Hello Friends,
In 2020, Netflix’s first season of Regency-era
romances starring the Bridgerton family inspired fresh conversations about
historical clothing and corsets. In 2021, with my state isolating from the rest
of Australia because of the virus, I tried to buy on-line, a dress-makers mannequin
and sewing patterns for corsets. Nope, no luck. Everything was sold out with no
sign of when supplies would be back in stock.
In the twenty-first century, why would women want
to wear corset underwear or corset tops on the outside anyway? Had Bridgerton
set a fashion trend that would surely fade? On TV, the corsets looked like
torture devices designed to give the regency ladies a desirable figure but
stealing their breath. It’s worth noting, there is forensic evidence that
suggests slowly over a lifetime, tightly laced corsets could rearrange women’s
organs and deform their skeletons.
So why did I want to sew a corset during the
Bridgerton-inspired renaissance? Well, two large-chested ladies in the family
who have ongoing bra problems wanted to know if corsets could improve their
sense of well-being. A custom-made corset, sewn to fit their bodies sounded
like a new kind of heaven. They find it hard to buy large-sized bras that fit
properly. They’re uncomfortable to wear. The straps dig into shoulders. Back
ache is a common, daily occurrence.
Corsets from yesteryears were invented in France in
the 1500s and worn by women for the next four centuries. There is plenty of
commentary about how corsets altered the female shape. But aside from fashion,
working women also wore corsets, and they didn’t necessarily pull the laces
tight and gasp. Corsets were worn for practical reasons like comfort and
support. Instead of hoisting the weight of a heavy chest onto the shoulders,
the corset distributed the weight more evenly around the upper body. This
relief from pain is what the ladies in my family wanted to try.
So, the modern woman can try the benefits of the
corset without the TV torture effect. She can wear a corset to support the bust
and back. Maybe she will have better posture and not rounded shoulders. Or her
figure will have a flattering shape like the ladies in history. And lastly, the
corset has endured throughout the centuries without the attention of Bridgerton
as lingerie for weddings, sexy times, or to be feminine and beautiful, or….whatever
you like.
Next week, I’ll be writing about a woman who has
hand sewn historical corsets from old patterns and she says, don’t believe
everything you’ve read about corsets.
stay well,
Photo Credit: Tengy Art on Unsplash.com
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