There was a time when bras used to be padded with impunity: almost up to the chin and with contours that seemed impossibly unnatural. Those days were heavily driven by the film industry and heaving bosoms had to be, well, heaving.

The other characteristic was the need to look big, based on the assumption that bigger bosoms were the most attractive.

These days girls, women, grand-moms and almost everyone else is trying everything to look flat. Yes, flat is in. Minimising the chest is in. Styles are now driven by the western look. Since westerners tend to have smaller breasts compared to our well-rounded chests, the result is confusion.

Those days padding was of only one kind: foam. Increasing layers increased the volume. These days padding comes in many types and with many intentions.

Moulded cups: This padding is used in T shirt bras to give a smooth contour. It’s resulted in a strange uniformity of shape because it completely camouflages the natural shape of the wearer. The padding is made of heat moulded cups which can vary in thickness depending on the design of the bra.

Fibre filling: This is used primarily for camouflaging nipples that tend to show through thin overgarments or in the colder months. This is a thin layer of very light fibre inserted into the entire cup of the bra.

Minimiser padding: Linguistically this is an oxymoron, but in the world of bras this is magic. Strategically used thin but dense padding can actually round up and compress the breasts in a manner that they look and feel smaller and compact.

Enhancer padding: This one does exactly the opposite of the preceding type. It can be heat moulded, in which case the padding used is quite thick. This kind covers the breasts fully and adds a seamless look while enhancing the cup size of the wearer.

The other type is in the shape of chicken wings; inserted on the lower and outer part of the cup. This padding then pushes the breasts inwards and upwards, thus creating a cleavage. The padding used is either a dense and thick fibre or a heat moulded foam in the shape of chicken wings or even silicon wings that can be inserted in the cup of the bra.

A part of me also wants to mention the DIY padding done best with socks. Yes, socks make great inserts for enhancing one’s cup size. As does tissue paper! But, given that these two fantastic ideas have hardly any standardisation, they don’t really make the cut here as effective padding material.

Dorothy Parker had once said that brevity is the soul of lingerie. Padding then should be its flesh and blood, at least in these times, no?

The columnist is the founder-CEO of Necessity-SwatiGautam, a customised brand of brassieres. Contact: necessityswatigautam@gmail.com