The Physics Of Bras

[Reverend AtheiStar]

http://www.discover.com/issues/nov-05/depa...hysics-of-bras/

 

The Physics of Bras

 

Overcoming Newton's second law with better bra technology

 

By Anne Casselman

 

DISCOVER Vol. 26 No. 11 | November 2005

 

 

One side effect of the obesity epidemic in America is rarely noted: Women's chests are expanding nearly as fast as their bellies. Poor eating habits, as well as breast implants and the estrogens in birth-control pills, have led to an increase in the past 15 years of more than one bra size for the average American woman—from a 34B to a 36C. For many women, this has been a burdensome trend. A pair of D-cup breasts weighs between 15 and 23 pounds—the equivalent of carrying around two small turkeys. The larger the breasts, the more they move and the greater the discomfort. In one study, 56 percent of women suffered from breast pain when jogging.

 

"Women will limit themselves from doing exercise because of their breasts," says Deirdre McGhee, a sports physiotherapist and graduate student in biomechanics at the University of Wollongong in Australia. "They actually deprive themselves." And the less they exercise, the more obese and buxom they may become.

 

For most women, a good bra is still the best remedy. According to the American Apparel and Footwear Association, nearly 500 million bras were sold in the United States in 2001; last year, sales totaled more than $5 billion. As breasts have grown, so have the demands of customers, the scientific sophistication of bra design, and the competition among bra manufacturers. "Women like their bras to be sexy and sensual and comfy and supportive," McGhee says. "And to get all that is rare." Yet after nearly a century of experimentation, the perfect bra may well be in sight.

 

Bra designers begin with a significant handicap: The structure of breasts is still something of a mystery. Evolutionary biologists aren't sure why breasts evolved as they did—chimpanzees and other mammals develop them only when lactating—and no one knows what keeps them from sagging. An individual breast is made up of between 15 and 20 sections, known as lobes. These are composed of smaller lobules that end in bulbs that produce milk and are interconnected by a network of ducts. But breasts contain no muscles at all, and the bulbs and ducts are essentially the same in all women. Size is mainly determined by how much fat the breasts contain. Most anatomists believe the breasts' primary means of support are the Cooper's ligaments interlaced among the lobules. But others give the skin more credit.

 

To best support breasts, a designer has to understand how they move. To that end, McGhee's team in Australia, headed by biomechanist Julie Steele, tags women with light-emitting diodes and asks them to run on treadmills. (The women run with and without bras, so the laboratory doors are bolted to prevent uninvited people from bursting in.) Computer systems then track the breasts' motions in three dimensions by following the moving lights. "We can actually work out exactly where they're going, how they're moving, and how this movement is affected by bras," Steele says. Breasts move in a sinusoidal pattern, Steele has found, and they move a lot. Small breasts can move more than three inches vertically during a jog, and large breasts sometimes leave their bras entirely. "We have videos of women who, particularly if the cup is too low, spill all over the top," Steele says.

 

The larger the breasts and the more they move, the more momentum they generate. To change or stop that momentum requires a large force, usually applied through bra straps. When straps are thin, the pressure exerted through them can be so great as to leave furrows in the shoulders of large-breasted women. As the straps dig into the brachial plexus, the nerve group that runs down the arm, they may cause numbness in the little finger. In some cases, breasts can slap against the chest with enough force to break the clavicle.

 

"Force equals mass times acceleration," Steele says. "That's Newton's second law. You have a large mass, and it's going quickly, and the force is going to be large. If you have breasts that are slapping down and hitting the chest and having to come back up, they accelerate very quickly." No one really knows the long-term medical consequences of "excessive breast bounce," as Steele calls it. But it can cause pain and is the most likely reason for sagging breasts.

 

There are two ways to keep breasts from moving: encapsulation and compression. Encapsulation bras look like the old-fashioned brassieres our grandmothers wore, with large molded cups that completely contain the breast. Compression bras are more popular but less comfortable: They squash the breasts against the body, thereby reducing the amount of weight the bra has to cantilever.

 

Since the 1800s, when women used corsets stiffened by whalebone to support their breasts, bra designers have experimented with innumerable structures and materials. "Making a bra is like building a bridge," says Manette Scheininger, a senior vice president of design, merchandising, and research and development at Maidenform. "You have weight that has to be uplifted. You have to have support all around." Larger breasts compound the challenge, Scheininger says. "And not just by a little bit. The challenge grows dramatically."

 

The first sports bra was created in 1977, when two American women took a pair of jockstraps, cut them apart, and sewed them back together. They dubbed their creation the Jogbra. Other bra designs since then have used gel and water pads, silver fibers that cool the skin and dispel bacterial growth and body odor, and air bags that wearers can pump up to enhance the appearance of their breasts. This past summer, a virtually stitchless bra was introduced by Wacoal, a leading manufacturer. The bra is molded, compressed, and shaped at the same time—"sort of like a car fender," Wacoal designer Linda Hyde says. Thanks to cylindrical hosiery machines, other bras can now be knit in circular patterns with differing amounts of stretch and support.

 

 

To track the motions of women's breasts and find better ways to support them, biomechanists in Austrailia fit subjects with specially designed bras. In back, sensors are placed under the straps to measure how much pressure they exert on the shoulders, and electrodes are placed on the upper torso and the neck to monitor the bra's effects on muscle activity. Small, light-emitting diodes are placed in front of the sternum, nipples, and bra cups to measure the subject's breast and torso movements.

 

Steele's team is taking fabric technology another step. Six years ago, her laboratory, in collaboration with the University of Wollongong's Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, began work on the world's first smart bra. It uses intelligent materials and electronic textiles to sense when breast motion increases and tighten appropriate parts of the bra in response. "When you're sitting around the office, it isn't restrictive," Steele says. "But if you need to run for a bus or something, it will sense that you've started to run, and it will give you the support of a sports bra." Steele's lab has teamed up with Marks & Spencer, a major retailer in Britain, to further develop the project.

 

Meanwhile, McGhee and Steele have their sights set beyond tinkering with bra straps and fabrics. They are using Steele's extensive work on the biomechanics of breasts to explore an entirely new way of designing bras. Starting in the 1970s, podiatrists and biomechanists radically redesigned running shoes to make them lighter and more stable. Steele and McGhee hope to accomplish a similar paradigm shift and correct the problem with the most supportive bras: They are also rated the most uncomfortable. "We're not testing a product but a concept," says Steele. "What we're trying to bring in now is an idea that will not be a gimmick—understanding the structure, function, and the movement and putting them all together with the science underpinning it."

 

New York socialite Mary Phelps Jacob is often credited with inventing the bra in 1914, but the first patent for a breast supporter was granted half a century earlier to Luman. L. Chapman of Camden, New Jersey. Bra manufacturer S.H. Camp and Company first matched breast sizes to the letters of the alphabet, A through D, in 1933.

 

Steele and McGhee are reluctant to divulge any details for fear of tipping off rival designers—"It's a really dirty game," McGhee says. But initial trials are under way while they stake out intellectual property rights. Given that more than 30 percent of American women now wear D cups and larger, the team shouldn't have trouble finding a commercial partner if they succeed. When it comes to bras, the usual rules of exercise are reversed: No pain, very much gain.

[Guest Brando]

good times.

[Valgeir]

Well there goes the popularity of women's sports.

[Fweethawt]

I read that whole thing hopin' to see some boobies...

 

Nothing...

[JGJ@ReligionisBullshit]

Mmm, corsets, I love corsets.

[Reverend AtheiStar]

Mmm, corsets, I love corsets.

 

Yeah, corsettes are awesome. I like the whole teddy thing with the straps, too.

 

I read that whole thing hopin' to see some boobies...

 

Nothing...

 

lol... Sorry, it's science, not porn. The best the article gets is a back.

[JGJ@ReligionisBullshit]

Mmm, corsets, I love corsets.

 

Yeah, corsettes are awesome. I like the whole teddy thing with the straps, too.

 

It's like having a bowl of boobies.

[Reverend AtheiStar]

Mmm, corsets, I love corsets.

 

Yeah, corsettes are awesome. I like the whole teddy thing with the straps, too.

 

It's like having a bowl of boobies.

 

lol... Beats a bowl of Cheerios hands down! Sounds like a breakfast of champions to me! lol...

[Skankboy]

Small breasts can move more than three inches vertically during a jog, and large breasts sometimes leave their bras entirely. "We have videos of women who, particularly if the cup is too low, spill all over the top," Steele says.

 

I am soooo in the wrong business...

[Flyby Stardancer]

Well there goes the popularity of women's sports.

As a women with a what apparently is a fairly decent-sized chest (I don't consider it to be large, but apparently the norm disagrees)... I would LOVE a bra like what they're coming up with. Bouncing around all the place is very uncomfortable. Heck, I bounce around all over the place even in a sports bra. I've actually changed the way I hold my arms during short sprints to try to keep myself from bouncing too much.

[Reverend AtheiStar]

Well there goes the popularity of women's sports.

As a women with a what apparently is a fairly decent-sized chest (I don't consider it to be large, but apparently the norm disagrees)... I would LOVE a bra like what they're coming up with. Bouncing around all the place is very uncomfortable. Heck, I bounce around all over the place even in a sports bra. I've actually changed the way I hold my arms during short sprints to try to keep myself from bouncing too much.

 

My wife complains all the time about her bras. She constantly breaks them. The underwire, no matter what brand it seems, starts poking out after a few months. I keep telling her she needs to design a different bra; one that will stand up to the rigors of a big breasted woman. I think we'd make a fortune!

[loves_learning]

Well there goes the popularity of women's sports.

As a women with a what apparently is a fairly decent-sized chest (I don't consider it to be large, but apparently the norm disagrees)... I would LOVE a bra like what they're coming up with. Bouncing around all the place is very uncomfortable. Heck, I bounce around all over the place even in a sports bra. I've actually changed the way I hold my arms during short sprints to try to keep myself from bouncing too much.

 

My wife complains all the time about her bras. She constantly breaks them. The underwire, no matter what brand it seems, starts poking out after a few months. I keep telling her she needs to design a different bra; one that will stand up to the rigors of a big breasted woman. I think we'd make a fortune!

 

Duude...your wife needs to get FITTED professionally!!!

 

I always always always tell women (myself being one) that a great bra is the BEST thing you can spend your money on. It makes you look thinner, keeps your back in better alignment, and keeps you from being uncomfortable.

 

If there is a Nordstrom's department store close to you or within the vicinity, tell her to go asap! They have the BEST fittings a woman could hope for. The sales staff know the best types of bras for different body types, and will help you for an hour if needed to get you a great bra. IF not, go to Macys or an upscale (no, not ridiculously expensive) lingerie store, only because they are trained better and carry a large variety.

 

DO NOT GO TO VICTORIA'S SECRET!!!! They do not carry a lot of sizes, and they tend to try and "fit" women into sizes that aren't right for them. The most common mistake women make when bra shopping is buying too big of a band and too small of a cup. Almost all of the support for a bra comes in the band...it has to be snug but comfortable. Also, a lot of women don't want to admit that they wear a bigger cup...I am definetly a modestly sized woman, but wear a C or D cup depending on the brand. Most women look at me and think that a B is what I would wear.

 

Anyway...that was really long...but she's got to get those boobs under control!

[Flyby Stardancer]

Well there goes the popularity of women's sports.

As a women with a what apparently is a fairly decent-sized chest (I don't consider it to be large, but apparently the norm disagrees)... I would LOVE a bra like what they're coming up with. Bouncing around all the place is very uncomfortable. Heck, I bounce around all over the place even in a sports bra. I've actually changed the way I hold my arms during short sprints to try to keep myself from bouncing too much.

 

My wife complains all the time about her bras. She constantly breaks them. The underwire, no matter what brand it seems, starts poking out after a few months. I keep telling her she needs to design a different bra; one that will stand up to the rigors of a big breasted woman. I think we'd make a fortune!

 

Duude...your wife needs to get FITTED professionally!!!

 

I always always always tell women (myself being one) that a great bra is the BEST thing you can spend your money on. It makes you look thinner, keeps your back in better alignment, and keeps you from being uncomfortable.

 

If there is a Nordstrom's department store close to you or within the vicinity, tell her to go asap! They have the BEST fittings a woman could hope for. The sales staff know the best types of bras for different body types, and will help you for an hour if needed to get you a great bra. IF not, go to Macys or an upscale (no, not ridiculously expensive) lingerie store, only because they are trained better and carry a large variety.

 

DO NOT GO TO VICTORIA'S SECRET!!!! They do not carry a lot of sizes, and they tend to try and "fit" women into sizes that aren't right for them. The most common mistake women make when bra shopping is buying too big of a band and too small of a cup. Almost all of the support for a bra comes in the band...it has to be snug but comfortable. Also, a lot of women don't want to admit that they wear a bigger cup...I am definetly a modestly sized woman, but wear a C or D cup depending on the brand. Most women look at me and think that a B is what I would wear.

 

Anyway...that was really long...but she's got to get those boobs under control!

Oh, you can have problems with the underwires and such even if you are wearing the proper size. I have a bra that I loved that had the underwires pop out a couple months after I bought it. I may not have had a professional fitting, but I do regularly take a tape measure to myself and check what my band/cup sizes are supposed to be. Some bras are just cheap and break down quickly.

[Reverend AtheiStar]

Duude...your wife needs to get FITTED professionally!!!

 

She has. She went to JcPenny's. It's just that the wire, made of metal, is simply bound to pop out of a bra made of fabric. Her idea was to make it of something more flexible, something that wouldn't poke out because of it's sheer hardness.

 

If there is a Nordstrom's department store close to you or within the vicinity, tell her to go asap! They have the BEST fittings a woman could hope for. The sales staff know the best types of bras for different body types, and will help you for an hour if needed to get you a great bra. IF not, go to Macys or an upscale (no, not ridiculously expensive) lingerie store, only because they are trained better and carry a large variety.

 

We live in VA Beach. There are no Nordstrom's or Macy's here. lol... Most people here shop at Wal-Mart.

 

DO NOT GO TO VICTORIA'S SECRET!!!! They do not carry a lot of sizes, and they tend to try and "fit" women into sizes that aren't right for them.

 

Oh, I know. They only carry up to a C. That's their real secret. They're prejudice against big breasted women.

 

...but she's got to get those boobs under control!

 

She laughed at that. I think they're under control, it's just the bras themselves that are the problem. She just breaks them because she uses them. I offered to hold them for as long as I'm around but she didn't go for that. lol...

 

Oh, you can have problems with the underwires and such even if you are wearing the proper size. I have a bra that I loved that had the underwires pop out a couple months after I bought it. I may not have had a professional fitting, but I do regularly take a tape measure to myself and check what my band/cup sizes are supposed to be. Some bras are just cheap and break down quickly.

 

Yup. They all break down eventually. It's the underwire itself that needs to be redesigned.

[loves_learning]

Well...I can say that the bras I've gotten at Nordstroms have NEVER popped a wire...even as they start to wear out. The elastic tends to die first...and that is after about a year or so with a good quality bra. I tend to spend about 40-60 bucks on a bra, but I'm so much more comfortable, and the damn straps don't fall off of my shoulders constantly....totally worth it in my book.

 

You don't even have a Dillards or something? Wow...I had no clue! Tell her to shop online at Nordstroms...my personal fav is the Chantelle brand. They are made in France, and manufacturing bras is the only thing the company does...it is really old company too, so they know their boobs!

[Reverend AtheiStar]

Well...I can say that the bras I've gotten at Nordstroms have NEVER popped a wire...even as they start to wear out. The elastic tends to die first...and that is after about a year or so with a good quality bra. I tend to spend about 40-60 bucks on a bra, but I'm so much more comfortable, and the damn straps don't fall off of my shoulders constantly....totally worth it in my book.

 

You don't even have a Dillards or something? Wow...I had no clue! Tell her to shop online at Nordstroms...my personal fav is the Chantelle brand. They are made in France, and manufacturing bras is the only thing the company does...it is really old company too, so they know their boobs!

 

Wow, never? I'll tell her. That is pricey, but it sounds worth it.

 

We do have a Dillard's and Hect's. I guess those are the upper end. I don't know. I don't shop at such places. If I'm spending a lot on clothes it's at Hot Topic. I do like the black band t-shirts!