How boobs have grown with the times – from Henry VIII’s ‘bee-sting’ beauties to Bridgerton’s buxom bosoms

A TUDOR tale is set to be the next big blockbuster – but you’d breast be on the smaller side if you want to audition.

Upcoming film Firebrand, about the darker side to the marriages of Henry VIII, played by Jude Law, requires female extras to have a bust size of less than 36inches.

The casting call-out claims it is so the actors fit in with the period and its “very specific costume sizes”.

The chosen few will star with US actress Michelle Williams, who is set to play the portly king’s sixth wife, Catherine Parr, but the film’s strict criteria has been criticised.

Those who spotted the casting poster in Bakewell, Derbys, questioned whether there were no “curvy women” back in Tudor times.

But in the 15th and 16th Centuries, a breast-rating system was in place in Europe with the highest score given to busts that were “small” and also “round like apples, hard, firm and wide apart”.

King Henry is said to have had a penchant for smaller chests, too. 

In a love letter to second wife Anne Boleyn in 1528, he referred to hers as “pritty duckys”

. And their daughter, who became Queen Elizabeth — nicknamed the Virgin Queen — was said to have used corsets to compress and flatten her breasts. 

It was well into the 17th Century that a bigger cleavage found favour, at first in French society where women would loosen their restrictive bodices.

Anne of Austria, Queen of France between 1615 and 1643, was well known for drawing attention to her assets in low-cut gowns. 

And if legend is to be believed, the pert pair of the country’s 18th Century party-loving monarch, Marie Antoinette, inspired the wide-mouthed coupe champagne glass. 

Below, Siobhan O’Connor takes a look at the evolution of the cleavage, from Bridgerton’s Regency era to now.

Early 19th Century

 IN the Regency period, women’s corsets created a cleavage shelf. Thanks to the hit Netflix drama, this is now nicknamed the “Bridgerton boob”. 

Mid 19th Century 

PRUDISH Queen Victoria saw that aristocratic women covered their bosoms in public. By the end of the era, high and full neck collars were the norm. 

1920s 

FAMED for its Flappers, the era’s female silhouette became slimmer and almost androgynous, with some using bandages to flatten their breasts.

1950s

 IT all changed when blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe came along. The big-busted Hollywood star had one of the most celebrated figures in history. 

1960s 

MODEL Twiggy shot to fame and was dubbed the “anti-woman” due to her small breasts, bony shoulders and crop hair – unlike the pin-ups before her. 

1970s 

BIG boobs bounced back. Women took to wearing low-cut tops and unbuttoning their shirts. Dolly Parton was among the curvy stars to let it all hang out. 

1990s

MODEL Kate Moss made A-cups fashionable again. ‘Waif’ figures were fashionable and it is only recently that more voluptuous women are getting a look in. 

Today

REALITY telly has set the tone for cleavage trends of late. Love Islanders made the “underboob” famous and even Heidi Klum is embracing the look.