# Did Hawaiian women ever wear coconut shells on their breasts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 13, 2002, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-hawaiian-women-ever-wear-coconut-shells-on-their-breasts/123671 "2002-08-13T12:07:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-hawaiian-women-ever-wear-coconut-shells-on-their-breasts/123671/21 "2002-08-14T01:37:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by saoirse \* > \*\*What church were those missionaries from? \*\* šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-hawaiian-women-ever-wear-coconut-shells-on-their-breasts/123671/22 "2002-08-14T05:06:19Z")
Sorry, I was confused about the ā€œinvented Hawaiian restaurantsā€ part. The link to Cecilā€™s column helped clear that up, as did [this link](http://www.waikikinews.com/0700/0700feature3.html). Iā€™ve never heard of Trader Vicā€™s or anything related to him. There arenā€™t any of his restaurants in Hawaii (not now, anyway). And based on what I can tell, Iā€™m about ten years too young to really know who he was and what his impact was. And as for that other linkā€¦ good god. At least now I know _where_ they come fromā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-hawaiian-women-ever-wear-coconut-shells-on-their-breasts/123671/23 "2002-08-14T06:33:18Z")
Well, finding a link for that would probably be next to impossible. One of those things that no one would think they would have to actually calrify. Unless your brave enough to send an e-mail to Haunani Trask or some other Hawaiian Studies scholar I think you can rest assured that if they existed they would certainly have appeared in some of the early sketches [A Chief and his wife c. 1824](http://www.spiritofaloha.com/place03_02.html) [This nice site has dancing girls from c. 1821 a a couple other shots](http://www.cosmography.com/catalog/02-02_right_3.htm) [Several prints from the late 18th century, one or two with women from the islands](http://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/omai/pages/text.html) Plus how could the ancient Hawaiians have had bras when they werenā€™t even invented in the west until ā€¦ early last century? ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-hawaiian-women-ever-wear-coconut-shells-on-their-breasts/123671/24 "2002-08-14T06:50:48Z")
Very interesting links Osiris, the woman from the first link seems to have some pretty well devloped arms. In the second link, the women seem to have african features and some seriously developed calves! A few of them look like men with breasts. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-hawaiian-women-ever-wear-coconut-shells-on-their-breasts/123671/25 "2002-08-14T10:36:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Osiris \* > **Well, finding a link for that would probably be next to impossible. One of those things that no one would think they would have to actually calrify.** Well, it wasnā€™t so much a website link I was looking for. Any kind of cite will do. Iā€™ll take a book title, magazine article, interview transcriptā€¦ as long as itā€™s something more than a personal anecdote or hunch. > [@](#): > > Unless your brave enough to send an e-mail to Haunani Trask or some other Hawaiian Studies scholar \ :eek: Uh, no thanks. In addition to being a very busy lady, sheā€™s also one scary lady. > [@](#): > > Plus how could the ancient Hawaiians have had bras when they werenā€™t even invented in the west until ā€¦ early last century? Good point. **EasyPhil** ā€“ Native Hawaiian women werenā€™t wispy, dainty tropical maidens. They could be big, strong, and tough. And as you noted, some Native Hawaiians share features that are similar to those of African descent, such as broad noses, dark skin tones, and full lips. Hair textures are similar. ---
**Author:** ![Weeks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbce88/32.png) [@Weeks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weeks)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-hawaiian-women-ever-wear-coconut-shells-on-their-breasts/123671/26 "2002-08-14T10:45:21Z")
[coconutbras.com](http://coconutbras.com)? What the hell was all that about? Is there a coconut bra fetish group out there? Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-hawaiian-women-ever-wear-coconut-shells-on-their-breasts/123671/27 "2002-08-14T19:50:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AudreyK \* > \*\*Native Hawaiian women werenā€™t wispy, dainty tropical maidens. They could be big, strong, and tough. And as you noted, some Native Hawaiians share features that are similar to those of African descent, such as broad noses, dark skin tones, and full lips. Hair textures are similar. \*\* Itā€™s amazing how the images we are fed have little or no basis in reality. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-hawaiian-women-ever-wear-coconut-shells-on-their-breasts/123671/28 "2002-08-14T19:52:37Z")
Iā€™m referring to images potrayed on TV. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-hawaiian-women-ever-wear-coconut-shells-on-their-breasts/123671.md?page=1)