By : Jasmine Isekeije
“I should get a few ribs taken out because I’ll be in a corset for the rest of my life.” -Helena Bonham Carter.
When the word corset is mentioned, many different styles and types of waist-cinching garments probably pop up in your head. Corsets have been around for decades and over the years they have served multiple purposes than just giving women an hourglass shape in a Victorian dress. In this article, I will do a deep dive into the history of corsets and the purposes they serve.
The first corset
Catherine de Medici introduced the first corsets to the French court which they fully embraced. Women saw this corset as “indispensable to the beauty of the female figure.”(Stella, 2016) In the 1500s, the corset was used primarily as an undergarment. This corset was tightened by string and elongated the body when worn under the clothes. By the 16th century, corsets were commonly worn by British and European women (Stella, 2016).
Men in Corsets!
Yes, you read right, men wore corsets too! Even one of America’s founding fathers, Thomas Paine, was known to make and wear corsets (McBrayer, 2023). Corsets served multiple purposes for men in the 1800s. The cavalry army used corsets for weightlifting, hunting, and intense exercise (McBrayer, 2023). But, men didn’t just use Corsets for exercise-related activities. In the late 1800s dandyism was a widespread trend for European and British men (McBrayer, 2023). It was popular for men to have slender and more feminine characteristics.
Health risk
While waist trainers make you look good on the outside, they do tremendous damage to your insides. A tightly laced corset limits lung capacity, weakens the back, and irritates the skin (Goldberg, 2015). These are only a few of the issues that come with wearing a corset. Corsets can also cause irreversible damage to the pelvis and digestive system (Goldberg, 2015). Doctors were strictly against the use of corsets but still, they were worn tightly for extended periods.
Corsets today
Corsets today
Today corsets are less for exaggerating the figure, but more for style. In 2019 the corset trend began to arise when popular celebrities, like Bella Hadid, were seen wearing corsets with modern fashion (Bateman, 2020). Many high-end fashion designers also began to incorporate the use of corsets in their fashion designs (Bateman, 2020).
It is safe to say that corsets have a long and ongoing history. For women, corsets used to be a need to look presentable, but corsets serve a different purpose in the world of fashion today.
Now, men and women can feel empowerment and confidence while wearing corsets and show off their bodies on their terms.
References
Bateman, K. (2020, August 4). Why corsets are having a moment in 2020. The Zoe Report. https://www.thezoereport.com/p/2020s-corset-trend-reimagines-a-historical-piece-for-the- modern-moment-29522872
Goldberg, Johanna. (2015, May 29). Did corsets harm women’s health? Books, Health and History. https://nyamcenterforhistory.org/2015/05/29/did-corsets-harm-womens-health/
McBrayer, M. K. (2023, June 6). Men wore corsets, history says. Messy Nessy Chic. https://www.messynessychic.com/2021/03/09/men-wore-corsets-history-says/
Stella, C. (2016, July 27). Corset history – champagne corsets & designs. Champagne Corsets Designs. https://www.champagnecorsets.com/history/