Thread by @wikivictorian

💜✨ The corset, its evolution through time and the cultural value that it had: A THREAD ✨💜

The corset is one of the most controversial items of clothing in the history of fashion. Worn by women through the centuries, the corset was an essential element of fashionable dress.

Dress reformers argued that women's bodies were "deformed" by fashion; and most people today perceive the corset as having been an instrument of women's oppression.

The first evidence of corsetlike garments can be found in the art of the Minoan civilization, which depicts women wearing metal plates that slim the waist and accentuate the bust.

Waist-shaping garments appeared sporadically in Europe during the Middle Ages, worn by members of both sexes. About the 15th century women began to wear bodices stiffened with paste, known then as a pair of bodys.

In the 16th century that type of bodice became a separate article of underclothing, laced together either in front or in back and eventually supported throughout with strips of a firm material—such as wood, bone, or horn—between two layers of fabric.

Corsets that were laced up the front were often covered by a decorated panel known as a stomacher that concealed the laces. The corset of 16th-century Spain was supported in the front by a vertically placed wooden or bone rod

(or two, if the garment laced in the front) known as a busk, which produced a flat shape, and was reinforced elsewhere with whalebone stays. The busk became a predominant feature of later corsets, despite other changes.

Corsets were worn for the longest time and originated as stays. Corsets were worn on linen undergarments under all of the other layers of clothing. The women of the French court saw this corset as "indispensable to the beauty of the female figure."

Corsets of this time were often worn with a farthingale that held out the skirts in a stiff cone. The corsets turned the upper torso into a matching but inverted cone shape.

These corsets had shoulder straps and ended in flaps at the waist. They flattened the bust, and in so doing, pushed the breasts up

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries bodies, as corsets were known then, were typically worn as both underwear and outerwear. There are many examples of bodies from these centuries that have detachable sleeves.

Whalebone (baleen) was frequently used in bodies to maintain their stiff appearance. Bents (reeds) were also common. A busk, typically made of wood, horn, ivory, metal, or whalebone, was added to stiffen the front of the bodice.

It was then carved and shaped into a thin knife shape and inserted into a pouch in the front of the bodice, then fastened and held into place by ribbon, so that the busk could be easily removed and replaced.

The front of the corset was typically covered by a "stomacher," a stiff, V-shaped structure that was worn on the abdomen for decorative purposes.

The shape and construction of the corset changed over time.

The most common type of corset in the 1700s was an inverted conical shape, often worn to create a contrast between a rigid quasi-cylindrical torso above the waist and heavy full skirts below.

The primary purpose of 18th-century stays was to raise and shape the breasts, tighten the midriff, support the back, improve posture to help a woman stand straight, with the shoulders down and back, and only slightly narrow the waist,

creating a "V" shaped upper torso over which the outer garment would be worn; however, "jumps" of quilted linen were also worn instead of stays for informal situations.

Deriving from the French word jupe, which in the eighteenth century referred to a short jacket, jumps were only partially boned and padded with cotton to provide support for the breasts while not being restrictive.

Jumps were made of silk, cotton, or linen and often embroidered. Jumps fastened over the breasts with ties such as silk ribbons, buttons, and sometimes, metal hooks.

Well-fitting eighteenth-century corsets were quite comfortable, did not restrict breathing, and allowed women to work, although they did restrict bending at the waist, forcing one to protect one's back by lifting with the legs

By the 1790s, the new fashion for high-waisted dresses led some women to adopt shorter stays, resembling proto-brassieres. The corset became less constricting with the advent of the high-waisted empire style (around 1796) which de-emphasized the natural waist.

Some form of corset was still worn by most women of the time but these were often "short stays" (i.e. they did not extend very far below the breasts).

By 1800, the corset had become primarily a method of supporting the breasts, as the waist was raised to just under the bust line. Corsets still slimmed the torso, but this was not their primary purpose.

Early 19th century stays were long, soft and came in a more natural shape, reflecting the fashion of the era, high waisted and long flowing dress made from fine silk and muslins.

These corsets or stays were made of sateen, cotton, silk or linen, containing minimal, as support was achieved through quilting/cording and by stays.

Beginning in the mid-1820s, women's fashion returned to the full skirts of the prior century. In a repudiation of the Empire silhouette, the waist became the central focus of female dress.

When the waistline returned to its natural position during the 1830s, the corset reappeared and served the dual purpose of supporting the breasts and narrowing the waist.

However, it had changed its shape to the hourglass silhouette that is even now considered typical both for corsets and for Victorian fashion. At the same time, the term corset was first used for this garment in English

In the 1830s, the artificially inflated shoulders and skirts made the intervening waist look narrow, even with the corset laced only moderately.

In 1839, a Frenchman by the name of Jean Werly made a patent for women's corsets made on the loom. This type of corset was popular until 1890: when machine-made corsets gained popularity.

As seen in various fashion advertisements of the era, the common corset cost one dollar ($1). Before this, all corsets were handmade - and, typically, home-made.

Subsequent corsets of the 19th century were shaped like an hourglass.

During the mid-19th century, heavily boned rigid corsetry became popular. Bodices began to be tighter fitting, and skirts were full and bell shape which created the illusion of a smaller waist.

It was not uncommon by the 1860’s for corsets to be boned with as many as 60 whalebones and some corsets of the era had over 100 bones in them.

A major innovation in 19th century corsetry was the introduction of the front fastening busk in 1848. This allowed a woman to have independence and put on her corset easily by herself.

The new busk was gently curved to follow the natural posture and lines of the body for comfort rather than the stiff busk popular in the early part of the century.

With the advent of the sewing machine in the mid-19th century, working-class women were able to purchase cheap mass-produced corsets.

When the exaggerated shoulders disappeared, the waist itself had to be cinched tighter in order to achieve the same effect.

It is thought that in the 1840s and 1850s that tightlacing first became popular, though historical documents from the time tell us that padding was increased at the bust and hips to give the illusion of a narrower waist.

The corset differed from the earlier stays in numerous ways. The corset no longer ended at the hips, but flared out and ended several inches below the waist. The corset was exaggeratedly curvaceous rather than funnel-shaped. Spiral steel stays curved with the figure.

While many corsets were still sewn by hand to the wearer's measurements, there was also a thriving market in cheaper mass-produced corsets.

As fashion dictated dresses to have a flat front and a bustle behind, corsets were made longer to cover the hips. Steam-molding was introduced about that time, in which finished corsets were starched and shaped using steam.

Although polemics against tight corsets and their adverse health effects (e.g., stunted muscle development and respiratory problems) were common in literature from the late 17th century onward, corsets continued to be worn.

The evolution of the bra from the corset was driven by two parallel movements: health professionals' concerns about the cruel, constraining effects of the corset,

and the clothing reform movement of feminists who saw that greater participation of women in society would require emancipation from corsetry

Prominent among these were the Rational Dress Society, the National Dress Reform Association, and the Reform Dress Association

There are considerable differences of opinion as to who "invented" the modern brassière. Patent dates indicate some of the landmark developments; a large number of patents for bra-like devices were granted in the 19th century.

However, what is regarded as the world's oldest push-up bra was discovered in storage at the Science Museum in London.

According to Life magazine, in 1889 Herminie Cadolle of France invented the first modern bra. It appeared in a corset catalogue as a two-piece undergarment, which she originally called the corselet gorge, and later le bien-être (or "the well-being").

Her garment effectively cut the traditional corset in two: The lower part was a corset for the waist and the upper part supported the breasts with shoulder straps. Her description reads "designed to sustain the bosom and supported by the shoulders."

She patented her invention and showed it at the Great Exhibition of 1889. The company, still family-owned, claims today that Herminie "freed women by inventing the first Bra."

After the straight-fronted corset became fashionable in the early 20th century, a bra or "bust supporter" became a necessity for full-busted women because the straight-fronted corset did not offer as much support and containment as the Victorian styles.

Early bras were either wrap-around bodices or boned, close-fitting camisoles (both worn over the corset). They were designed to hold the bust in and down against the corset, which provided upward support.

Advertising of the times, typically in periodicals, stressed the advantages of bras in health and comfort over corsets and portrayed garments with shoulder supports in a mono-bosom style and with limited adaptability.

About 1910, when fashion began to emphasize a slender, straight figure, corsets were cut longer so as to cover the thighs.

In this era, the ideal shape of a women changed, therefore it was necessary for corsets to be majorly redesigned. The fashionable silhouette had changed.

Corsets forced shoulders upright and formed a long sloping bust that ended with a graceful curve over the hips, creating the famous "Gibson Girl" look.

The body shape created was called the S-Bend, as the curves of a lady's figure resembled the curves of the letter S.

From 1912 to 1919, corsets still used a straight busk and straight front, but their function was not to compress the waist to exaggerate the bust and hips, but to minimise the abdomen and hips.

A top heavy appearance was sought after, as women wanted their bust to be emphasised, and the rest of their torso to measure in the same line. To achieve this, corsets no longer came up to support the breasts but ended just below the bust line.

The actual waist of the corset was placed just above natural level onto the lower ribcage so that extreme waist shrinking was impossible. To achieve the shape, corsets were cut longer and straighter in the body and hip than earlier corsets had been.

Some early long line corsets were very long, often ending at mid-thigh, creating the basis of what was later known as the girdle. Boning was still used, but minimally.

Sigmund Lindauer from Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, Germany developed a bra for mass production in 1912 and patented it in 1913. It was mass-produced by Mechanischen Trikotweberei Ludwig Maier und Cie. in Böblingen, Germany.

Bras became more common and widely promoted over the course of the 1910s, aided by the continuing trend towards lighter, shorter corsets that offered increasingly less bust support and containment.

In 1917 at the beginning of the U.S. involvement in World War I, the U.S. War Industries Board asked women to stop buying corsets to free up metal for war production. This was said to have saved some 28,000 tons of metal, enough to build two battleships

It has been said that the bra took off the way it did in large part because of World War I, which shook up gender roles by putting many women to work in factories and uniforms for the first time.

The war also influenced social attitudes toward women and helped to liberate them from corsets. But women were already moving into the retail and clerical sectors.

Thus the bra emerged from something that was once discreetly tucked into the back pages of women's magazines in the 1890s, to prominent display in department stores such as Sears, Roebuck, and Montgomery Ward by 1918.

This culminated in the "boyish" silhouette of the Flapper era of the 1920s, with little bust definition.

The term (which in the mid-1910s referred to preteen and early-teenage girls) was adopted by the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency in the 1920s for their younger adult customers.

The androgynous figure then in style downplayed women's natural curves through the use of a bandeau bra, which flattened breasts. It was relatively easy for small-busted women to conform to the flat-chested look of the Flapper era.

Women with larger breasts tried products like the popular Symington Side Lacer that, when laced at the sides, pulled and helped to flatten women's chests. Yet some "bras" of the early 1920s were little more than camisoles.

By the 1930's, slightly more fitted silhouettes emerged. Women still wanted to have slim hips, but now desired a more prominent waistline.

Garments continued to have a dropped and were often cut with angled seams, and wider hemlines, incorporating gores, godets and pleats.

The word "brassiere" was gradually shortened to "bra" in the 1930s. According to a 1934 survey by Harper's Bazaar, "bra" was the most commonly used expression for the garment among college women

In the late 1930s there was an attempt by designers to bring back the boned corset, but World War II cut short most fashion innovations.

Corsetry during the 1950's saw the girdle become commonly worn by females. The girdle was constructed out of nylon and latex rubber, and provided the firm outline required by fashion

Strategic panels were placed in order to smooth the stomach and give flat line and a flat bottom, contrasting the breasts from the rest of the figure.

During this time, advancements in textiles manufacturing meant that elastic materials had the ability to stretch in more than one direction, allowing garments to be well fitted without boning.

By the 1950s the guêpière, also known as a bustier or waspie, became fashionable.

The 80s saw the return of the corset, but this time as a part of the outer design of apparel, worn by famously by popular culture icons, such as Madonna, who wore corsetry design by Jean Paul Gaultier for her many stage performances.

In the 90's ranges of controlling slips were introduced to the public, which similar to corsets, were worn to slim the figure, and are argued to eliminate any visible panty line underneath tight fitting clothes.

During the 20th century the corset was gradually replaced as everyday wear by the brassiere and girdle, but it remained in use in bridal fashions and costume wear into the 21st century.

Why did women abandon corsets? Historical evidence suggests that changes in fashion were directly associated with changing attitudes toward the body.

In the late 20th century, street styles such as punk and the new romanticism brought the corset back into fashion—as outerwear. The reappearance of the corset reveals how the meaning of clothing is constantly being redefined.

The corset certainly no longer signifies "respectability." It has, instead, a range of meanings.

In the wake of the sexual liberation movement, young women associated with London's punk and goth subcultures in the early 1970s began to reappropriate the corset as a symbol of rebellion.

Corsets were also increasingly adopted by men.

Especially within the world of fashion, cultural signs, like the corset, have no fixed meaning anymore.

Throughout human history, people in all cultures have demonstrated an urge to "dress" or "fashion" their bodies in ways that respond to particular sociocultural ideals of beauty, eroticism, status, conformity, and other powerful forces

Tightly laced corsets also remained popular among those engaged in certain forms of body modification. As we move through the 21st century, the corset shows no signs of disappearing.

The corset was first associated with the aristocracy but was adopted by bourgeois women by the 18th century. Women of lower classes often made their own corsets from less-expensive cloth, using reeds for support and reinforcement.

Women wore corsets for almost 400 years, because comfort was judged less important than social status, feminine beauty, and respectability.

Thorstein Veblen was incorrect, however, in arguing that corsets prevented women from working.

First associated with aristocrats, the corset retained its prestige value even after working-class women adopted cheap ready-made corsets.

Contrary to popular belief, most Victorian women did not have 16-inch waists. Corsets were usually advertised with waists of 18 to 32 inches when laced completely closed, but they were often left open an inch or two.

Not only did the corset support the bosom and idealize the figure, its status as underwear implicitly alluded to the act of undressing and intimate intercourse.

Paradoxically, the corset was also a sign of respectability, because it controlled the body and, by extension, the physical passions. A strait-laced woman was not loose.

By emphasizing the sexually dimorphic curves of a woman's body, the corset functioned as a symbol of female beauty.

The corset controversy concerns supporters' and detractors' arguments for and against wearing a corset. The controversy was contemporary with the time that corsets were popular in society.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, doctors blamed the corset for dozens of diseases, including cancer, hysteria, "tight-lacing liver," tuberculosis and scoliosis (curvature of the spine). Most of these diagnoses are unsupported by the evidence.

Many doctors railed against the practice of tight lacing as decidedly harmful. Some women responded to their claims, saying that tight lacing was actually beneficial as well as enjoyable,

but most women didn't agree and found tight lacing impractical since they had to work, others cited their own negative experiences with the practice.

Wearing corsets has been subject to criticism since the era of tight lacing during the prior century. Jean-Jacques Rousseau denounced the practice in The Lancet while cartoons of the period satirized the practice.

However, by the 19th century, women were writing letters to publications expressing their views directly and articulately. The one-sided denunciation of the past turned into a dialogue.

Women made their voices heard, sharing their experiences and their opinions, some in favor of the corset and even tight lacing, and some in disfavor of the restrictive garment.

Newspapers and popular journals became the media for the exchange of hundreds of letters and articles concerning the corset.

Known as the "corset controversy" or simply the "corset question", the controversy spilled over multiple publications, countries and decades. Of particular concern was the issue of tight lacing.

The flow of articles and letters waxed and waned over time, reaching a crescendo in the late 1860s, which may be taken to be the peak of the frenzy. However, the issue surfaced long before and continued long afterward.

Throughout this period, advertisements in the same publications promoted the sale of corsets with enthusiasm.

The line between wearing corsets in general and tight lacing in particular was never drawn precisely. Many detractors denounced both, obviating the distinction, while many advocates endorsed both.

Additionally, many women who wore corsets denied that they tight-laced, adding confusion to the controversy. The West Coast Times wrote that "consequences of tight lacing are universally admitted," yet ladies' denial persisted.

They preferred to claim that their small waist was "a gift of Nature" and that they wear a corset for "comfortable, if not necessary support.

It was expected that women would wear corsets and it was part of a mother's duty to her female offspring to have them wear the garment. In some cases, mothers started their daughters wearing corsets in early childhood.

Mothers typically put their daughters into serious corsets in their teens or sometimes in the pre-teens. In fashionable society, a girl was expected to have a suitably small waist

Girls' schools were preparation for society and some headmistresses treated that attainment as part of the girls' schooling. As the girl was not yet an adult, her opinion was not considered.

Advocates of dress reform deplored the impractical and restrictive fashions of the time. The bloomer dress was a mid-century attempt at rational clothing for women.

It attracted considerable ridicule in the press and relatively few adopters. Other attempts at dress reform fared no better.

The corset controversy changed in the early 20th century when the world of fashion circled back to styles reminiscent of the Empire silhouette.

Fashionable dress was fluid and soft, with flowing lines. What rational dress reform was unable to accomplish in decades of rhetoric, the wheel of changing fashion brought about almost overnight. The waist became unimportant and the waist-restricting corset lost its significance

Paul Poiret was a leader in this movement. He replaced the corset with the hobble skirt, which, while equally restrictive, was different and thus readily adopted in an era eager for change.

And now, a evolution of the corset through the XIX century (until 1920s)

1800s

1810s

1820s

1830s

1840s

1850s

1860s

1870s

1880s

1890s

1900s

1910s

1920s

Special mention for:

Maternity/pregnancy corsets

Nursing corsets

Sports corsets

Summer corsets

Corsets (and stays) have been shown in a lot of period dramas and films. Just to name a few examples:

Moulin Rouge (2001)

Outlander (2014 -)

Titanic (1997)

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Anna Karenina (2012)

Downton Abbey (2010-15)

Corpse Bride (2005)

Gone With the Wind (1939)

Enola Holmes (2020)

La cocinera de Castamar (2021-)

Emma (2020)

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Kuroshitsuji (2008-09)

Bridgerton (2020-)

💜✨ The End ✨💜

Thank you for reading until the end! I hope you found this thread interesting 😊