From Restrictive To Fashionable?

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 modern corsets are designed to emphasize the bust, waist, hip ratio and therefore create an hourglass figure giving curves to the wearer and emphasizing female sexuality.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.

    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 styles of the day and the social attitude to the female form.The desire was to achieve a significant difference from the flat rigid body and the curved breasts.It shortened in length because it only needed to support the chest and it became less restrictive, and created more of a shelf style with the chest fully lifted but not squashed in towards the body as they were before.

    The Victorians and the Return to Rigid Corsets The Victorian period saw the introduction of the incredibly rigid structured corset that massively restricted and shaped the female body.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 particularly during the 1920's were the drop waisted dresses were the fashion of the day.The shape of the corset and the area of emphasis on the female body changed dramatically during the 18th century.

    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 first documented corsets were worn to flatten the body and to enhance the breasts that were dramatically forced up to the top of corset and clothing.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 corsets were typically made from whalebone or spiralled metal and they were incredibly rigid and therefore restricted movement considerably.

    The emphasis was still on a small waist but the bust and backside became more prominent and a desired feature.Corsets have long been an item of lingerie worn by women to create a structured shape that differs or exaggerates the natural shape of a woman.So, the corset has gone from being an item that has restricted and controlled women to an item that women use to demonstrate the power of the female form.They have become an incredibly erotic item because of the shape created and because of society's sexualisation of lingerie.This can be clearly seen in portraits of the time, further supported by the items of clothing that has been found.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 cut 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.The aim was to minimise a highly feminine shape, a trend which changed hugely in the 1940's and 50's but by this point it was no longer achieved with the help of a corset.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 contemporary society.