For the last 4,505 years, women have tried to enhance their figures by squeezing themselves into restricting, and uncomfortable garments. Waists have been reduced and bust lines have been increased, decreased, flattened, lifted or spread out, depending on what was fashionable at the time. The modern brassiere and its predecessors have not only been known for their functionality, but have also been linked with statements of fashion and politics.

The concept of covering or restraining the breasts dates back to 2500 BC when Minoan women from the island of Crete wore garments which lifted the bare breasts out of their clothing. This eventually evolved into a binding that was worn by Greek women while they exercised. However, such garments did not become a part of women's daily wear until 1500 AD when Catherine de Medicis, the wife of King Henri II of France enforced a ban on "thick waists" a court...