Engineering the feminine undergarments

I have always wondered what kind of earthlings design women's undergarments. For that matter all the women's accessories, dresses, shoes, etc. Why is that a woman forced to wear things that are terribly uncomfortable?

I am sure these designers are not women. Else, why would they make themselves uncomfortable wearing them, as ultimately they have to eat what they cook. They are not engineers. Else, how can you explain the awful structural shortcomings? Neither are they doctors, else they would not be using those synthetic plasticky materials for undergarments at all, unless they are the modern fibers which wick away the moisture. And, the doctors who certainly advise against it, would certainly not have designed those pointy balancing shoes (I still don't know how to balance on them, even when I can stand on my head for several minutes).

Ever since I started wearing bras, I have cursed the designers/manufacturers/whoever is involved in the whole process. They (the bras) suffocate me (and I have heard many women say that) and restrict me. Some of the exercise bras almost kill me by compressing my chest as if I am put in a vice. That too, when especially, I need my clothing to be loose and comfortable. I am allergic to any material other than cotton. I start itching all over the contact area if I wear anything but the cotton ones. But, it is very hard to get the properly designed long lasting bras in cotton.

Stores will have rows and rows of bras in all colors, shapes and sizes except the one that I am looking for! These days many look almost like armored plates made of some foam materials. However, the cotton ones are a casualty. The price tag for the bras are sometimes more than that for the shirts that I buy! Did not realize that bras needed so much manual labor (of course not much material there for it to be that expensive) to manufacture!

Coming to the engineering aspect of designing the bras. Since I am an engineer (with a scientist mentality, as my son would say), I simply cannot understand some of the designs. A very thin flimsy strap that is supposed balance the loads of the breasts. No structural engineering standards would allow that. I am sure civil engineers would not endorse that. Naturally, by the end of the day, these straps would have carved out the shoulder skin and muscle, so much so, I only wonder who wants to wear bras 18-hours! Then there are bras with laces and the strap stitched to these flimsy laces! Recently, without observing this, I bought a pair and in one wash, the bra became unusable because the lace tore off!

Coming to the panties, there are some called thongs that almost mimic the 'kaupeena' of India. With almost no clothing material on them, they are generally made with synthetic material and priced on the higher end. Not clear what kind of logic is used in pricing them.

Here is an attempt to formalize the pricing logic. The price P is inversely proportional to the material content, M, and the usefulness factor of the product, U.

i.e., P = α /(MxU).

As long as Fruit of the Loom or Haines continue to make the cotton undergarments at a reasonable price, hopefully, I can find them in some Target or Walmart stores and survive.