Today only women wear bras. This garment supports and lifts the chest. However, this was not always the case. Previously, even children wore bras, because it performed a completely different function.
Etymology of the word
The word "bra" itself is a diminutive form of the noun "bodice". According to the "Etymological Dictionary" by Max Vasmer, we owe the appearance of the "bodice" in the Russian language to the Dutch. In the Netherlands, "lijf" is translated as "corpus".
The bra appeared in the form familiar to a modern person only at the very end of the 19th century. It was invented by the Frenchwoman Hermine Cadol. Then the bra became a real boon for women all over the world, as it finally replaced the uncomfortable corset with two cups supported by ribbons.
However, for a long time, not only women's underwear was called a bra. Until the second half of the 1960s, the bra was a piece of clothing and children's wardrobe. It is noteworthy that both girls and boys wore it.
Waist
“Tanya's button came off. Tanya sewed it to her bra for a long time”- this is a quote from a story for the children of the Soviet writer Valentina Oseeva. According to the plot, it is clear that Tanya is still quite a girl, so modern people often do not understand why the heroine needs a bra. In fact, everything is very simple.
Previously, female and male children wore stockings. The stockings on the legs did not hold, but simply slid down, if the child did not put on a special device, on which they were attached. This device was called a bra.
The bra was a kind of vest, equipped with straps and fasteners, thanks to which the stockings did not slip off the legs. As a rule, the bra was worn so that it was not visible, that is, under a shirt or dress.
How the bra is a thing of the past
Much more comfortable to wear children's tights (as well as adults) appeared in the Soviet Union only in the 1960s. Soviet citizens began to bring the first tights from Czechoslovakia. By the way, the very word "tights" is also borrowed from the Czech language and is translated simply "trousers".
At first, only cotton tights were produced in the USSR, then woolen tights appeared. The domestic industry also did not indulge the consumer with bright colors. At first, Soviet children were content with flesh-colored tights, and then in stores it was possible to choose tights in other shades.
So the children's bra is finally a thing of the past. And now, hearing this word, we invariably imagine an exclusively female bra.
