subject: Corsets - From Restrictive To Fashionable? [print this page] Corsets have long been a piece of lingerie worn by women to create a structured shape that differs or exaggerates the natural shape of a woman. They have evolved through several different styles, from a simply chest enhancing device through to a rigidly structured hip and waist curve drawing in the waist to create the shape.
The Early Corsets and the Female Form
The fashionable shape of the female body has shifted emphasis between the bust, the waist and the hips depending upon the clothing fashions of the day and the social attitude to the female body. The first recorded corsets were worn to flatten the torso and to enhance the breasts that were dramatically pushed up to the top of corset and clothing. The desire was to achieve a big difference from the flat rigid body and the curved breasts. This can be clearly seen in portraits of the time, further supported by the items of clothing that has been found.
The shape of the corset and the area of emphasis on the female body changed dramatically during the 18th century. The shape of women's dresses became empire lined and hung off the chest, this meant that the waist did not need to be pulled in tightly and therefore the style of the corset became totally different. It shortened in length because it only needed to support the chest and it became less tight, and created more of a shelf style with the chest fully lifted but not pushed in towards the body as they were previously.
The Victorians and the Return to Rigid Corsets
The Victorian period saw the dawn of the incredibly rigid structured corset that massively restricted and shaped the female body. The emphasis shifted from the chest to a incredibly small waist and therefore the lacing became more extreme pulling in the body to create a doll like daintiness, this became known as tightlacing but it did not have the same sexual connotations that it has in modern society. Although this style greatly emphasised the bust and backside the clothes covered the entire body from neck to foot and therefore the emphasised shape escaped being sexual.
The corsets were typically made from whalebone or spiralled metal and they were incredibly rigid and therefore restricted movement considerably. This fashion continued into the turn of the 20th century where the rigidity remained but the shape changed into what became known as an S-Bend corset. The emphasis was still on a tiny waist but the bust and backside became more prominent and a desired feature.
The corset gradually fell out of favour in the early decades of the 20th century, the fashions changed to a more straight up and down boy shape and the girdle became more popular especially during the 1920's were the drop waisted dresses were the fashion of the day. The aim was to minimise a highly womanly shape, a trend which changed hugely in the 1940's and 50's but by this point it was no longer created with the help of a corset.
The Place of the Corset in Modern Society
Although women no longer wear corsets to change their shape for fashion on a daily basis they are still worn but in a totally different capacity. They have become a highly erotic item because of the shape created and because of society's sexualisation of lingerie. It is no longer just designed for shape and practicality it is meant to titillate and provoke which the corset does to great effect. The modern corsets are intended to emphasize the bust, waist, hip ratio and therefore create an hourglass figure giving curves to the wearer and emphasizing female sexuality.
So, the corset has gone from being something that has restricted and controlled women to an item that women use to demonstrate the power of the female body.
