Corsets Make Fashion a Cinch!

When you imagine a corset what is the first thing that comes to mind?  A medieval torture device?  Victorian women covered in high-necked gowns? Or, at best, perhaps a boudoir fetish?  The corset, a bit of steel-reinforced fabric held together with lacing, may sound unappealing to Modern Woman.  But in the areas of fashion, health, and lifestyle, what does the modern western woman want? 

It is likely that very few mainstream women would consider wearing this classic garment even as a Halloween costume, let alone on a day-to-day basis. Yet from Japan to Greece, from Paris to New York, the corset has been making little appearances in the fashion world throughout much of the last century. This little item of clothing may just be the perfect fit for Modern Woman, giving her high fashion, a strong figure and more feminine curves. Should she demand the return of  the corset to fulfill her beauty and fashion needs?           

The corset has been accused of many evils from broken ribs to ruptured organs.  It sounds grisly but, in reality, it’s not so bad.  In her 2001 article, Corseting the Human Body, Dr. Ann Beaumont states, “It is safe to assume that the corset evils were a reflection of the limited knowledge of medicine during the tightlacing era. … Our modern, more accurate knowledge allows us to separate true corset effects from arbitrary ones.”

Dr. Beaumont further explains that although injuries could occur from corseting—if the corset is “laced to extreme and brutish constriction,” such injuries are highly unlikely.  Certainly if you ignore true pain—from a toothache to shallow breathing—you’re going to regret it, but for normal, fashionable wear even a very tight corset is safe and actually has some health benefits.  “Primarily, the increase in [intra abdominal pressure] helps to support the spine and,” Dr. Beaumont continues, “the corset, when tight enough, will resist bending and thus avoid back injuries.”           

So let’s consider that well-supported and stabilized spine.  The instant Modern Woman gets into her corset her posture improves.  According to the website, figuretraining.com, if she hides her corset under a “fashionable, tight-fitting suit … [a] small-waisted blazer that reach[es] below the hips…[she will] look very good with a corset.”  Indeed, she has no choice but to have a beautiful, straight back, making her a vision of strength and powerful elegance. Her upright posture will make others see her as “self-confident and resolute.”  Certainly this is a better choice than sitting hunched over, encouraging her dowager’s hump to grow, or slouching off to Wal-Mart to buy another tube-top.           

After work, Modern Woman may want an evening with her main squeeze.  No longer your great-granny’s white cotton underwear, corsets are now made of anything from denim to silk, in prints or solid colors, and in all the shades of the color wheel.  They can now be used as outerwear and corset-dresses are showing up in the fashion world on brides, on actresses, and on the Red Carpet.  Once Modern Woman removes her work-day blazer she’ll be ready for a night on the town because that corset isn’t just sexy in the bedroom!  It is the ultimate in push-up bras, offering her more support and sex-appeal than Victoria’s Secret. Her man may not notice her terrific posture now so much as her amazing figure.           

And here’s a little side-effect of corseting that Modern Woman would surely welcome: she might just lose some weight. The website orchardcorset.com., in Corset Wearing—Risks and Benefits, tells us that “When worn for extended periods of time on a regular basis…corsets can maintain abdominal pressure that, over time, will reduce body fat by suppressing appetite and reducing the waistline.”  While tying up that bit of fabric, steel, and lacing will immediately alter her waist-to-hip ratio, over time it could transform her figure from an average 37-32-38 to an attractive 37-28-38.  Dr Beaumont tells us that it also “counteracts the effects of gravity and…tends to restore a more ‘youthful’ figure.”           

To tie this all together, while a corset makes Modern Woman come across as stronger and more confident, it also makes her look thinner, curvier, and more sexy.  At the same time, it supports her spine and discourages overeating.  She can say goodbye to that muffin-top, accompanied by breasts spilling out of a spaghetti-strapped cami, and say hello to femininity!  Can Modern Woman get what she wants in health, fashion, and lifestyle?  With a corset, it’s a cinch!