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109-473: A corset is a support garment worn to hold and train the torso into the desired shape and posture . They are traditionally constructed out of fabric with boning made of whalebone or steel, a stiff panel in the front called a busk which holds the torso rigidly upright, and some form of lacing which allows the garment to be tightened. Corsets were an essential undergarment in European women's fashion from

218-408: A waist cincher . A corset may also include garters to hold up stockings ; alternatively, a separate garter belt may be worn. Traditionally, a corset supports the visible dress and spreads the pressure from large dresses, such as the crinoline and bustle . At times, a corset cover is used to protect outer clothes from the corset and to smooth the lines of the corset. The original corset cover

327-461: A submissive may be required to wear a corset, which would be laced very tightly and restrict the wearer to some degree. A dominant may also wear a corset, often black, but for entirely different reasons, such as aesthetics. A specially designed corset, in which the breasts and vulva are exposed, can be worn during " vanilla sex " or BDSM activities. Dress historian David Kunzle argues in his work Fashion and Fetishism that historical usage of

436-500: A "quilted waistcoat" that the French called un corset. It was used to differentiate the lighter corset from the heavier stays of the period. As the form and purpose of the corset was continually evolving throughout its time as a standard undergarment, there is no way to definitively state how it was worn. While the original purpose of stiffened undergarments was founded in the avoiding of creasing to costly, highly adorned outer garments,

545-482: A change in fashions could change the position of women in society, allowing for greater social mobility, independence from men and marriage, and the ability to work for wages, as well as physical movement and comfort. In 1873, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward wrote: Burn up the corsets! ... No, nor do you save the whalebones, you will never need whalebones again. Make a bonfire of the cruel steels that have lorded it over your thorax and abdomens for so many years and heave

654-509: A change in the silhouette of women's fashion, with the advent of the hoop skirt or crinoline . After the 1860s, as the crinoline fell out of style, the corset became longer, to shape the abdomen, exposed by the new lines of the princess or cuirass style. In 1855, a woman named Frances Egbert had trouble with her corsets, due to the front steel pieces constantly breaking as a result of strain. Consequently, her husband, Samuel Barnes, designed "reinforced steels" for Egbert's corsets. Barnes filed

763-516: A different group of people, often children. Heavy or messy work was done in house, such as cutting the fabric pieces and japanning the steels to prevent rust, and lighter work, such as sewing the bones in place, was taken home by piece workers , generally women who enlisted their children to help them. Workers in corset factories were among the most poorly-paid in London, and frequently could not make enough to meet their daily living expenses. Although

872-591: A diverse array of animal and plant fibers, such as wool, linen, cotton, silk, hemp, and ramie. Although modern consumers may take the production of clothing for granted, making fabric by hand is a tedious and labor-intensive process involving fiber making, spinning, and weaving. The textile industry was the first to be mechanized – with the powered loom  – during the Industrial Revolution . Different cultures have evolved various ways of creating clothes out of cloth. One approach involves draping

981-465: A doctor's white coat , with similar requirements for maintenance and cleaning as other textiles ( boxing gloves function both as protective equipment and as a sparring weapon , so the equipment aspect rises above the glove aspect). More specialized forms of protective equipment, such as face shields are classified as protective accessories. At the far extreme, self-enclosing diving suits or space suits are form-fitting body covers, and amount to

1090-672: A form of dress, without being clothing per se, while containing enough high technology to amount to more of a tool than a garment. This line will continue to blur as wearable technology embeds assistive devices directly into the fabric itself; the enabling innovations are ultra low power consumption and flexible electronic substrates . Clothing also hybridizes into a personal transportation system ( ice skates , roller skates , cargo pants , other outdoor survival gear , one-man band ) or concealment system ( stage magicians , hidden linings or pockets in tradecraft , integrated holsters for concealed carry , merchandise -laden trench coats on

1199-772: A greatest likelihood of speciation lying at about 107,000 years ago. Kittler, Kayser and Stoneking suggest that the invention of clothing may have coincided with the northward migration of modern Homo sapiens away from the warm climate of Africa, which is thought to have begun between 100,000 and 50,000 years ago. A second group of researchers, also relying on the genetic clock, estimate that clothing originated between 30,000 and 114,000 years ago. Dating with direct archeological evidence produces dates consistent with those of lice. In September 2021, scientists reported evidence of clothes being made 120,000 years ago based on findings in deposits in Morocco . The development of clothing

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1308-496: A large and growing market. In the Western dress code, jeans are worn by both men and women. There are several unique styles of jeans found that include: high rise jeans, mid rise jeans, low rise jeans, bootcut jeans, straight jeans, cropped jeans, skinny jeans, cuffed jeans, boyfriend jeans, and capri jeans. The licensing of designer names was pioneered by designers such as Pierre Cardin , Yves Saint Laurent , and Guy Laroche in

1417-492: A long period of time; during the Victorian era stays were typically begun at or before the onset of puberty, with reported ages ranging from 7 to 13. Moderately laced corsets have been demonstrated to reduce lung capacity anywhere from 2 to 29%, with an average of 9%, and can cause an increase in shortness of breath during moderate exercise such as dancing. Doctors warned corseted women against "everything that [was] worthy of

1526-610: A means of communicating their wealth and social standing, as well as an indication of their knowledge and understanding of current fashion trends to the general public. As a result, clothing played a significant role in making the social hierarchy perceptible to all members of society. In some societies, clothing may be used to indicate rank or status . In ancient Rome , for example, only senators could wear garments dyed with Tyrian purple . In traditional Hawaiian society, only high-ranking chiefs could wear feather cloaks and palaoa, or carved whale teeth. In China, before establishment of

1635-714: A needle at least 50,000 years old from Denisova Cave in Siberia made by Denisovans . Dyed flax fibers that date back to 34,000 BC and could have been used in clothing have been found in a prehistoric cave in Georgia . Several distinct human cultures, including those residing in the Arctic Circle, have historically crafted their garments exclusively from treated and adorned animal furs and skins. In contrast, numerous other societies have complemented or substituted leather and skins with textiles woven, knitted, or twined from

1744-407: A part of their wardrobe. While supporters of fashionable dress contended that corsets maintained an upright, "good figure", and were a necessary physical structure for a moral and well-ordered society, dress reformers maintained that women's fashions were not only physically detrimental, but "the results of male conspiracy to make women subservient by cultivating them in slave psychology". They believed

1853-662: A patent for the invention 11 years later, and Egbert collected the royalties on this patent for 15 years following his death. Following the case of Egbert v. Lippmann , the US Supreme court deemed Barnes's and Egbert's patent as "public". The new practice of tight-lacing instigated widespread controversy. Dress reformists claimed that the corset was prompted by vanity and foolishness, and harmful to health. The reported health risks included damaged and rearranged internal organs, compromised fertility; weakness and general depletion of health. Those who were pro-corset argued that it

1962-938: A protective function. For instance, corrective eyeglasses , Arctic goggles , and sunglasses would not be considered an accessory because of their protective functions. Clothing protects against many things that might injure or irritate the naked human body, including rain, snow, wind, and other weather, as well as from the sun. Garments that are too sheer, thin, small, or tight offer less protection. Appropriate clothes can also reduce risk during activities such as work or sport. Some clothing protects from specific hazards, such as insects, toxic chemicals, weather, weapons , and contact with abrasive substances. Humans have devised clothing solutions to environmental or other hazards: such as space suits , armor , diving suits , swimsuits , bee-keeper gear , motorcycle leathers , high-visibility clothing , and other pieces of protective clothing . The distinction between clothing and protective equipment

2071-463: A sigh of relief, for your emancipation I assure you, from this moment has begun. Despite those protests, little changed in fashion and undergarments up to 1900. The primary result of the dress reform movement was the evolution, rather than elimination, of the corset. Because of the public health outcry surrounding corsets and tightlacing, doctors took it upon themselves to become corsetieres . Many doctors helped to fit their patients with corsets to avoid

2180-571: A sign of mourning. The Quran says about husbands and wives, regarding clothing: "...They are clothing/covering (Libaas) for you; and you for them" (chapter 2:187). Christian clergy members wear religious vestments during liturgical services and may wear specific non-liturgical clothing at other times. Clothing appears in numerous contexts in the Bible. The most prominent passages are: the story of Adam and Eve who made coverings for themselves out of fig leaves , Joseph 's coat of many colors , and

2289-488: A special case of occupational clothing. Sometimes it is worn only during the performance of religious ceremonies. However, it may be worn every day as a marker for special religious status. Sikhs wear a turban as it is a part of their religion. In some religions such as Hinduism , Sikhism , Buddhism , and Jainism the cleanliness of religious dresses is of paramount importance and considered to indicate purity. Jewish ritual requires rending (tearing) of one's upper garment as

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2398-500: A standard part of European women's fashion. Researchers have found evidence of the use of corsets in the Minoan civilization of early Crete . In the late 16th century, what would later be known as the corset was called "a pair of bodys." It consisted of a simple bodice , stiffened with boning of reed or whalebone. A busk made of wood, horn, whalebone, metal, or ivory further reinforced the central front and created an upright posture. It

2507-519: A used T-shirt with a Tongan wrapped skirt, or tupenu . For practical, comfort or safety reasons, most sports and physical activities are practised wearing special clothing. Common sportswear garments include shorts , T-shirts , tennis shirts , leotards , tracksuits , and trainers . Specialized garments include wet suits (for swimming, diving , or surfing ), salopettes (for skiing ), and leotards (for gymnastics). Also, spandex materials often are used as base layers to soak up sweat. Spandex

2616-467: A variant of stays, which were looser, had no boning, and sometimes had attached sleeves, like a jacket. Women of all levels of society wore stays or jumps, from ladies of the court to street vendors. Corsets were originally quilted waistcoats, which French women wore as an alternative to stiff stays. They were only quilted linen, laced in the front, and unboned. That garment was meant to be worn on informal occasions, while stays were worn for court dress. In

2725-435: A wide variety of materials, ranging from leather and furs to woven fabrics, to elaborate and exotic natural and synthetic fabrics . Not all body coverings are regarded as clothing. Articles carried rather than worn normally are considered accessories rather than clothing (such as Handbags ), items worn on a single part of the body and easily removed ( scarves ), worn purely for adornment (jewelry), or items that do not serve

2834-900: A wide variety of situations), but a wider range of clothing styles is available for women. Typically, men are allowed to bare their chests in a greater variety of public places. It is generally common for a woman to wear clothing perceived as masculine, while the opposite is seen as unusual. Contemporary men may sometimes choose to wear men's skirts such as togas or kilts in particular cultures, especially on ceremonial occasions. In previous times, such garments often were worn as normal daily clothing by men. In some cultures, sumptuary laws regulate what men and women are required to wear. Islam requires women to wear certain forms of attire, usually hijab . What items required varies in different Muslim societies; however, women are usually required to cover more of their bodies than men. Articles of clothing Muslim women wear under these laws or traditions range from

2943-430: Is considered appropriate. The differences are in styles, colors, fabrics, and types. In contemporary Western societies, skirts , dresses , and high-heeled shoes are usually seen as women's clothing, while neckties usually are seen as men's clothing. Trousers were once seen as exclusively men's clothing, but nowadays are worn by both genders. Men's clothes are often more practical (that is, they can function well under

3052-630: Is deeply connected to human evolution, with early garments likely consisting of animal skins and natural fibers adapted for protection and social signaling. According to anthropologists and archaeologists, the earliest clothing likely consisted of fur , leather, leaves, or grass that was draped, wrapped, or tied around the body. Knowledge of such clothing remains inferential, as clothing materials deteriorate quickly compared with stone, bone, shell, and metal artifacts. Archeologists have identified very early sewing needles of bone and ivory from about 30,000 BC, found near Kostenki , Russia in 1988, and in 2016

3161-560: Is known as corsetry , as is the general wearing of them. (The word corsetry is sometimes also used as a collective plural form of corset). Someone who makes corsets is a corsetier or corsetière (French terms for a man and for a woman maker, respectively), or sometimes simply a corsetmaker . In 1828, the word corset came into general use in the English language. The word was used in The Ladies Magazine to describe

3270-425: Is meant, while thousands of husbands will not only know, but deeply feel the meaning of this hint. This quote alludes to problems with the reproductive organs experienced by women who tightlaced , and demonstrates the difficulties of explaining this issue due to Victorian taboos around discussing sexuality. Reformist and activist Catharine Beecher was one of the few to defy propriety norms and discuss in any detail

3379-485: Is not always clear-cut since clothes designed to be fashionable often have protective value, and clothes designed for function often have corporate fashion in their design. The choice of clothes also has social implications. They cover parts of the body that social norms require to be covered, act as a form of adornment, and serve other social purposes. Someone who lacks the means to procure appropriate clothing due to poverty or affordability, or lack of inclination, sometimes

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3488-429: Is preferable for active sports that require form fitting garments, such as volleyball, wrestling, track and field, dance, gymnastics, and swimming. Paris set the 1900–1940 fashion trends for Europe and North America. In the 1920s the goal was all about getting loose. Women wore dresses all day, every day. Day dresses had a drop waist, which was a sash or belt around the low waist or hip and a skirt that hung anywhere from

3597-450: Is related to various perceptions, physiological, social, and psychological needs, and after food, it is clothing that satisfies these comfort needs. Clothing provides aesthetic, tactile, thermal, moisture, and pressure comfort. The most obvious function of clothing is to protect the wearer from the elements. It serves to prevent wind damage and provides protection from sunburn . In the cold, it offers thermal insulation . Shelter can reduce

3706-438: Is said to be worn, ragged, or shabby. Clothing performs a range of social and cultural functions, such as individual, occupational, gender differentiation, and social status. In many societies, norms about clothing reflect standards of modesty , religion, gender , and social status . Clothing may also function as adornment and an expression of personal taste or style. Serious books on clothing and its functions appear from

3815-479: Is subject to decay, and the erosion of physical integrity may be seen as a loss of cultural information. Costume collections often focus on important pieces of clothing considered unique or otherwise significant, limiting the opportunities scholars have to study everyday clothing. Clothing has long served as a marker of social status, gender, and cultural identity, reflecting broader societal structures and values. In most cultures, gender differentiation of clothing

3924-518: Is the abrupt transition from a natural-width rib cage to an exceedingly small waist, with the hips curving out below. It takes its name from its similarity to a wasp 's segmented body. The sharply cinched waistline also exaggerates the hips and bust . In the 19th century, while average corseted waist measurements varied between 23 and 31 inches (58 and 79 cm), wasp waist measurements of 16 to 18 inches (41 to 46 cm) were uncommon and were not considered attractive. Ladies' magazines told of

4033-401: Is typically made with elastic fabric and plastic boning to allow for more flexibility. Metal boning may be used if more rigidity is needed. Artist Andy Warhol was shot in 1968 and never fully recovered; he wore a corset for the rest of his life. Corsets are typically constructed of a stiff material, such as buckram, structured with boning (also called ribs or stays) inserted into channels in

4142-414: Is used for protection against injury in specific tasks and occupations, sports, and warfare. Fashioned with pockets, belts , or loops, clothing may provide a means to carry things while freeing the hands. Clothing has significant social factors as well. Wearing clothes is a variable social norm . It may connote modesty . Being deprived of clothing in front of others may be embarrassing . In many parts of

4251-587: The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights as well as textile and clothing trade unions have sought to improve these conditions by sponsoring awareness-raising events, which draw the attention of both the media and the general public to the plight of the workers. Outsourcing production to low wage countries such as Bangladesh , China, India, Indonesia , Pakistan , and Sri Lanka became possible when

4360-466: The Guinness Book of World Records listed Ethel Granger as having the smallest waist on record at 13 inches (33 cm). After 1998, the category changed to "smallest waist on a living person". Cathie Jung took the title with a waist measuring 15 inches (38 cm). Other women, such as Polaire , also have achieved such reductions: 16 inches (41 cm) in her case. Empress Sisi of Austria

4469-560: The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology —have attempted to constrain the most recent date of the introduction of clothing with an indirect method relying on lice . The rationale for this method of dating stems from the fact that the human body louse cannot live outside of clothing, dying after only a few hours without shelter. This strongly implies that the date of the body louse's speciation from its parent, Pediculus humanus , can have taken place no earlier than

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4578-614: The Multi Fibre Agreement (MFA) was abolished. The MFA, which placed quotas on textiles imports, was deemed a protectionist measure. Although many countries recognize treaties such as the International Labour Organization , which attempt to set standards for worker safety and rights, many countries have made exceptions to certain parts of the treaties or failed to thoroughly enforce them. India for example has not ratified sections 87 and 92 of

4687-468: The black market — where the purpose of the clothing often carries over into disguise ). A mode of dress fit to purpose, whether stylistic or functional, is known as an outfit or ensemble. Estimates of when humans began wearing clothes vary from 40,000 to as many as 3 million years ago, but recent studies suggest humans were wearing clothing at least 100,000 years ago. Recent studies by Ralf Kittler, Manfred Kayser and Mark Stoneking— anthropologists at

4796-455: The head-scarf to the burqa . Some contemporary clothing styles designed to be worn by either gender, such as T-shirts, have started out as menswear, but some articles, such as the fedora , originally were a style for women. During the early modern period , individuals utilized their attire as a significant method of conveying and asserting their social status. Individuals employed the utilization of high-quality fabrics and trendy designs as

4905-512: The pelvic inlet , which is consistent with reported difficulties in birth, although studies into this topic have been mixed. Uterine prolapse was a significant danger exacerbated by corsets, the incidence of which correlated with widespread corset wearing. Both rectal and uterine prolapse occurred at a higher incidence during the Victorian era than today, with occurrences declining as the corset fell out of fashion. An 1888 doctor reported that “uterine derangement had increased fifty percent within

5014-447: The republic , only the emperor could wear yellow. History provides many examples of elaborate sumptuary laws that regulated what people could wear. In societies without such laws, which includes most modern societies, social status is signaled by the purchase of rare or luxury items that are limited by cost to those with wealth or status. In addition, peer pressure influences clothing choice. Some religious clothing might be considered

5123-463: The 16th and 17th centuries and achieved their stiffened shaping through materials including steel, wood, or whalebone, and were constructed of two parts and fastened at the sides. These bodies evolved into the stays of the 17th century. The term corset emerged later, around the end of the 18th century. Stays were an integral part of fashionable women's underclothing in the West . Shaping the body to fit

5232-474: The 1790s, stays began to fall out of fashion. That coincided with the French Revolution and the adoption of neoclassical styles of dress. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, some men were known to wear corsets, particularly the widely mocked dandies . In the early 19th century, when gussets were added for room for the bust, stays became known as corsets. They also lengthened to the hip, and

5341-460: The 17th century to the early 20th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries they were commonly known as "stays" and had a more conical shape. This later evolved into the curvaceous 19th century form which is commonly associated with the corset today. By the beginning of the 20th century, shifting gender roles and the onsets of World War I and II (and the associated material shortages) led the corset to be largely discarded by mainstream fashion. Since

5450-400: The 1910s, when slim hips came into vogue, and later evolved into the elasticated girdle . A "standard" length corset will stop short of the iliac crest and is ideal for those who want increased flexibility or have a shorter torso. Some corsets, in very rare instances, reach the knees . A shorter kind of corset that covers the waist area (from low on the ribs to just above the hips), is called

5559-480: The 1960s and has been a common practice within the fashion industry from about the 1970s. Among the more popular include Marc Jacobs and Gucci , named for Marc Jacobs Guccio Gucci respectively. By the early years of the twenty-first century, western clothing styles had, to some extent, become international styles. This process began hundreds of years earlier, during the periods of European colonialism . The process of cultural dissemination has been perpetuated over

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5668-537: The advent of germ theory , some thought corsets directly caused the disease, as women were significantly more likely to contract and die from the disease than men in this era. Others thought corsets contributed to TB deaths due to impairment of lung function. Corsets are known to contribute significantly to muscle wasting in the core and back when worn over long periods of time. Although they temporarily relieve back pain, muscle atrophy due to disuse will lead to increased lower-back pain and eventually perpetual reliance on

5777-639: The ankle on up to the knee, never above. Day wear had sleeves (long to mid-bicep) and a skirt that was straight, pleated, hank hemmed, or tiered. Jewelry was not conspicuous. Hair was often bobbed, giving a boyish look. In the early twenty-first century a diverse range of styles exists in fashion, varying by geography, exposure to modern media, economic conditions, and ranging from expensive haute couture , to traditional garb, to thrift store grunge . Fashion shows are events for designers to show off new and often extravagant designs. Although mechanization transformed most aspects of human clothing industry , by

5886-415: The back. Tightening or loosening the lacing produces corresponding changes in the firmness of the corset. Depending on the desired effect and time period, corsets can be laced from the top down, from the bottom up, or both up from the bottom and down from the top, using the bunny ears lacing method. Victorian corsets also had a buttoned or hooked front opening called a busk . If the corset was worn loosely, it

5995-797: The centuries, spreading Western culture and styles, most recently as Western media corporations have penetrated markets throughout the world. Fast fashion clothing has also become a global phenomenon. These garments are less expensive, mass-produced Western clothing. Also, donated used clothing from Western countries is delivered to people in poor countries by charity organizations. People may wear ethnic or national dress on special occasions or in certain roles or occupations. For example, most Korean men and women have adopted Western-style dress for daily wear, but still wear traditional hanboks on special occasions, such as weddings and cultural holidays. Also, items of Western dress may be worn or accessorized in distinctive, non-Western ways. A Tongan man may combine

6104-500: The cloth or leather. In the 18th and early 19th century, thin strips of baleen (also known as whalebone) were favoured for the boning. Plastic is the most commonly used material for modern corsets and the majority of poor-quality corsets. Spring and/or spiral steel or synthetic whalebone is preferred for stronger and generally better quality corsets. Other materials used for boning have included ivory , wood , and cane. Corsets are held together by lacing, usually (though not always) at

6213-593: The cloth. Many people wore, and still wear, garments consisting of rectangles of cloth wrapped to fit – for example, the dhoti for men and the sari for women in the Indian subcontinent , the Scottish kilt , and the Javanese sarong . The clothes may be tied up (dhoti and sari) or implement pins or belts to hold the garments in place (kilt and sarong). The cloth remains uncut, and people of various sizes can wear

6322-531: The clothing of Judah and Tamar , Mordecai and Esther . Furthermore, the priests officiating in the Temple in Jerusalem had very specific garments, the lack of which made one liable to death. [REDACTED] = Day (before 6 p.m.) [REDACTED] = Evening (after 6 p.m.)     = Bow tie colour [REDACTED] = Ladies [REDACTED] = Gentlemen The Western dress code has changed over

6431-527: The clothing; perhaps cutting triangular pieces from one corner of the cloth, and adding them elsewhere as gussets . Traditional European patterns for shirts and chemises take this approach. These remnants can also be reused to make patchwork pockets, hats, vests , and skirts . Modern European fashion treats cloth much less conservatively, typically cutting in such a way as to leave various odd-shaped cloth remnants. Industrial sewing operations sell these as waste; domestic sewers may turn them into quilts . In

6540-406: The controversy surrounding corsets was their ability to affect the reproductive system due to the downward pressure created by displacement of organs. One Doctor Lewis writes in an 1882 edition of The North American Review : A girl who has indulged in tight lacing should not marry. She may be a very devoted wife, yet her husband will secretly regret his marriage. Physicians of experience know what

6649-496: The corset fell out of use, the fashion industry has used the term "corset" to refer to undergarments or shirts which, to varying degrees, mimic the look of traditional corsets. While these modern corsets and corset tops often feature lacing or boning , and generally imitate a historical style of corsets, they by-and-large have very little, if any, effect on the shape of the wearer's body. Elasticated garments such as girdles and waist trainers are still worn today and serve to compress

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6758-410: The corset had a fetishistic dimension as some wearers reported feeling sexual pleasure from the use of the garment, and the corseted waist was highly sexualized by men and women alike. A corset brace is a lumbar support that is used in the prevention and treatment of lower-back pain. They can also be prescribed to patients healing from spinal surgery. A corset brace resembles a historical corset, but

6867-470: The corset. Forceps delivery was standard during this period, which could be due to atrophy of the abdominal muscles caused by lifelong corset usage. Skeletal analyses have found that the usage of corsets had a significant effect on the form of the spine, ribs, and hips. However, the consequences of this change are not fully agreed upon by researchers. Underdevelopment of the pelvic inlet may have contributed to difficulties in birth. A significant source of

6976-480: The corsetmaking industry was dominated by men, a number of woman designers and inventors became known for their work in this field. Among them included Roxey Ann Caplin , who consulted her physician husband to create corsets with respect to modern knowledge of female anatomy . The field of corsetmaking was one in which new designs were continually submitted and patented , often with the desire to create ever stronger or stiffer corsets that were less likely to break. In

7085-596: The dangers of ill-fitting corsets, and some doctors even designed corsets themselves. Roxey Ann Caplin became a widely renowned corset maker, enlisting the help of her husband, a physician, to create corsets which she purported to be more respectful of human anatomy. Health corsets and "rational corsets" became popular alternatives to the boned corset. They included features such as wool lining, watch springs as boning, elastic paneling, and other features purported to be less detrimental to one's health. Garment Clothing serves many purposes: it can serve as protection from

7194-457: The desired silhouette, which, for example, in the 1780s resembled a conical shape, stays of the 18th century ensured good posture – the central aim of such undergarments of this period, rather than accentuating the bust, for example. During the late 1700s up until the 1820s, in reflection of the neoclassical style of dress, the demi-corset or short stays were popularised, as the empire line of fashionable gowns did not require support or shaping to

7303-419: The diary of a student at an all-girls boarding school which described how their school madams trained girls to achieve waists ranging from 14 inches (36 cm) to 19 inches (48 cm); the narrator herself reports a reduction from 23 inches (58 cm) to 14 inches (36 cm), and a subsequent interview with a corsetmaking firm corroborated that such sizes were not unusual during that period. Until 1998,

7412-513: The earliest human adoption of clothing. This date, at which the body louse ( P. humanus corporis ) diverged from both its parent species and its sibling subspecies, the head louse ( P. humanus capitis ), can be determined by the number of mutations each has developed during the intervening time. Such mutations occur at a known rate and the date of last-common-ancestor for two species can therefore be estimated from their frequency. These studies have produced dates from 40,000 to 170,000 years ago, with

7521-569: The elements, rough surfaces, sharp stones, rash-causing plants, and insect bites, by providing a barrier between the skin and the environment. Clothing can insulate against cold or hot conditions, and it can provide a hygienic barrier, keeping infectious and toxic materials away from the body. It can protect feet from injury and discomfort or facilitate navigation in varied environments. Clothing also provides protection from ultraviolet radiation . It may be used to prevent glare or increase visual acuity in harsh environments, such as brimmed hats. Clothing

7630-403: The fashionable conical torso shape, while drawing the shoulders back. At that time, the eyelets were reinforced with stitches and were not placed across from one another, but staggered. That allowed the stays to be spiral laced. One end of the stay lace was inserted into the bottom eyelet and knotted, and the other end was wound through the eyelets of the stays and tightened on the top. "Jumps" were

7739-666: The field of Environmental Physiology had advanced and expanded significantly, but the science of clothing in relation to environmental physiology had changed little. There has since been considerable research, and the knowledge base has grown significantly, but the main concepts remain unchanged, and indeed, Newburgh's book continues to be cited by contemporary authors, including those attempting to develop thermoregulatory models of clothing development. Clothing reveals much about human history. According to Professor Kiki Smith of Smith College, garments preserved in collections are resources for study similar to books and paintings. Scholars around

7848-435: The first mass-produced garments for women. They began to be more heavily boned in the 1840s, and the shoulder straps were eliminated. By 1850, steel boning became popular. With the advent of metal eyelets in 1827, tightlacing became possible. The position of the eyelets changed. They were situated opposite one another at the back. The front was fastened with a metal busk . The corsets of the 1850s–1860s were shorter, because of

7957-462: The functional need for clothing. For example, coats , hats, gloves, and other outer layers are normally removed when entering a warm place. Similarly, clothing has seasonal and regional aspects so that thinner materials and fewer layers of clothing generally are worn in warmer regions and seasons than in colder ones. Boots, hats, jackets, ponchos, and coats designed to protect from rain and snow are specialized clothing items. Clothing has been made from

8066-405: The garment. Another approach involves measuring, cutting, and sewing the cloth by hand or with a sewing machine . Clothing can be cut from a sewing pattern and adjusted by a tailor to the wearer's measurements. An adjustable sewing mannequin or dress form is used to create form-fitting clothing. If the fabric is expensive, the tailor tries to use every bit of the cloth rectangle in constructing

8175-509: The gynecological issues resulting from lifelong corset usage, in particular uterine prolapse . Corsets were usually worn during pregnancy, often as long as possible, to suppress and disguise the appearance of the growing fetus. Obstetrician and writer Alice Bunker Stockham campaigned against the widespread practice of wearing corsets during pregnancy , writing sardonically: "The corset should not be worn for two hundred years before pregnancy." Feminist historian Leigh Summers theorized that some of

8284-416: The illusion of a wasp waist. Extreme tight lacing (15–18 in or 38–46 cm) was a fad during the late 1870s and 1880s, lasting until around 1887. Among the multitude of medical problems women suffered to achieve these drastic measurements were deformed ribs , weakened abdominal muscles , deformed and dislocated internal organs , and respiratory ailments. The displacement and disfigurement of

8393-427: The importance of corsets cited Darwinism as well, specifically the notion that women were less evolved and thus frailer, in need of the external support of a corset. The reformers' critique of the corset was one part of a throng of voices clamoring against tightlacing . Doctors counseled patients against it and journalists wrote articles condemning the vanity and frivolity of women who would sacrifice their health for

8502-529: The increasing demands that puberty brought onto the frail female body. The physician Frederick Parkes Weber posited that the disease may have been caused by corset wearing, noting that the illness never appeared in boys, that fat rather than thin girls were more likely to experience it, and that prolonged bed rest seemed to resolve the symptoms, while trips to the sea (during which corsets would still be worn) did not. For nearly 500 years, bodies, stays, or corsets with boning made of reeds, whalebone , or metal were

8611-499: The last fifteen years as a result of tight clothing, corsets and high heels." This era saw the development of a number of pessaries and other devices patented to support the prolapsed uterus, the insertion of which frequently led to further complications; the topic was a subject of wide professional discussion among gynecologists . Corset wearing is known to decrease the size of the stomach and disturb digestion, potentially leading to constipation or indigestion. The downward pressure on

8720-459: The lower tabs were replaced by gussets at the hip and had less boning. In the 1820s, fashion changed again, with the waistline lowered to almost the natural position. That was to allow for more ornamentation on the bodice, which, in turn, saw the return of the corset to modern fashion. Corsets began to be made with some padding, for a waist-slimming effect, and more boning. Some women made their own, while others bought their corsets. Corsets were one of

8829-625: The mid-twentieth century, garment workers have continued to labor under challenging conditions that demand repetitive manual labor. Often, mass-produced clothing is made in what are considered by some to be sweatshops , typified by long work hours, lack of benefits, and lack of worker representation. While most examples of such conditions are found in developing countries , clothes made in industrialized nations may also be manufactured under similar conditions. Coalitions of NGOs, designers (including Katharine Hamnett, American Apparel , Veja , Quiksilver , eVocal, and Edun), and campaign groups such as

8938-504: The moral panic came from the common but unspeakable idea that tightlacing could be used to induce an abortion . Doctors often attributed the difficult births many Victorian women experienced to corsets, widely believing that "primitive" women who wore less restrictive garments had less painful births and were overall healthier and more vigorous. Modern skeletal analyses indicate that corseting, particularly during pre-puberty (most girls began corseting around 7 or 8), led to underdevelopment of

9047-513: The most common and well-known use of corsets is to slim the body and make it conform to a fashionable silhouette. For women, this most frequently emphasizes a curvy figure by reducing the waist and thereby exaggerating the bust and hips . However, in the Tudor period , corsets, known then as "bodies", were worn to achieve a tubular straight-up-and-down shape, which involved minimizing the bust. These bodies, both women's and menswear, were worn into

9156-613: The name exercise" to avoid strain, although some guides were written on light calisthenics to be done by young women who would presumably be wearing corsets. Typical exercises included stretching, dance steps, and skipping, largely focusing on moving the limbs and balancing. As women's social freedom increased during the second half of the 19th century, sport corsets began to be sold, designed for wear while bicycling , playing tennis , or horseback riding. These designs typically incorporated some form of elastic panelling or mesh. Corsets were widely thought to contribute to tuberculosis . Prior to

9265-455: The nineteenth century as European colonial powers interacted with new environments such as tropical ones in Asia. Some scientific research into the multiple functions of clothing in the first half of the twentieth century, with publications such as J.C. Flügel 's Psychology of Clothes in 1930, and Newburgh's seminal Physiology of Heat Regulation and The Science of Clothing in 1949. By 1968,

9374-418: The past 500+ years. The mechanization of the textile industry made many varieties of cloth widely available at affordable prices. Styles have changed, and the availability of synthetic fabrics has changed the definition of what is "stylish". In the latter half of the twentieth century, blue jeans became very popular, and are now worn to events that normally demand formal attire. Activewear has also become

9483-572: The past, a woman's corset was usually worn over a chemise , a sleeveless low-necked gown made of washable material (usually cotton or linen ). It absorbed perspiration and kept the corset and the gown clean. In modern times, a tee shirt, camisole, or corset liner may be worn. In the late Victorian period, as anxiety around the health effects of corseting increased, the "health corset" became popularized, typically featuring woolen lining and other features such as elasticated panels or steel watch springs instead of steel strips for boning. The invention of

9592-410: The pelvic floor can also lead to urinary incontinence , similar to that experienced during pregnancy. Chlorosis is a now-outdated term which referred to a disease thought to be caused directly by corsets, now thought to be hypochromic anemia . The illness, also known as green sickness, was associated with the onset of menarche and fell under the umbrella of "female complaints": problems attributed to

9701-503: The sake of fashion. Although for many, corseting was accepted as necessary for health, propriety, and an upright military-style posture , dress reformers viewed tightlacing, especially at the height of the era of Victorian morality , as a sign of moral indecency. American women active in the anti-slavery and temperance movements , with experience in public speaking and political agitation, advocated for and wore sensible clothing that would not restrict their movement, although corsets were

9810-400: The same degree of reduction that was recorded in historical usage since the corset was usually begun during the early teen years or even before. The slimmest waist sizes on record should be contextualized with the fact that they were seen in teenage girls, and may have been reserved for special occasions. In 1895, The West Australian published an account purporting to be from the early 1860s,

9919-410: The side effects of tight lacing, proclaiming that "if a lady binds and girds herself in, until she be only twenty-three inches, and, in some cases, until she be only twenty-one inches, it must be done at the expense of comfort, health, and happiness." Fashions instead created the illusion of a small waist, using proportion, stripe placement, and color. Retouching photographs was sometimes used to create

10028-403: The steel eyelet in 1827 was a major turning point in the history of the corset, and allowed wearers to lace their corsets significantly more tightly without damaging the garment. Dress historian David Kunzle maintains that tightlacing was largely the domain of middle to lower-middle-class women hoping to increase their station in life; he estimates that the average corseted waist size of the 1880s

10137-401: The thousands of years that humans have been making clothing, they have created an astonishing array of styles, many of which have been reconstructed from surviving garments, photographs, paintings, mosaics , etc., as well as from written descriptions. Costume history can inspire current fashion designers, as well as costumiers for plays, films, television, and historical reenactment . Comfort

10246-406: The torso, extending from just under the arms toward the hips. An "underbust corset" begins just under the breasts and extends down toward the hips. A "longline corset"—either overbust or underbust—extends past the iliac crest , or the hip bone. A longline corset is ideal for those who want increased stability, have longer torsos, or want to smooth out or minimize the hips. This style was common during

10355-415: The treaty. The production of textiles has functioned as a consistent industry for developing nations, providing work and wages, whether construed as exploitative or not, to millions of people. Wasp waist Wasp waist is a women's fashion silhouette, produced by a style of corset and girdle , that has experienced various periods of popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its primary feature

10464-471: The uterus, ovaries, and fetus was frequently pointed to as a danger to the race; i.e., the European race. Western women were thought to be weaker and more prone to birth complications than the ostensibly more vigorous, healthier, "primitive" races who did not wear corsets. Dress reformers exhorted readers to loosen their corsets, or risk destroying the "civilized" races. On the other hand, those who argued for

10573-528: The waist or hips, although they lack the rigidity of corsets. A corset brace is a type of orthotic resembling a traditional corset, used to support the lower back in patients with mild to moderate back pain. The word corset is a diminutive of the Old French word cors (meaning "body", and itself derived from the Latin corpus ): the word therefore means "little body". The craft of corset construction

10682-446: The waist. For men, corsets were sporadically used to slim the figure. From around 1820 to 1835—and even until the late 1840s in some instances—a wasp-waisted figure (a small, nipped-in look to the waist ) was also desirable for men; wearing a corset sometimes served to achieve this. However, by the mid-1800s onward, men's corsets fell out of favor, and were generally considered effeminate and pretentious. An "overbust corset" encloses

10791-539: The wearer and their sweat. The corset cover was generally in the form of a light chemisette, made from cotton lawn or silk. Modern corset wearers may wear corset liners for many of the same reasons. Those who lace their corsets tightly use the liners to prevent burn on their skin from the laces. Aside from fashion and medical uses, corsets are also used in sexual fetishism , most notably in Bondage/Discipline/Sado-Masochism ( BDSM ). In BDSM,

10900-468: The world have studied a wide range of clothing topics, including the history of specific items of clothing, clothing styles in different cultural groups, and the business of clothing and fashion. The textile curator Linda Baumgarten writes that "clothing provides a remarkable picture of the daily lives, beliefs, expectations, and hopes of those who lived in the past. Clothing presents a number of challenges to historians. Clothing made of textiles or skins

11009-514: The world, not wearing clothes in public so that genitals , breast , or buttocks are visible could be considered indecent exposure . Pubic area or genital coverage is the most frequently encountered minimum found cross-culturally and regardless of climate, implying social convention as the basis of customs. Clothing also may be used to communicate social status, wealth, group identity, and individualism. Some forms of personal protective equipment amount to clothing, such as coveralls , chaps or

11118-482: Was approximately 21 inches (53 cm), with an uncorseted waist size of about 27 inches (69 cm). A corseted waist of 19 inches (48 cm) was considered "standard" and one of 13 inches (33 cm) "severe" but not unheard of. Statistics from 1888 indicate that the average waist size had decreased over the past 25 years, attributed to tightlacing itself as well as the lowered respiration and food intake permitted by tightlacing. Modern wearers are unlikely to achieve

11227-421: Was known to have a very slender waist at 16 inches. The negative physical effects of corseting have become widely known, including a variety of myths. For example, the idea that Victorian women frequently underwent rib removal to achieve a smaller waist is baseless. However, wearing a corset does affect a number of bodily functions and can be deleterious to the wearer's health, especially when worn regularly over

11336-414: Was most often laced in the back, and was, at first, a garment reserved for the aristocracy. Later, the term "pair of bodies" would be replaced with the term "stays" and was generally used during the 17th and 18th centuries. Stays shaped the upper torso into a cone or cylinder shape. In the 17th century, tabs (called "fingers") at the waist were added. Stays evolved in the 18th century, during which whalebone

11445-454: Was possible to leave the lacing as adjusted and take the corset on and off using the front opening. (If the corset is worn snugly, this method will damage the busk if the lacing is not significantly loosened beforehand). In the 1660s, the manufacture of stays, as they were known during the period, began to emerge as its own profession in France. These craftsmen were known as staymakers. The work

11554-431: Was required for stylish dress and had its own unique pleasures; dress historian David Kunzle theorized that some enthusiastic fans of tightlacing may have experienced sexual pleasure when tightlacing, or by rubbing against the front of the corset, which contributed to the moral outrage against the practice. The corset controversy was also closely tied to notions of social Darwinism and eugenics . The potential damage to

11663-412: Was specialized and generally considered men's work, although women often assisted in the construction process sewing together pieces cut and fitted by men. Women were excluded from staymaker's guilds, and the work was considered too strenuous for women to do correctly. By the 19th century, corsets became one of the first garments to be manufactured in factories via assembly line. Each step was performed by

11772-406: Was used more, and increased boning was used in the garment. The shape of the stays changed as well. While they were low and wide in the front, they could reach as high as the upper shoulder in the back. Stays could be strapless or use shoulder straps. The straps of the stays were generally attached in the back and tied at the front. The purpose of 18th century stays was to support the bust and confer

11881-462: Was worn under the corset to provide a layer between it and the body. Corsets were not worn next to the skin, possibly due to difficulties with laundering these items during the 19th century, as they had steel boning and metal eyelets that would rust. Light linen or cotton shifts (also called chemises) were worn beneath corsets to absorb sweat and protect the corset and wearer from each other, and also to function as underwear and protect other garments from

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