support breasts. In a 1952 article in Parents' Magazine, Frank H. Crowell erroneously reported that it was important for teen girls to begin wearing bras early. According to Crowell, this would prevent sagging breasts, stretched blood vessels, and poor circulation later on. This belief was based on the false idea that breasts cannot anatomically support themselves. A 2013 study by Jean-Denis Rouillon said that wearing a bra may actually weaken supportive tissue. Bra manufacturers are careful to claim that bras only affect the shape of breasts while they are being worn. The key factors influencing breast ptosis over a woman's lifetime are cigarette smoking, her number of pregnancies, gravity, higher body mass index, larger bra cup size, and significant weight gain and loss. See also Bustier Handbra Male bra Pasties Victorian dress reform Panties References Footnotes Bibliography Further reading External links —1859 Combined breast pads and arm-pit shield —1907 Bust supporter —1914 Mary Phelps Jacob's Brassiere 1880s fashion 19th-century fashion 20th-century fashion 21st-century fashion Brassieres Breast Feminism and health History of clothing (Western fashion) American inventions Women's clothing