line.

Sheer cups underwired models can be found in a huge variety of cup patterns. Ranging from the horrible "minimizer" tit-splashers to more mechanically correct projection designs.

A properly designed and sized bra will position the underwire exactly under the bust, right in the "bend" without plays and gaps.

Superb structural engineering at work !

Only then will the magic of structured engineering happen and reveal it's full extend. A magnificent uplifting comfort from a safe and pleasant to move in item.

Most underwire complaints originate from poorly engineered, crafted and sized undergarments.

In addition, from lurking here and there, I came to the conclusion that 80 - 90% of bras, specifically underwired models are worn in potentially damaging for breast tissues ways.

Consider this illustration on the left, specifically the lower portion of breasts, the "bend", area where skin departs from the chest to form the breasts.

A full blown train wreck from the engineering point of view.

Wild party of constraints under the presidency of the most evil of them all, the shear momentum.

Skin has certainly unique properties we would so much like to have in airframes because, it's about the only material that can survive years of such abuse.

Until it finally gives up. Rash, distension, painful irritations, sagging breasts, restricted blood irrigation. Not that nice after all.

The illustration on the right is, from this perspective, an accident in the making. Almost pure resulting from compression shear momentum.

That wont take long to rip the skin, delaminate it from the chest and result in the already described junket of evil force patterns.

Those very unfavorable cases have one thing in common: -The absence of forwards projection that would allow the bra to sit where it can perform uplift without dominating compressive forces.

Check your situation right now.

Risks are that at this very same moment you are actually wearing an inappropriate for your size and shape bra.

No Bra or Which Bra ?

Unsupported breasts

act as blenders.

Unsupported breasts are very similar to blenders.

Daily activities induce a full set of dynamic constraints in both contents and containing skin.

A situation potentially so damaging that engineers avoid it in their structural designs.

Yes, flexibility and elasticity is inherent to all structures. All within their tolerance limits.

Meanwhile you'll never see an aircraft or ship jerking and deflecting in normal operation as unsupported breasts do. No material would stand the challenge.

The mechanically correct answer is quite straight-forward. Boobs need support because they natively lack necessary hardware to cope with their suspended masses.

Projection, comfortable in the long run !

Those masses are yours, part of your body, contained within your skin. Their only mechanically correct position is full forward mostly supported from downward.

And they need the help of external structures to get and stay there.

This will be the case for as long as we can not suppress gravity or accelerations. Not happening any time soon.

What are the possible solutions ?

Projection elimination bras are the only type 90% of breast owners know.

Avoid what does not work to start with. Exit compressive support bras.

The logic behind is quite simple. Compression works against projection and the strongest one, usually the bra wins.

Bullet bras are surprisingly

comfortable !

Not to a surprise, about anyone with breasts trying a well fitted and adjusted "old school" bullet-bra is overwhelmingly surprised by how comfortable it really is.

Instant relief, no oppressive feelings, pinching, rubbing. Exactly what it takes for a glorious day, nipple freedom inclusive.

Feelings most women will alas never know, such is the social pressure on happy peppy breasts.

Offending ? For whom ?

What are the origins of today's breast shaming society ?

Answering this question could open an entire Pandora box of politically correct beliefs that somehow made their way in our society and dress codes.

Meanwhile bullet bras went into action in a relatively puritan period, when topless beaches were in the realm of gated private clubs and top-10 music clips looked like this:

Today pointy bustlines are most often judged provocative or indecent. Go figure.

Granted, boarding a sub-compact hybrid drive requires fine knowledge of  petticoat management but they haven't come yet with cars uncomfortable enough to prohibit breast projection.

Yes, daily wear bullet bra.

Quality suitable for daily use bullet bras are still available, almost exclusively sold on interweb. Sizing and proper fit play a cardinal role, check the return policy and ask for help before ordering.

Their front portion contains almost no elastic materials, side panels are wide and straps have little give.

The trick is that all elasticity is provided by a specific portion of the back band.

As with any bra, a good fit will be tight on the chest band, bottom of the cups firmly anchored at the breast "bend", cups large enough, limit of "floating". Such fit, once straps are pulled just tight feels light, heavenly and induces a rewarding high self-confidence factor.

Further bonus, inverted or shy nipples are most often cured within months by projection enhancement pointy cups.

One last myth, bullet bras are not padded and should never be. Padding would void their main advantage by filling the cups and compressing the breasts inwards.

Sophisticated engineering, sling and

structural enhancements Torpedo bra.

Further down the projection enhancement line, less exuberant "torpedo" bras offer a very mechanically correct support with less obvious "pointy" visibility.

Sheer cups, excellent sturdy chest band, precision construction and overall structural engineering, this softcup bra looks like underwired. Surprise ! It's purely softcup.

An excellent example of how structural seems successfully achieve sophisticated projection support.

Good to know, this is an actual daily wear Elila catalog item available in a vast variety of sizes and not an unique vintage find.

Nursing bras, an interesting alternative.

Nursing bras incorporate almost always a sling and, even the press-formed seamless cups models, try to enhance forwards bust projection.

An interesting and far more accessible alternative for comfortable support with extra perks.

Open cups allow to scoop breast tissues and precisely position the chest band where it belongs.

Needless to say, perfect bed-time items able to provide both support and quick access.

Good models will have deep cups, firm frame, avoid elasticized cotton blends and other skimpy materials.

Wide side panels and large (3 hooks of more) backs enhance the overall feeling of comfort and self esteem. They are solid, well build and last surprisingly long.

Mechanically correct underwire bras exist, all it takes is to find the one that works the best for each case.

Structural engineering and

underwires, the best of

two worlds ! 

Their common characteristics include rather pointy, reminiscent of bullet style cups, very firm hardware all over, large under-arms and back bands.

Deep cups that don't force breast tissues under the armpits, rather heavy fabrics and a reliable solid anchor fit under the busts, precisely at the "bend" line.

Those can be as supportive as sports bras less the compressive suffering.

Equally high-end engineered molded bras, specifically those made by temperature gradient press shaping of micro-fiber fabrics can be found nowadays. A sharp contrast with their lowest possible production costs hard shell lookalikes.

Few manufacturers master the technology and even fewer care.

Micro-fibers, underwires, structural

engineering, the best of three

worlds !

Those are better bought in shops where models can be examined and "touched", tried for perfect fit.

Good ones feel surprisingly light and sensitive. Yes, they allow for nipple expansion and can lead to visibility.

Surprising results are achieved when microfiber fabrics are combined with firmer underwired frame engineering.

Great all time classic Doreen's, one of the most successful bra designs of all times, are still available in various trim levels. For how long ?

After decades of successful presence, Playtex phased away their famous "cross your heart" line and replaced it by homonymous otherwise absolutely common models.

The bra industry undergoes violent changes that breasts will have hard time to cope with.

To probe further.

Good structured bras have not completely vanished yet. Global simplification created niche-markets served by committed to intrinsic engineered quality suppliers.

Even so only a minority of bra wearers understand the necessity to look for mechanically correct support.

Which is why "killer bras" legends and their hungry for scaremongers self-promotion seeking advocates are on the rise.

This is a perfect example of mass market driven to maximum profits by all means, social media trolling inclusive.

Anyone strapped in a cheapest-bidder bra or it's equivalent duct-tape substitute would feel it's ill effects. No secret.

However a minority of good bras do exist, it only takes a bit more of education and involvement to reach them.

And even better, those who seek the ultimate in correct breast support re-discover the advantages of the forgotten holly-grail of foundation wear.

Longline bras and all-in-one girdles, "fajas" are on the rise. With exactly the same engineering problematic as bras.

Cheap to mass produce "tube" knit items capable of only compressive support versus engineered "classic" corsetry inspired items.

Longline bras, the holy grail for

mechanically correct support.

Dare to don a well fitted longline bra. Even lightweight structured models take mechanically correct support to  higher levels.

Simple and efficient way to overcome challenges that bras face.

The most significant of which being that weight is supported at waist level, firmly anchored over the pelvic bones, one of the most solid body hardware.

Larger chest-band implies more control over the critical under the bust zone, the "bend" where, if left unattended, evil constraints are more than happy to party at your expenses.

Easier to don front closure.

Magnificent front closure models that really work simplify the somehow delicate handling of 12 or more hooks. Ask your fitter, those require more accurate measurements ad there's no adjustment at the back. Better tighter than loose.

A dress, or blouse looks dramatically better over a longline bra and the enhanced back posture support is an appreciable bonus feature for those long days at work.

Precisely, at work. Amazingly few bra wearers realize the importance of safety and fatigue relieving comfort of mechanically correct bras.

Most go for "daily wear" often shapeless loosely related to structural mechanics contraptions and suffer the consequences.

Strapless ? Longline designs are the

only one that get the job well done.

Strapless bras that do the job are exclusively of the longline type.

The upper portion of the body is slightly downwards conical. Unless glued to the skin, a strapless bra will invariably creep downwards.

A challenge structured longline bras solve by design. Sadly most of them are purchased for a specific dressy item and forgotten ever after. Quite a sizeable mistake.

The absence of straps can be a blessing in several circumstances.

Nothing to slide down the shoulders or dig in. Nice !

 A fabulous feeling of freedom and lower "bra visibility" while maintaining a good support.

Equally good news, full all-in-one girdles are still available and even relatively recent brands such as Kudreshov line-up with classics such as Rago, Triumph or Clara.

All in one girdles are, for those who dare, the best possible form of breast support and their specificities call for a fully dedicated to the topic post. Which I'll be glad to share when time allows me to do so.

For now this is all I have for you. Bad bras exist, not wearing one is even worse.

So time to switch to mechanically correct structural engineering support has come.

And put a cork in campfire killer bra story tellers altogether.