Boobs have existed since the beginning of history, and have always seemed to fascinate people as much as they do now. Whether it be relating to form or function, there are many tales to tell about the breasts of our ancestors. We’ve listed 5 particularly interesting ones below for your enjoyment.

 

The Amazonian warriors from ancient Greek mythology were said to have cut off one of their breasts so they could draw their bows with greater ease. The other one, according to the mythology, they kept so they could breastfeed their children. In fact, the word “Amazon” comes from the Greek words “a” (without) and “mazos” (breast), which is terribly uncreative but nonetheless a bewitching backstory.

 

 

In England, King Henry VI was notoriously against boobs, and often complained about the fashions that “bared the breasts”, seeing it as extremely disrespectful to the court. Under the reign of his daughter Elizabeth I from 1533 to 1604, more androgynous fashions and silhouettes came into style, often flattening and concealing women’s chests. Apparently, this was done by the queen on purpose, as Elizabeth was doing what was then considered a man’s job (being the reigning monarch of a kingdom), and so she tried to hide her womanly curves to “better fit the role” she occupied.

Rumours aren’t always bad

 

(source: britannica)

 

In France, short champagne glasses known as coupes are said to have been modelled after Marie Antoinette’s breasts. In truth, those glasses were designed in 1663, almost a century before she was even born, but it’s still fun to think about how and why this rumour started… and why 250 years went by before anyone actually looked into it.

 

(source: sewcurvy)

 

In 1917, during World War I, the U.S War Industries Board was said to have asked women across the nation to stop using and purchasing corsets because the popular design of the time required too much metal to manufacture. The same metal was desperately needed for ammunition, weaponry, ships and other military supplies.

 

Boobs and balls aren’t that different after all

(source: nypost)

 

Most busty women can’t imagine a time before sports bras, which was actually not that long ago, invented in 1977 by Lisa Lindahl who actually called it the “jockbra”. A very fitting name considering that the prototype was made by sewing two of her husband’s jock straps together. 

 

Miriam Baker is proud to bring you this blog post. We design clothes for women with fuller busts in the heart of downtown Toronto. If you would like to learn more about the brand and the designer behind it, read Meet the Designer for more insight, or sign up to our newsletter for new drops, offers and events. Please contact us at info@miriam-baker.com with any stories of your own that are pertinent to our mission or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We would love to hear from you!