The Bra, AKA Confidence Booster.

From the outside a bra may only be seen as product used for support, but for a woman, it can mean so much more. As a woman, can you imagine walking around in public without any support? Now imagine yourself struggling to get by without the choice of weather you can wear a bra or not. For many women this is the case. Women who are going through rough times are often taken under the wing of a women's shelter or homeless shelter. In these shelters they are giving the resources to get back on their feet. Women in these cases are in need of many things, most importantly food, but in order to truly become independent, they need a source of income. Job interviews can be nerve racking as it is. Imagine going to job interview and not having that extra self esteem booster that many women take for granted...A BRA. 

Not wearing a bra could also lead to sexual harassment which in no way can boost a woman's confidence. 

"The bra drive serves a dual purpose, so for our women it is a self-esteem builder but its also an additional layer of clothing,"

"Bras do a lot of things, who knew they could ever be protection, but this is an incredibly important thing when you understand the protective aspect of it. It's very touching to me when you think about that,"

http://www.kulr8.com/news/local/Bra-Donations-Help-Homeless-105144749.html

First scientific research into uplifting lingerie proves push-up bras make women 75 per cent more confident.

University of Manchester study proves push-up bra alone significantly boosts confidence

A total of 60 video recordings were made of female participants aged 20 to 55, filmed in three different everyday interactions. Footage was compared of them wearing a push-up bra and wearing their own normal, everyday bra.

Professor Beattie and his team analysed the three key micro-behaviours associated with confidence and observed their frequency within the recordings. 

• Smiling - which represents positive emotion and signals confidence increased dramatically by 73 per cent when the women were wearing a push up bra. 
• Averting gaze and breaking eye contact - normally associated with low confidence - decreased by 41 per cent. 
• self-comforting hand movements such as stroking of the chin or wiping the forehand, which is a signpost to low self confidence, decreased by 64 per cent during the trial. 

Professor of Psychology at The University of Manchester Geoff Beattie called the results 'striking'.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2117576/Push-bras-make-women-75-confident-says-study.html#ixzz2AEd4QQhg
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Soma does a bra drive where they have collected almost a quarter million bras!!

“At Soma, we believe that no woman should have to make the decision between putting food on the table and buying a bra,” said Laurie Van Brunt, Soma Intimates' brand president. “The simple act of donating a bra helps these women to focus on rebuilding and recovering from the hardships of domestic violence.”

According to Van Brunt, a bra is one of the least donated but most in-demand items for women in need.

“When we learned that there are thousands of women going without an item that most of us consider part of our daily routine, we knew we had to do something,” she said.

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/braintree/2012/07/braintrees_soma_intimates_host.html?camp=pm