A bra, short for brassiere or brassière, is a form-fitting undergarment that is primarily used to support and cover breasts. It can serve a range of other practical and aesthetic purposes, including enhancing or reducing the appearance of breast size and creating cleavage. Bras can also serve specific functions, such as nursing bras to facilitate breastfeeding or sports bras to minimize discomfort during exercise.
A typical bra consists of a chest band that wraps around the torso, supporting two breast cups that are held in place by shoulder straps. A bra is usually closed in the back by a hook and eye fastener. However, bras are available in a large range of styles, whose designs can vary widely. Initially, the bra was exclusively an undergarment, but the sports bra has gained acceptance as outerwear, as have fashions that deliberately expose the bra straps.
The bra gained widespread adoption in the early twentieth century, when it largely replaced the corset. The first modern bra is attributed to Caresse Crosby, a New York publisher and activist who created the garment in 1910 by using two handkerchiefs and some ribbon. After patenting her design in 1914, she briefly manufactured bras at two-woman factory in Boston before selling her patent to the Warner Brothers Corset Company, which began mass-producing the garment.
Bras have gained symbolic significance beyond their mere functionality. Since training bras become standard during puberty, the garment can symbolize a rite of passage to adulthood. However, some feminists have argued that bras sexualize and objectify women's breasts to conform to the male gaze. Surveys suggest(weasel words) that increasing numbers of women(quantify) are going braless or adopting more comfortable wireless bras and bralettes to achieve more comfort.