Aussies bounce Brits' figuring on breasts

Solveig Faul | September 21, 2007

BOLD new claims from Britain hailing the tracking of a figure-eight movement in breasts as revolutionary, have been disputed by Australian brassiere engineers who say they have known of the pattern for years.

Researchers from the University of Wollongong say they first put women on treadmills to track their breasts' movement 10 years ago and have since worked on ways to reduce the bounce.

Last week, British scientist Joanna Scurr said research based on her study, which also looked at the figure-eight movement of breasts, aimed to integrate the "new" knowledge into bras.

But Julie Steele from the Applied Biomechanics Lab at the University of Wollongong, who has worked with the Australian Institute of Sport and bra manufacturer Berlei, said the British claims were sensationalised and showed ignorance.

Berlei has helped research both horizontal and vertical breast movement for years and its bra designs were aimed at handling the resulting bounce.

She said there was little information available in the public domain on breast movement due to commercial reasons, which may have led to the false claims.

Professor Steele said Dr Scurr had yet to publish her results.

The future of bra science lies in the development of intelligent fabrics. Present technology has produced fabric that moves moisture away from the body and can use ultrasonic sound waves to add support without bulky stitching and seams.

According to Professor Steele, new intelligent fabrics will tense up when a woman starts running in an everyday situation, for example for the bus, and reduce the breasts' bounce.

Education is another major issue in the world of bra science. Berlei found in its studies 66per cent of women were wearing the wrong bra. Julie Malandin, director of the Berlei Group, said incorrect fitting could lead to neck and back pain. In extreme cases, women could experience broken collarbones, numb hands, chafing and bleeding.

Fitting specialist Helen Aubrey, who has been helping women find the right bra since 1968, said: "The wrong bra is theproblem."

In her extensive experience working for David Jones, Myer, Sara Lee and Berlei, the fitter has found that women often do not realise their bodies change as they get older, have children and change their diets.

Her advice to women: "Try before you buy."

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