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Boob jobs force shops to stock bigger bras
Increasing numbers of breast enlargement operations are forcing shops to stock larger bras.
Sales figures from Debenhams, the High Street retailer, indicate that British women now have bigger busts than in previous generations. The company disclosed that the average bra sold is now an entire size bigger than it was just five years ago.
Demand for G cups has risen sharply in recent years and larger sizes - those in size D and above - now make up the majority of the company's entire bra sales (63 per cent).
Sharon Webb, a specialist lingerie buyer at Debenhams, said: "It is clear that Britain is now entering the age of the fuller bust. "Some of the increase has undoubtedly been due to poor bust measuring techniques in the past - our results show that many women are often between one and two cup sizes larger than they realize. In addition, women now have their bust size measured more frequently as they grow older, taking into account the changes in body shape which occur because of pregnancy, age and weight gain.
She continued: "There is no doubt that the popularity of surgical breast enhancements is also having a major impact on the average bust size. It is sometimes possible to tell who has had a helping hand from surgery, because the relationship between the women's back measurement and cup size is altered dramatically." Increasing numbers of breast enlargement operations are forcing shops to stock larger bras. ... more -
48 Bizarre Lingerie Innovations - For Both Men and Women
Between bras that are solar powered, glow in neon hues and a bra designed to be implanted under the skin’s surface, lingerie manufacturers can’t decide whether undergarments should be prominently displayed in glitzy ferocity or kept completely invisible from the naked eye. These over-the-top innovations in underwear include electrifying eco-friendly underwear, gender-bending lingerie for men and quirky cutout panties to show off your best assets. And just for kicks, there are a few lingerie twists that aren’t even meant for humans to wear.
The undies in this series will give your traditional skivvies a run for their money in the design department.
(www.trendhunter.com)
**I like the 'Glowing Snowflake Bra'
**The bra made of Bacon is, well, creative. Between bras that are solar powered, glow in neon hues and a bra designed to be implanted under the skin’s surface, lingerie manufactu... more -
Cleavage doesn't pay dividends for CNBC
Recently, visitors to CNBC.com might have seen Web ads showing women unbuttoning their tops and giving come-hither looks.
Although beautiful women may be more exciting than bond rates, CNBC apologized to viewers for the spots.
"These ads aren't exactly porn, but they cross the business journalism decorum code, I believe," Allen Wastler, CNBC.com's managing editor, posted on the site.
CNBC didn't sell or approve of the ads. In December, CNBC.com signed a deal with Microsoft to place banners and other display ads on its site. Microsoft's sales force handles premium space on the site, but it also sells some CNBC.com inventory through a network of sites that it represents.
So-called ad networks have proliferated as publishers look for a quick and efficient way to unload inventory that might otherwise go unsold. Advertisers also benefit by being able to buy ads on a variety of sites across the Web.
The results aren't always pretty, however. A common complaint is low-rent ads and even lower rates that can reflect poorly on sites and their brands. Some publishers, such as ESPN.com, have gone so far as to sever their relationships with ad networks.
Advertisers have also been burned when their spots pop up on a site that is out of sync with their message. Yesterday, ads for Barack Obama appeared on sites for several Clear Channel stations next to links for Red Light Girls, Chicks on Toilets and Thong of the Day.
Microsoft said the ad fell into a "gray area" in terms of meeting its guidelines and policies and stressed that it was just one of millions it served to CNBC and its ad network.
"As soon as our team was notified, we removed it from our entire network," said a Microsoft spokeswoman. Recently, visitors to CNBC.com might have seen Web ads showing women unbuttoning their tops and giving come-hither looks. ... more -
Woman's bra sets off security alarm at Oakland airport
When Nancy Kates arrived at Oakland International Airport to board JetBlue flight 472, she thought she was heading off on a routine journey to visit her mother in Boston. Instead she ended up in a standoff with Transportation Safety Administration officials over her bra.
In the post-Sept. 11 world of heightened airport scrutiny, Kates, like most travelers, is familiar with the drill: Take off shoes and belts, open the laptop, carry shampoo in 3-ounce bottles.
For Kates, on Sunday, though, the security check got too invasive. A big-busted woman wearing a large underwire bra, she set off the metal detector. She was pulled aside and checked by a female TSA agent with a metal-sensitive wand.
Kates gave this account:
"The woman touched my breast. I said, 'You can't do that.'
"She said, 'We have to pat you down.'
"I said, 'You can't treat me as a criminal for wearing a bra.'"
Kates asked to see a supervisor and then the supervisor's supervisor.
He told her that underwire bras were the leading item that set off the metal detectors, Kates said.
If that's the case, Kates said, the equipment must be overly sensitive. And if the TSA is engaging in extra brassiere scrutiny, then other women are suffering similar humiliation, Kates thought.
The Constitution bars unreasonable searches and seizures, Kates reminded the TSA supervisor, and scrutinizing a woman's brassiere is surely unreasonable, she said.
The supervisor told her she had the choice of submitting to a pat-down in a private room or not flying. Kates offered a third alternative, to take off her bra and try again, which the TSA accepted.
"They tried to humiliate me and I was not going to be humiliated over this," said Kates, of Berkeley, Calif. "If I was carrying nail clippers and forgot about them, I wouldn't have gotten so upset. But here I was just wearing my underwear."
So she went to the rest room, then through the security line a second time. Walking through the airport braless can be embarrassing for a large-chested woman, not to mention uncomfortable. The metal detector didn't beep on the second time through, but then officials decided to go through Kates' carry-on luggage, she said.
The whole undertaking took 40 minutes, Kates said, and caused her to miss her flight. JetBlue put her on another one, but she was four hours late getting to Boston. When Nancy Kates arrived at Oakland International Airport to board JetBlue flight 472, she thought she was heading off on a routine jo... more -
Hot Stuff at Australian Fashion Show
Photos of models showcasing fashions during the Hot In The City Lingerie group show on the catwalk at the Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival in Sydney, Australia on Friday, August 15, 2008. Photos of models showcasing fashions during the Hot In The City Lingerie group show on the catwalk at the Rosemount Sydney Fashion Fes... more
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Germany hails 'bullet-proof bra'
It may sound like a joke, but this is a serious matter - the policewoman who came up with the idea said normal bras can be dangerous when worn in combination with a bullet-proof vest.
"The impact of a bullet can push the metal and plastic bits of the bra into an officer's body, causing serious injury," said Carmen Kibat, an adviser on equal opportunities for the Hamburg-based Bundespolizei - Germany's federal police force. It may sound like a joke, but this is a serious matter - the policewoman who came up with the idea said normal bras can be dangerous w... more -
'Wrong bras' can damage breasts, biomechanics warn
Women who wear the wrong bra could be damaging their breasts, the breast biomechanics team at the University of Portsmouth has revealed. The study shows that poor support could lead to fragile ligaments in the breast being stretched.
The research team tested about 50 bra designs on hundreds of women during the past three years. Wendy Hedger, one of the scientists who carried out the work, said: "Many women have strong preferences for certain styles of bra and won't buy anything else.
They won't even look at anything that doesn't look like the sort of bra they are used to wearing.
She added that habit also affects the bras women choose for everyday wear, with the wrong choices potentially causing breast pain or discomfort. "There's a social stigma about certain sizes. Many women don't want to be seen as too small or too big and buy a bra that doesn't fit well in order to be what they consider to be a normal size. Women who wear the wrong bra could be damaging their breasts, the breast biomechanics team at the University of Portsmouth has reveale... more -
'Bionic bras' promise breast powered iPods!
"The idea of an energy-generating bra isn't as crazy as it might sound". In the last two decades, scientists have conducted studies in the physics of breast motion (perhaps surprisingly most of them women), and some believe that the power of their motion, for example during running, could be harnessed.
According to LaJean Lawson, who is employed by Nike to develop more comfortable sports bra designs, "it's just a matter of finding the sweet spot, between reducing motion to the point where it's comfortable but still allowing enough motion to power your iPod". The majority of energy comes from movement in the vertical axis (i.e. up and down) , so this will naturally exclude women with a smaller bust; as she says: "If you're a double-A marathoner, you're probably not going to get that iPod up and running" ... that's harsh but fair. "The idea of an energy-generating bra isn't as crazy as it might sound". In the last two decades, scientists have condu... more -
Solar bra
Lingerie manufacturers Triumph International unveil their latest effort to tackle rising oil prices - the solar bra.
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Conserve energy with your...bra?
A company in Japan has invented a solar bra, which creates enough energy to charge a cell phone or iPod.
It's not on the market quite yet, however. Apparently, they're still working on the issues caused by the fact that people generally wear, you know, clothes over their underwear. A company in Japan has invented a solar bra, which creates enough energy to charge a cell phone or iPod. ... more -
Boost your bum girls
A US psychologist has patented a bra for the bum which she claims restores pertness to sagging buttocks.
Featuring straps worn around the waist and under the buttocks, the garment claims to instantly shape and add tone to the behind.
Creator Karin Hart came up with the buttock-clenching idea after noticing her own bottom wasn't as pert as it used to be.
"The Biniki buttocks support idea came to me at a moment of personal need," she says. "One look in the mirror after some rapid weight loss showed me the unhappy truth, my bottom was sagging."
Dr Hart set about developing designs for a wearable item that would do the same job as a surgical bottom lift.
"Trying to find a design led me to buy some self-adhesive tape," Dr Hart explains. "Then working with a mirror and adjusting the tape into several configurations I found one that resulted in just the right support in the right places."
She patented her invention and now sells what she has dubbed the "butt bra" through her US-based company for about £15.
There's also a £20 version for men, the Maniki, and a Throng, a £15 thong which claims the same uplifting effect.
Credit: Ananova A US psychologist has patented a bra for the bum which she claims restores pertness to sagging buttocks. ... more -
Nipple News
Nipples. The fact that we all have them does not make them any less newsworthy.
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Happy Birfday BRA!!
Yesterday was the Bra's 100th birthday. What perfect timing on the Victoria Secret fashion show!
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Chopstick Bra for Busy Women
Don't ditch those disposable chopsticks. Stick'em in your bra! A "chopsticks bra" has been unveiled in Japan for busy women who are looking to stash their recyclable eating utentils. Don't ditch those disposable chopsticks. Stick'em in your bra! A "chopsticks bra" has been unveiled in Japan for b... more
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1800 Pound Ball of Bras
Thousands of women around the world donated bras to this sculpture I designed. It took five years to build and has over 18,000 bras on it. It's now part of the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore's permanent collection. It is dedicated to my best friend Jessica who has so far survived breast cancer for 7 years!
The story of this project is as weird and wonderful as the sculpture itself. Check it out but please, PLEASE don't send me any bras. Thanks.
-Emily Duffy Thousands of women around the world donated bras to this sculpture I designed. It took five years to build and has over 18,000 bras on... more -
Scented Sports Bra?
"For a mere $28.95, your breasts can smell like they just brushed their teeth or something." HMMMM, what will Reebok think of next. What if you mix sweaty smell with minty smell? That could be all bad. Its like spraying perfume over funk. It just don't smell right - not that I have ever tried it. "For a mere $28.95, your breasts can smell like they just brushed their teeth or something." HMMMM, what will Reebok think... more
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New bra/torture device!
YAY! This one looks really painful. "The Faveo Freedom Bra, invented by scientist / business woman Joanne Morgan, is supposedly the next best thing in undergarments, but looks to me like the next best thing in uncomfortable." YAY! This one looks really painful. "The Faveo Freedom Bra, invented by scientist / business woman Joanne Morgan, is supposed... more
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'Ladies Bras' Makes Chart Record
A 36-second track has become the shortest song ever to make the U.K. Top 75 Singles Chart.
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