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This article is about padding in fashion. For the use of the term in cryptography, see padding (cryptography).

In fashion, padding is material sometimes added to clothes. It is often done in an attempt to enhance appearance by 'improving' a physical feature, often a sexually significant one. Thus, there is padding for:

• Breasts (sometimes called (in English), falsies)
• The male crotch (usually called a codpiece)
• Height (usually in shoes and often called (in English) elevator shoes)
• Width of shoulders (in coats and other garments for men)

Some padding is added to emphasize particular physical features that are usually not present. Women, for instance, rarely have prominent shoulders, but for some years shoulder pads have been added to dresses (blouses, etc). The effect was unnatural for women, but gave them a more masculine outline which was sometimes thought to be of benefit in business situations.

Padding is also added to clothing for insulation or cushioning reasons. Thus, many coats and outergarments (especially those for outdoor use in cold climates) are padded with such materials as felt or down or feathers or artificial insulations. Cushioning padding is included in some sporting goods, especially those intended for use in combat sports (eg, fencing, some martial arts, etc). Garments intended for actual use in combat were once commonly padded (eg, by the ancient Greeks under armor, or by the Japanese until the mid-19th century), but have largely been replaced by light armor made of, for instance, Kevlar. If included in a vest, such armor makes a bullet-proof vest.

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