Corset

A Corsets are garments of the torso.

Corsets do have two main types, because elastic material as plastic and rubber do not survive tight long-term use:

The soft elastic close-fitting undergarments. See Corsage
The unelastic corset for Body modification and long-term use:
- Corset for medicinal use, see orthopaedic.
- Corset for fashion and Body modification use, see Tightlacing.
  - Historical of Corset:
    - Corset (before 1500)
    - Corset (1500-1970)
      - The Iron corsets about 1500 and
      - The Stays 1550? - 1871
      - The Victorian corsets 1831 - 1901
        The Early Victorian corsets 1831 - 1880
        The Late Victorian corset about 1860 - 1901
      - The Straightfront corsets 1903 - 1912? and the Edward corset (S-curve corset) 1900-
      - The Pipe-shape corsets 1912 - 1928?
      - no corset period
      - The New Look corset 1947 - 1955?
      - no corset period
    - Corset from 1993 and today, se Corset (undergarment) and Tightlacing.

A corset is a garment worn to mold the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or orthopaedic purposes (either for the duration of wearing it, or with a more lasting effect). Both men and women have worn corsets. At different times throughout history, the garment has been used to exaggerate the female bust and hips and shrink the waist or to minimize these features. Some corsets were made of cloth or leather, and many included steel or whalebone or plastic ribs.

A corset can be designed to :

elongate the body
boost self-image
add or remove unwanted curves
trim the waistline and/or flatten the stomach and/or remove "love handles" but diet and exercise without corset are better.
smooth the hips
increase or reduce the bust
relieve back discomfort and/or provide general back support.
and promote good posture

But everyday use of corset is habit-forming, and general demand back exercise.

A corset may be worn in many situations:

evening and club wear
bridal wear
theatrical and historical costumery
cross-dressing enhancement
fetish wear
waist training
figure sculpting
back support

A corset can extend from the shoulders to the knees or lower. The smaller variety, which only covers the waist, may also be called a waist cincher. A corset may also include garters to hold up stockings (alternatively a separate suspender belt (garter belt) may be worn for that).

There have been documented examples of women shrinking their waists as small as 16" or less through corset training and Tight lacing. The Guinness Book of World Records records two instances of women reducing to 13" waists. These were extreme cases, however, and corsets were also designed for women to wear while bicycling or playing tennis.

The corset fell from fashion in the 1920s in Europe and America, replaced by girdles and elastic brassiere, but survived as an article of costume. Originally an item of lingerie, the corset has become a popular item of outerwear in the fetish, BDSM and goth subcultures.

Many people now believe that all corsets are uncomfortable and that wearing them was an affliction. However, women active in the Society for Creative Anachronism and historical reenactment groups commonly wear corsets as part of period costume and do not necessarily find them uncomfortable. Some large-breasted women say that they find corsets more comfortable than brassieres, because the weight of the breasts is carried by the whole corset rather than brassiere shoulder straps which may chafe or cut the skin. Victorian periodicals devoted to sensible or hygienic dress do not enveigh against corsets; they decry tight-lacing and recommend adoption of sensible corset styles.

Table of contents

1 References and further reading
2 See also
3 External link

References and further reading

Larry Utley, Autumn Carey-Adamme, Fetish Fashion: Undressing the Corset Green Candy Press, 2002. ISBN 1931160066

External link

The Corset also served as a nickname for the Supplementary Special Deposits Scheme operated as a means of monetary control by the Bank of England. The scheme was abolished in mid-1980 and the consequent surge in money supply measures without any underlying economic change vindicated the metaphor implicit in this terminology.