Okay, so you probably learned a thing or two about breasts growing up. Health class, biology class, awkward chats with the parents. But, there is far more to breasts than you may realize. The team at
Hello Giggles put together this list of hidden boob facts. Check it:
1. There's physics to bras.
Science and bras, who knew? Breasts, according to
Discover Magazine, can be supported in one of two ways: encapsulation (moulded cups that fit around the breast) or compression (pressing the breast to the chest -- think sports bra). Interesting. I can honestly say that I've never even thought about how bras work.
2. The weight of a D-cup is pretty heavy.
Again, according to Discover Magazine, a pair of D-cup breasts can weight between 15-23 pounds. The article compares it to the weight of two small turkeys, which is weird, but also oddly useful information...
3. The "ideal" breast size has changed throughout history.
Before I say any more, I'd like to take this moment to say that ALL breasts are beautiful! We live in a society that has come to value large breasts. And judging by the popularity of plastic surgery, the bigger the breast, the better. But this wasn't always the case. In Ancient Egypt, many hieroglyphs portray women with smaller, likely triple A cup, breasts. Greek and Roman cultures valued small breasted, shapely women. All this proves that there really is no such thing as ideal.
4. Some of the world's earliest cave paintings were created by teens.
Cave drawings from the late Pleistocene epoch, around 35,000 to 10,000 years ago, show lots of ibex and bears. Lots of wild game. But it is believed that the drawings of large breasted, topless women were created by teenage boys. Not really that shocking when you think about!
[bctt tweet="10 Things You Never Knew About Boobs"]
5. Nobody really knows why we have boobs.
No, really. We are the only mammals that have them all the time. Most others develop breasts during lactation only. How did we ever get to be so lucky?
6. But there are some theories...
Humans are the only mammals that show sexual attraction to breasts and it cannot be ignored that human breasts develop at puberty and not with pregnancy. So, why are humans attracted to breasts? Dr. Larry Young, a leading neuroscientist who studies social bonding, says it has to do with the bond a nursing mother makes with her child. Hmm....
7. We're growing fast.
The average American cup size has gone up in the past 15 years. Women have gone from an average of 34B to 36C. Why? The jury is out. It may be due to a stead rise in obesity. It may be due to more young women being on birth control. Hard to say.
8. We have two women to thank for the greatest bra ever.
In 1977, two genius women created the first sports bra by sewing together 2 jock straps. The named their creation "The Jogbra." Thank you, ladies!
9. Bras used to be painful.
If your every day underwire seems painful, be glad you don't live in the 18th century. Back then, bras were made of whale bone. If you've ever worn an old school, real deal corset, you know what I'm talking about!
10. Hard working women are responsible for the evolution of the bra.
Corsets disappeared from women's closets after WWI when more women were working and needed a more functional, breathable undergarment.
Did you learn something new today? Do you have any interesting boob related facts that didn't make the list? Share with us!
