But did corsets truly impose such hardships on women in the past? The answer is not as straightforward as it seems. While ill-fitting or tightly laced corsets had the potential to pose problems, research reveals that they weren\u2019t as dangerous as believed. Let\u2019s uncover the real history\u2026<\/p>\n
Who invented the corset?<\/h2>\n ![\"Statuette]( "\\"Statuette")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Minoan snake goddess from the shrine at the Palace of Knossos. (Photo By DEA \/ G. DAGLI ORTI\/De Agostini via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nThe earliest image we have of a corset comes from around 1000 BC \u2013 a figurine of the Minoan snake goddess is depicted as wearing a garment that can be likened to one. A small waist was desirable amongst the Minoans, who lived on the island of Crete, so they wore undergarments to achieve this look.<\/p>\n
The Victorian corset we\u2019re most familiar with today, however, is often credited as the invention of British writer and inventor Roxey Ann Caplin. Her innovative designs earned her a medal at the Great Exhibition<\/a> in 1851, and her influence still resonates in modern corsetry.<\/p>\n Not just for women!<\/h4>\n
Contrary to popular belief, men wearing corsets wasn\u2019t an uncommon practice.<\/p>\n
Dandyism, a trend in the late 18th and early 19th century, encouraged refined tailoring to create a slender figure. To accentuate this, men wore corsets or stays (another type of supportive undergarment). Padding was then used to enhance other parts of the body, such as the chest and shoulders.<\/p>\n
King George IV employed corsetry<\/a>, reducing his waist from 55 to 50 inches for his 1821 coronation.<\/p>\nMen didn\u2019t just use corsets for aesthetic purposes; they were also worn in the military for support during strenuous exercise.<\/p>\n
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
Were corsets only used by the upper classes?<\/h3>\n
It\u2019s often assumed that corsets were only used by the upper classes, but this might not be true.<\/p>\n
As historian Dr Leigh Summers explains<\/a> in an article for Edinburgh University Press<\/em>: \u2018Working-class women who could not afford even the cheapest of professionally manufactured corsets did not necessarily have to go without them. They could make their own. The plethora of dress-making and millinery texts published in the 1830s and 1840s, which provided detailed advice on how to make stays, can be seen to indicate the importance the garment held for working- class women.\u2019<\/p>\n\n- On the podcast |\u00a0The history of beauty: everything you wanted to know<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Were corsets made of whalebone?<\/h3>\n
While many traditional corsets were supported by boning, the term \u2018whalebone\u2019 is somewhat misleading. The boning material was actually baleen \u2013 the series of fringed plates in whales\u2019 mouths that replaces teeth, and strains seawater for food.<\/p>\n
Baleen was prepared for commercial use by forming it into one continuous length, which was then cut to size for corset production. It was also used in various other applications, including parasols and bristles for chimney sweeps\u2019 brushes.<\/p>\n
![\"An]( "\\"An")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> An advertisement for Young, Carter and Overall\u2019s corsets which contained whalebone. (Photo by: Universal History Archive\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nHow dangerous were corsets?<\/h2>\n
Tightly laced corsets did have the potential to be harmful. They reduced lung capacity, caused constipation, and \u2013 with regular use \u2013 could lead to muscle atrophy in the back. Physicians in the 18th and 19th centuries also attributed corsets to more severe issues, such as cancer and heart damage, although these claims have since been debunked by modern medical observations.<\/p>\n
Most issues arose when corsets were laced too tightly, which wasn\u2019t always the norm. While women might have tightened their corsets for special occasions such as balls, they also had to live comfortably in them, as a modern woman would a bra. The concept of women not being able to eat or move in their corsets, for fear of being unwell, cannot have been universal.<\/p>\n
![\"Engraved]( "\\"Old")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Engraved illustration of the possible effects stemming from long-term corset use. (Picture by Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nIn 2015, anthropologist Dr Rebecca Gibson researched the effects of corsets<\/a>, examining 24 skeletons from 1700\u20131900. She found that their use was not without suffering, with each skeleton in the study having a deformed ribcage and misaligned spine.<\/p>\nDespite these physical changes, the women she examined often exceeded their given life expectancy at birth: \u201cWhile nothing can be said about the quality of life of these particular women, these results confound the very popular notion that corseting was inherently overtly harmful [\u2026] as well as the longstanding medical belief that corseting was responsible for early death.\u201d<\/p>\n
How small were corseted waists?<\/h2>\n
A lyric from the musical Six<\/em> \u2013 a dramatisation of the lives of Henry VIII\u2019s wives<\/a> \u2013 asserts that \u201cNo one wants a waist over nine inches!\u201d This is \u2013 of course \u2013 an exaggeration. But what dimensions were aspirational in the past?<\/p>\nDr Gibson\u2019s research found that the average 18th and 19th-century waist size, after corseting, was 22 inches. Considering the natural average for Victorian women\u2019s waists was around 20\u201328 inches, corsets usually reduced waist sizes by approximately six inches at most.<\/p>\n
\n- Read more | 6 accessories that reveal changing attitudes in society, from the Georgians to the 20th century<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
And yet photos of women\u2019s waists in the past show astonishingly small proportions. How was this possible? Well, it\u2019s all about perception. Women wouldn\u2019t just have been corseted \u2013 they would also have a bustle (a padded undergarment worn at the back to add fullness) along with other padding to make the hips and shoulders look bigger, and therefore make the waist appear smaller.<\/p>\n
Did corsets provide oppression or empowerment?<\/h3>\n
![\"Statuette](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-122315366-198ff10-e1700748322323.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Statuette")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>The earliest image we have of a corset comes from around 1000 BC \u2013 a figurine of the Minoan snake goddess is depicted as wearing a garment that can be likened to one. A small waist was desirable amongst the Minoans, who lived on the island of Crete, so they wore undergarments to achieve this look.<\/p>\n
The Victorian corset we\u2019re most familiar with today, however, is often credited as the invention of British writer and inventor Roxey Ann Caplin. Her innovative designs earned her a medal at the Great Exhibition<\/a> in 1851, and her influence still resonates in modern corsetry.<\/p>\n Contrary to popular belief, men wearing corsets wasn\u2019t an uncommon practice.<\/p>\n Dandyism, a trend in the late 18th and early 19th century, encouraged refined tailoring to create a slender figure. To accentuate this, men wore corsets or stays (another type of supportive undergarment). Padding was then used to enhance other parts of the body, such as the chest and shoulders.<\/p>\n King George IV employed corsetry<\/a>, reducing his waist from 55 to 50 inches for his 1821 coronation.<\/p>\n Men didn\u2019t just use corsets for aesthetic purposes; they were also worn in the military for support during strenuous exercise.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> It\u2019s often assumed that corsets were only used by the upper classes, but this might not be true.<\/p>\n As historian Dr Leigh Summers explains<\/a> in an article for Edinburgh University Press<\/em>: \u2018Working-class women who could not afford even the cheapest of professionally manufactured corsets did not necessarily have to go without them. They could make their own. The plethora of dress-making and millinery texts published in the 1830s and 1840s, which provided detailed advice on how to make stays, can be seen to indicate the importance the garment held for working- class women.\u2019<\/p>\n While many traditional corsets were supported by boning, the term \u2018whalebone\u2019 is somewhat misleading. The boning material was actually baleen \u2013 the series of fringed plates in whales\u2019 mouths that replaces teeth, and strains seawater for food.<\/p>\n Baleen was prepared for commercial use by forming it into one continuous length, which was then cut to size for corset production. It was also used in various other applications, including parasols and bristles for chimney sweeps\u2019 brushes.<\/p>\n Tightly laced corsets did have the potential to be harmful. They reduced lung capacity, caused constipation, and \u2013 with regular use \u2013 could lead to muscle atrophy in the back. Physicians in the 18th and 19th centuries also attributed corsets to more severe issues, such as cancer and heart damage, although these claims have since been debunked by modern medical observations.<\/p>\n Most issues arose when corsets were laced too tightly, which wasn\u2019t always the norm. While women might have tightened their corsets for special occasions such as balls, they also had to live comfortably in them, as a modern woman would a bra. The concept of women not being able to eat or move in their corsets, for fear of being unwell, cannot have been universal.<\/p>\n In 2015, anthropologist Dr Rebecca Gibson researched the effects of corsets<\/a>, examining 24 skeletons from 1700\u20131900. She found that their use was not without suffering, with each skeleton in the study having a deformed ribcage and misaligned spine.<\/p>\n Despite these physical changes, the women she examined often exceeded their given life expectancy at birth: \u201cWhile nothing can be said about the quality of life of these particular women, these results confound the very popular notion that corseting was inherently overtly harmful [\u2026] as well as the longstanding medical belief that corseting was responsible for early death.\u201d<\/p>\n A lyric from the musical Six<\/em> \u2013 a dramatisation of the lives of Henry VIII\u2019s wives<\/a> \u2013 asserts that \u201cNo one wants a waist over nine inches!\u201d This is \u2013 of course \u2013 an exaggeration. But what dimensions were aspirational in the past?<\/p>\n Dr Gibson\u2019s research found that the average 18th and 19th-century waist size, after corseting, was 22 inches. Considering the natural average for Victorian women\u2019s waists was around 20\u201328 inches, corsets usually reduced waist sizes by approximately six inches at most.<\/p>\n And yet photos of women\u2019s waists in the past show astonishingly small proportions. How was this possible? Well, it\u2019s all about perception. Women wouldn\u2019t just have been corseted \u2013 they would also have a bustle (a padded undergarment worn at the back to add fullness) along with other padding to make the hips and shoulders look bigger, and therefore make the waist appear smaller.<\/p>\nNot just for women!<\/h4>\n
Were corsets only used by the upper classes?<\/h3>\n
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Were corsets made of whalebone?<\/h3>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1130661192-3eda534-e1700748243615.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413\" "\\"An")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>How dangerous were corsets?<\/h2>\n
![\"Engraved](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1284114992-1b76380-e1700751114211.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413\" "\\"Old")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>How small were corseted waists?<\/h2>\n
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Did corsets provide oppression or empowerment?<\/h3>\n
![\"Advertisement](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-552132475-c88c7bd-5-e1700748994171.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413\" "\\"Ad")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"A](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-51328797-09af92d-e1700748201566.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C393\" "\\"Crinolines\\"\/")
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