by Molly Elizabeth Agnew

The Truth About Corsets:
Busting the Myths

We’ve all heard the rumours of corsets being torture devices that move your organs around and make it impossible for women to go about their day-to-day lives whilst wearing one. However, when you look at their history, and you look at the facts, this couldn’t be further from the truth. So, what is the truth about corsets and why do they have such an awful reputation?

Corsets have been worn for centuries by every segment of society, from royalty and the social elite to the working class. This began with the boned kirtle dresses of the Tudors, which later evolved into the pairs of bodies worn by the Elizabethans and Stuarts. Next came the stays of the eighteenth century, and eventually the Victorian corset we know and sadly don’t love.

It’s important to note that the term corset only came into common parlance in the 19th century (1828 to be precise), and is derived from the old French word “corps,” meaning body. These items of clothing, corsets and stays, have always had a practical use more than simply an aesthetic one. They helped support the back and breasts and aided in carrying the weight of petticoats and overskirts, which were often very heavy and made up of several layers.

Unnatural and stiff silhouettes have been common throughout history, and this could not be achieved without the use of correct stays or corsets to mold the body of the wearer. Have you ever wondered why cheap historical Halloween costumes generally look incorrect? This is usually because the correct supportive undergarments are not being worn, and they’re usually fast fashion and made of historically inaccurate fabrics.  

When talking about corsets, the one question that arises time and again is “aren’t they torture devices?”, and the simple answer is no! If they were then women wouldn’t have worn them for so many centuries. The truth is, a corset or pair of stays that are fitted correctly to the wearer is comfortable and allows for sufficient movement. They were rarely ever laced completely shut for the aim was not to reduce the size of the waist but simply create a silhouette. There was a trend in the late 19th century of tightlacing and this seems to have been etched into our minds as how corsets were always worn, however, this trend was only followed by a small handful of aristocratic women who wished to reduce their waist. It must, however, be noted that while stays and Victorian corsets did not cause the wearer pain, the Edwardian ‘S’ bend corset may well have done due to its extreme shape. It forced the wearer to stand with their hips tilted back, but this is the only instance of this.

One often hears the remark that “you cannot move properly in a corset”, which again is completely false. Corsets were worn by the social elite and also the working class, who generally worked labour intensive jobs. If their corsets interfered with their work then they wouldn’t have worn them. They clearly did, meaning corsets and stays just simply didn’t get in the way of their physical movement.

“They must have had tiny waists!” Again, this common remark is somewhat false. When we look back at the 18th and 19th century the average height for men and women was much less than it is in 2020, so this must be taken into account. Women tended to be particularly smaller on average than today. You must remember that the corset was not the only item of clothing used to create the desirable silhouette, bum pads were also used, which in turn had the illusion of making the waist look smaller. Huge sleeves were also very popular in the 1830s, and these also had the effect of making the waist look far smaller than it actually was – it was always a trick! 

Photographs of women from the Victorian and Edwardian era often show them with tiny waists, so people think this must be the truth? Again, no. Photoshop is not a modern invention, and many of these photos were adjusted to show the subject with a smaller waist, much like some would use Facetune now to achieve the same. There is also zero evidence that any women removed their ribs to have a smaller waist, and, given the state of medicine in the 18th and 19th centuries, I’m not sure anyone would be risking death just to lose a few inches!

So if the corset was worn for so many centuries, why did it fall out of fashion and why did it do so so quickly? During the terrors of the First World War, women found themselves doing the work and jobs of men, which gave women this new sense of liberation and freedom. Looser silhouettes began to come into fashion and dresses started to become shorter and shorter. By the 1920s the typical corset was completely out of fashion, instead replaced by the girdle – which also molded the wearer’s silhouette but in the same way that you may wear Spanx today. Corsets had a slight revival during the 1950s. However, this was short-lived, and corsets are now seen as sexual and fetishized items of underwear. This is a new notion and the Victorians never viewed them this way. They were simply a necessary item of underwear, much like the modern underpants.

If these myths are false, then where have they come from and why? There are many reasons why these ideas of corsets being torture devices and villainous items of clothing have been perpetuated. As a society we feed off the information we see in film and television, it is simply in our nature. So, when we are shown inaccurate portrayals we don’t necessarily know that what we are viewing is incorrect. Think about all the times you have heard an actress announce that wearing a corset for a role was hell and caused her bruises and immense pain; you’ve probably believed her, right? This is because in a vast array of films and TV series those actresses have not been wearing their stays or corsets correctly, and this is the fault of the director and costume designer. I have lost count of the number of times I have seen a character in a period piece wearing a corset or pair of stays directly next to their skin, which is completely inaccurate.

Throughout history stays and corsets were worn over a layer called the shift, a linen or cotton underdress that was changed daily and acted as a barrier between the skin and corset. This also protected the corset and outer garments from becoming dirty from the body’s oils and dirt. If a corset is worn directly on the skin it can be very painful and cause bruising and blisters. Corsets worn by actresses often don’t fit them sufficiently, which can also cause pain and be highly uncomfortable. Unsurprisingly, another culprit for perpetuating these ideas are men. During the late Victorian era, many male doctors protested that corsets caused hysteria in women and a variety of other ailments, which is of course false. They were simply trying to come up with answers for medical conditions they did not yet understand. 

They may have a tarnished reputation, but corsets aren’t completely a thing of the past, and are still worn by many for a variety of reasons. In modern fashion they are often used on runways and for events – think of Kim Kardashian’s Mugler dress at the 2019 Met Gala – and they are often used in the vintage community to help create a more hourglass figure, which was highly desirable in the ’40s and ’50s. Historical reenactors and interpreters, as well as cosplayers, spend much of their time wearing stays and corsets, adapting to everyday life in these garments, much how our ancestors did.

One cannot talk about corsetry without mentioning the obvious, the modern bra is itself just a form of corset that supports the breasts and creates a desired silhouette. As we think of them as sometimes uncomfortable but necessary, this is how our ancestors viewed their corsets.

Follow Molly and Eternal Goddess

READ ALL ABOUT IT

This Post Has One Comment

Leave a Reply