Sexy bras aren't just for support and comfort. Sexy bras are sexy lingerie that a woman wears to add to her cleavage and enhance her sex appeal.

The bra industry is a multi billion dollar industry that counts among it some of the heavy hitters in the garment industry. Bali, Playtex, Wacoal, Lilly of France and Victoria's Secret and many others share in this lucrative market. Women from 13 to 95 need and wear bras. Men love bras not for the support it gives a woman, or the comfort it can provide the wearer, but because they are pretty or sexy, or they show off many men's favorite part of a woman's body. 

The sexy bra market is a portion of the bra market for a couple of reasons. Many women either are, or consider themselves too young or too old to wear "sexy bras". Some women perceive sexy bras as too flimsy, not offering enough support or too frivolous. In many cases these women are not wrong, but looking and feeling sexy is an important part of a woman's wardrobe, and the sale of sexy bras continues to grow. 

The Wonderbra was introduced in the United States  in 1994 after being designed in Canada and sold in the U.K. The bra with the push up and plunging design with the Wonderbra style sold at a rate of one every 15 seconds, quickly becoming the nation's top selling push-up bra. Created in 1964, this unique bra had 54 "design elements" that lifted and supported the bust to create dramatic cleavage. The secret? "Precision engineering": three-part cup construction, precision-angled back and under wire cups, removable pads called cookies, "gate back" back design for support, and rigid straps. If you didn't know it you would think "precision engineering was limited to rockets and fine automobiles. 

The sexy in this bra was mostly the under wire cups which support the breasts, the pads or cookies that add to the bust size and the design that was made to push the breasts up, and out providing for "spill out cleavage". Since the WonderBra there have been many, too many to mention improvements in bra design and manufacturing. We will look at a narrow range of style of sexy bras. Most have not had the fanfare of the original wonder bra, but incorporate many of the same features as real advancements in bras have been mainly in the area of fabric, use of color and design elements regarding the look and feel of the garment. 

Shelf Bras : One of the main stays of the sexy bra market, the shelf bra is pretty much what it says. The breasts rest on a shelf composed of an under wire, and a mini cup that is similar to any bra with the top half to two thirds removed exposing the breasts from about the nipples up. While the bra offers some support, it is not suggested for large breasted women as it does not offer sufficient support. On the other hand, it allows the breasts to be exposed which is an essential element for a sexy bra. Worn under a blouse or sweater, the breasts appear larger, are supported and give the woman the cleavage she desires as it does the double duty of pushing the breasts together and upwards. Exposing the breasts is a common element of most sexy bras as showing cleavage is a major part of wearing a sexy bra.  

Push Up Bras: The term push up bra is used to describe a wide range of bras from under wire bras to padded bras. The push up in bras refers to the natural benefit of wearing a bra. Breasts, depending on their size will tend to sag, the larger they get. Bras support the breasts and the addition of under wires and pads add to the push up effect. Push up bras are distinguished from other bras as they tend to be designed and cut to expose the breasts in between the breasts to give a "sexier", more youthful, perky or firm look. Sexy could be synonymous with the terms "full figured, busty, perky, youthful, or many other terms when it comes to referring to a woman's appearance and her breasts. 

Peek-A-Boo Bras / boob out bras: These bras make up a small but growing portion of the market. Many would ask what is the point of having a woman's nipples exposed while wearing a bra? Many women, if not most, are raised to believe that exposing ones nipples, or the effect of having hard nipples is to be hidden or disguised. The peek a boo bras are designed for those women or men who do not agree with this belief. These bras generally have under wires, and some padding, with the only difference being the lack of covering over the nipples. 

Sheer Bras: The sheer bra is a staple of the sexy bra market. Sheer fabric with a lycra spandex blend allows the bra to stretch and hug the breasts, while being see through and not covering or hiding the breasts, thus its sex appeal. Virtually every bra maker offers sheer bras, some adorned with embroidery, others not. The use of under wires allows the sheer bra to offer support, although not as much as fabrics that are stiffer and not quite as supple.

Water, Gel or Silicone Bras: These bras make it into the sexy bra category as they are examples of where the sexy bra industry has evolved. The addition of these bras with either water, gel or silicone inserts allow the wearer to have the appearance of larger breasts that look and feel like real breasts. As with all evolutions, there have and are problems. Water bras can leak, gel and silicone bras can get heavy to the wearer, and women were advised not to wear gel bras as airport authorities warned that they could be used by terrorists to carry explosives or other bomb making material.

Generally full coverage bras are not considered sexy bras as they tend to cover the entire breasts and offer comfort and support over sex appeal. It is not possible to completely define what is or isn't sexy in the bra market, but most would agree that sexy bras are skimpier, more revealing and more colorful than foundation bras that are designed to be unseen and designed to be worn for hours on end. Perhaps that is the distinction as one could say that sexy bras are designed to be seen and worn for the shortest time possible. Full coverage bras are constructed to be the working horse, so to speak, of the bra line and one that is clearly needed, particularly by women who have large breasts. On the other hand many women and most men enjoy seeing a woman who although fully clothed is showing off some cleavage. A scoop top or other such garment allows a woman to look like a woman but still be very presentable and able to enter any establishment or any group with no problems. Push up bras and padded bras are a benefit when it comes to giving a woman’s breasts some added support or contours.

There are some added benefits to wearing underwire bras, one of them being they can hold the concealed carry gun holster you just bought. One of the more popular small caliber gun holsters on the market requires an underwire bra to grasp and hold the weapon next to your breasts. Just thought you might like to know.

Lingerie Bras: These bras are generally worn with either matching panties in a set or simply as a bra that a woman would wear to bed. They are made for comfort of the wearer and do not have any binding or push up effect and generally are not ideal for women with large breasts. Since they are usually made for bedroom wear they are a favorite of women who simply want coverage but no real support as they are either worn to bed, in the bedroom and not to work or for long period of time standing up.

About the author: Richard Romo is the author or this article.All uses of this article require prior authorization of the author
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