History of Womens Underwear

Believe it or not, womens underwear has not always been as important as it is in today's world. In earlier times, both men and women wore loin cloths, which concealed the private areas. As the centuries passed, different forms of undergarments were used to conceal the body. In the early 19th century what we know as women's underwear was truly born.

Knickers

During the 1800s, the book History of New York illustrates Dutchmen wearing long garments that were loose fitting and worn on the lower body; these were eventually called knickerbockers. Diedrich Knickerbocker was the pen name of the author who wrote this novel, so the term seemed to be fitting. Women's underwear was soon referred to with the same name and was eventually shortened to knickers.

Bloomers

The late 1800s and into the 20th century, women's underwear were called bloomers for the most part. Amelia Bloomer and Elizabeth Miller invented and promoted loose trousers which were worn exclusively by women. This style of undergarment was really just long underwear.

Bras And Panties

In the early 1900s the bra was invented by a women named Mary Crosby. The word "bra" is a shortened version of brassiere. The brassiere is really just another version of a corset, which had already been around for sometime. The main difference between the two was the material used. Through the 1900s, knickers became shorter and shorter until they were called briefs. Not long after, briefs came panties. The name panties came from a shortened version of the word pantyhose. As time passed, women's underwear kept pace with the current trends. We now have boy shorts, g-strings, bikini underwear and many other styles to choose from.