I would imagine that many women pre sports bras used some sort of material to bind themselves, much in the same way women who have breasts but want to "disguise" them do. Maybe men too. I remember while growing up that my Scandinavian aunts told me the opposite of what my US P.E. teachers told me, and that was that if I didn't wear a bra I would strengthen the muscles, the p.e. teachers said I would tear them. I actually CAN run without a bra, 36 c or d most of my life...except for that recently with so much training I have dropped to a B, yipppee....but anyway, I don't run without one because I have been trained to be embarrassed by the jiggle wiggle etc.