Tightly-wrapped cloths, cone-shaped cups, and stick-on strapless: Video charts the evolution of the bra over the past 500 years in just two minutes

  • The clip created by Glamour charts the evolution of the bra, starting with the Roman Empire and ending with a hypothetical design for 2100 

Whether they were meant to flaunt your breasts - or hide them - the first bras date back to ancient times, and like most fashions, they reflect the social and economic changes of that era. 

Today women have the option of pushing-up, covering-up, and everything in between, and a new video created by Glamour charts the evolution of the bra over the past 500 years. 

Beginning with the constricting mamillare from the Roman Empire and ending with a hypothetical design meant for robots in 2100, the clip highlights the prominent styles and history of the bras that debuted in various eras.

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Boyish style: The mamillare, which is featured in a new video highlighting the history of the bra, was used in ancient Rome to flatten breasts because Romans thought they were unattractive 

Boyish style: The mamillare, which is featured in a new video highlighting the history of the bra, was used in ancient Rome to flatten breasts because Romans thought they were unattractive 

New look: For three years the corset reigned supreme as women wore them to cinch their waists and push up their breasts 

New look: For three years the corset reigned supreme as women wore them to cinch their waists and push up their breasts 

At the start of the video, viewers are introduced to the mamillare, a tightly wrapped cloth meant flatten a woman's breasts. Ancient Romans found large breasts to be unattractive, so the 'bra' of the time was meant to disguise them. 

Hundreds of years later, from the 1500s to the 1800s, women relied on corsets to push their breasts upwards and create extreme hourglass figures. 

And interestingly, corsets have made a comeback thanks to celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Amber Rose touting the benefits of waist training on social media.

Bras replaced corsets in the 20th century, and by the 1920s hour glass figures were out, and androgynous body types were all the rage. 

Back to flat: With androgynous styles being all the rage during the 1920s, women wore the Symington bra to minimize their female curves 

Back to flat: With androgynous styles being all the rage during the 1920s, women wore the Symington bra to minimize their female curves 

Love your look: In the late 1920s, Maiden Form debuted, and the brand encouraged women to embrace the natural shape of their breasts 

Love your look: In the late 1920s, Maiden Form debuted, and the brand encouraged women to embrace the natural shape of their breasts 

Fully supported: Underwire bras, which are still wildly popular, were created in the 1930s as a way to lift and support a woman's breasts 

Fully supported: Underwire bras, which are still wildly popular, were created in the 1930s as a way to lift and support a woman's breasts 

According to the video, the Symington bra of this era 'minimized feminine curves with lines inspired by cubist painters'. 

However, by the late 1920s the Maiden Form brand debuted and encouraged women to embrace their natural shape, using the word maiden to counter its competitor, Boyishform Company.

The 1930s saw the emergence of the underwire bra, which is still used to shape and support breasts today. 

And in recent years, there have been at least two occasions where women's lives were saved after their underwire bras deflected bullets. 

Shape up: Bullet bras were popularized by famous pin-up stars such as Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s and early 1960s 

Shape up: Bullet bras were popularized by famous pin-up stars such as Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s and early 1960s 

Sexual revolution: The 1960s also saw the emergence of the sheer bra, which came without underwire, cups or padding of any kind

Sexual revolution: The 1960s also saw the emergence of the sheer bra, which came without underwire, cups or padding of any kind

A few decades later, in the 1950s and early 1960s, bullet bras that gave breasts a cone-shaped appearance were popularized by Hollywood pin-up stars, including Marilyn Monroe. The torpedo-like bras were worn under sweaters to 'create a buxom look'. 

Madonna brought back the bullet bra in the early 90s when she wore one designed by Jean Paul Gaultier during her Blonde Ambition tour in 1991. 

The 1960s were a time of sexual and political upheaval and fashion, including bras, reflected the changing times.

The 'no bra' or the sheer bra was a totally see-through creation that lacked underwire or shape that was worn at the start of the sexual revolution. And interestingly, a decade later, a new bra also featured nipples - but they were built in. 

Made for a man: The first sports bra was made out of two jock straps in the 1970s 

Made for a man: The first sports bra was made out of two jock straps in the 1970s 

Athletic wonder: The jock strap creation paved the way for the Jogbra, the first sports bra to hit the market 

Athletic wonder: The jock strap creation paved the way for the Jogbra, the first sports bra to hit the market 

High beams: The nipple bra gave women a 'sensual cold weather look' during the disco decade

High beams: The nipple bra gave women a 'sensual cold weather look' during the disco decade

Cleavage creator: The Wonderbra, which was created in the 1960s but popularized in the 1990s, was the first bra to lift and push breasts together

Cleavage creator: The Wonderbra, which was created in the 1960s but popularized in the 1990s, was the first bra to lift and push breasts together

The nipple bra allowed women to have a 'no bra' look, while keeping a woman's breasts fully supported. According to one vintage ad, the nipple bra gave women the 'sensual cold weather look all the time'.

A couple of years ago Victoria's Secret tried - and failed - to bring the nipple bra back to the masses. 

Also during the disco era, the first DIY sports bra, which was made out of two jock straps debuted. It was later perfected and named the Jogbra, becoming the first manufactured sports bra. 

The next revolutionary bra came two decades later in the early 1990s. Although the Wonderbra was created in the 1960s, it was popularized in the 90s, as it was the first bra to lift and push breasts together. 

Revolutionary support: The Nubra, which was created in 2002, allows women to wear backless dresses, while keeping their breasts supported with its silicone adhesive cups 

Revolutionary support: The Nubra, which was created in 2002, allows women to wear backless dresses, while keeping their breasts supported with its silicone adhesive cups 

Molded to you: The Smart Memory Bra, which launched in 2009, is made of foam that reacts to a woman's tempurature 

Molded to you: The Smart Memory Bra, which launched in 2009, is made of foam that reacts to a woman's tempurature 

Thinking a head: The video ends with a guess as to what the future's bra will look like 

Thinking a head: The video ends with a guess as to what the future's bra will look like 

The Nubra, a strapless, backless, silicone adhesive bra, was launched in 2002 after a Bragel International, Inc founder realized that women who were unhappy with the size of their breasts only had two options, surgery or padding. 

Although it was meant to provide women with a more affordable and more natural option for breast enhancement, the Nubra remains popular because it allows women to wear backless, strapless, and halter style gowns, while keeping their breasts supported. 

In 2009, bras became even more high-tech with the introduction of the memory foam bra, which reacts a woman's body temperature. The bra's cups expand with heat and contracts with cold, so they mold to the wearer's curves.

And while it is unclear what the future will hold, the video ended with a futuristic bra and the assumption that in 2100 it will be worn by a female robot.  

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