It's just so Vogue! Madness, mortality, and the corset: 19th and 20th centuries

As the corset entered into the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, it became the essential female undergarment, until the 1960s.

 

Ah, Bettie Paige.

Ummm, so why are you wearing it?

Let me tell you, when it comes to health issues, wearing a corset is a sign of mental morbidity.

The 18th Century

By the 18th century, there was (as indeed 'twas ever thus) an emphasis on bust and hips:  tiny waists with emphasized breasts.

About 1760? 1770?  Notice the hard line between the emphasized breasts, and the tiny waist.  And, the panniers.  

Panniers?  Yup.  That was an article of clothing, tied around the waist, to emphasize and expand the hip line.  It got a little nutty in the mid-to-late 18th century:

I know, wtf????????? But the pannier was quite real, as you can see.  What was the motivation behind the evolution of this fashion? I'm no fashion historian, but who can really explain why certain mores and/or modes of dress (that defy sanity) ever became hallmarks of a particular period? For the 18th century, it was both the corset, and the pannier.  

OK.  Let's first ask the obvious question:  how did these poor gals go through doors? Or go to the bathroom?

I'm sure that they negotiated it, but I imagine it was still a pain in the ass.

The 19th Century:

With the exception of the earliest years of the 19th century (1800-1820---think of a Jane Austen heroine), The hourglass figure reigned supreme.

1830s, 1840s:

Alright:  sloping shoulders, puffed sleeves, and a tiny tiny waist.  The fashion pages additionally loved tiny feet:

Now, look at their feet.  Truly realistic proportions, eh?  S%$&, by 1830, women were definitely not constricted at all, no way.

1850s:

In this decade, the skirt got 'rounder',  but the female waist stayed tiny--out of all proportion from the rest of the body.  At this time, corsets were not made exclusively from whale bone, but had begun to use metal (courtesy of industrialization) as the framework.  The heavy bell shaped skirts were additionally tied to the corset.

Interesting, isn't it, how the bust, waist, and hips are continuously emphasized.  I suppose there are a billion reasons for this, but I've always thought that western feminine fashions concentrated (rather addictively) on showcasing a woman's erogenous zones.  Good, wide hips plus a lush bosom means uber fertility, n'est-ce pas?

The female silhouette in the 1860s (and 1870s) didn't deviate from this directive very much, and the corset was used by just about every Tammie, Diana, and Harriet.  It was a fashion (although expensive for the ultra poor) that transcended class, as every woman followed a 'hidden' directive to display a wasp-waisted figure.  Like translucently white skin (courtesy arsenic lotion), and tiny feet.  The attainment of such attributes became an obsession for some women in the 19th century.  But, I don't really think anything has changed much, in terms of trying to attain the idealized standard of beauty.

1880s

S*&t.  I forgot to tell you about the bustle.  I'm sure you've noticed the strangeoid back of the dress? How you have the hour-glass figure from the front, but then suddenly the line of the dress jerks out at a 90 degree angle right above the ass, gradually landing in a cascade of ruffled fabric down the back of the skirt.

Nope, I cannot explain the evolution of the bustle either. I've read before that the bustle was used as a way of preventing fabric from the skirt from entangling the legs, thus preventing anyone from getting a look at a shapely limb. But, there really isn't any way of making sure.  As I've already written, finding the origins of fads are really difficult.

And, onto the 1890s:

Large, puffed sleeves (called 'leg of mutton' sleeves), the ever-present miniscule impossible waist, and poofy hair.  This last style was generally known as a "pompadour."  Chicks with gleaming tresses and 18 inch waists were the cat's pajamas, and the bees knees.

It was in this decade, that the hourglass figure reached its' pinnacle.  Alright.  But, what was the physical impact of turning your body into an hour-glass?  When people went to extremes, in order to achieve the hour-glass figure, they typically did something with their corset known as "tight lacing."  This is where women would draw their stays too tight, in order to achieve an insane waist line, like 18 inches.

For the millions of western women who regularly 'tight-laced' their corsets, several conditions quickly arose:

The Prolapsed Uterus

"Uterine prolapse occurs when pelvic floor muscles and ligaments stretch and weaken until they no longer provide enough support for the uterus. As a result, the uterus slips down into or protrudes out of the vagina."

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/uterine-prolapse/symptoms-causes/syc-20353458

The muscles of pelvic and/or vaginal areas were too weak to keep the uterus inside where it belongs.  Prolonged wearing of the corset was often responsible for causing this decision.  Also, if our hypothetical woman had several children, such a condition would be exacerbated.  Women regularly experienced multiple births over the course of their lives, but of course we should not generalize from the particular, right/?

Ewww.  And painful.  Really painful.  Today, curing this condition is easy:  a little nip here, a little tuck there, and hey presto!  But, such procedures weren't in existence in the 19th century.  So, what was used to 'help' this condition?

            The pessary.

Pessaries were inserted vaginally, with a secure cap at the top, in order to keep the uterus inside the body.

Yeeeeaaaaah.  I can definitely envision shoving any one of these thingies inside.  No problem.

So, a prolapsed uterus. Fun. What else?

2.  A malformed ribcage. 

3.  Stress on vital organs. 

4.  And on occasion, broken ribs, and punctured lungs. 

All due to tight lacing. Fun, right?

Next time, foot binding.