< Breasts are Sexualized A Short Pictorial History:
Cultural Attitudes Towards Female Breasts
Islamic Attitudes Towards Women's Bodies and Dress >
The famous "Merry Widow" by Warners, "Shaping you in a long and lovely line from bosom to hip. Then lifting you free as you see fit (thanks to its adjustable bra) for subtler separation..." Lana Turner wore the first Merry Widow, a full length corselette, in the 1952 film of the same name. She is reputed to have said, "I am telling you - the 'Merry Widow' was designed by a man. A woman would never do that to another woman."
This model illustrates what old-style corsets did to a woman's waist when cinched in to maximum effect. Corsets today are a fashion fetish more than a useful accessory.
A modern-day full length bra, a successor to the corset of previous centuries.
The modern corset is missing the metal or whalebone stays along with the extreme devices used in the Middle Ages to cinch the waist into as little as 18 or fewer inches. The underbust corset shrinks the wearer's waist and laves the breasts exposed, allowing the woman to wear a revealing dress or plunging neckline while still enjoying a corsetted waist.

The Corset, Yesterday and Today

During the 16th century, the early form of the corset was made of linen, stiffened with paste, given support with a primitive busk, and later incorporated iron supports to the sides and back. It sometimes lengthened over the hips with a strip of material called the basque which could be padded to further alter the silhouette. Side lacings disappeared and moved to the front or back. Women's bodies became more and more beautiful and elaborate so a new mode of fashion emerged. Their bodies were allowed to be seen. When it became fashionable to wear your gown open to show your beautiful support, a stomacher or placard was added to hide the laces.

In the 17th century, in England it was called the corset. In France, it was still known as the corps. The silhouette was altered using bodice lacings and the now popular busk. The busk is a descendent of the 15th century Italian coche. The busk was placed in the lining of the Basquine in the busk pocket and laced with the busk lace.

Later in the 17th century, Louis XIV brought together the court at Versailles. Luxury was reemphasized. was also during this time that whalebone replaced wood or metal supports.

Corsets of the day compressed breasts from below to make them bulge upward, looking as though they were ready to pop out. They also served to separate the aristocracy from the commoners, who wore a simple front-lacing cotte.

During the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, the natural contour of the body was much valued so the stays were discarded. The year 1814 saw the restoration of the rigid French court formality and the rigid hourglass figure.

A doctor with the armies of Napoleon, Daube, created the metallic eyelet. Corsets up to this point had their laces tightened through holes in the garment's material strengthened with buttonhole stitching. With the invention of this eyelet, tighter lacing could be achieved without fear of damaging the garment.

At the end of the 1800's, Jean-Julien Josselin invented the first corset with a front busk divided into two closed by hooks, and the back opening closed with laces.

Because women were starting to participate in tennis, bicycling, golf, horseback riding brought a more flexible corset to women. In 1910 the first all-elastic step-in was made and the ventilated corset of mesh or net was introduced. And in the 1930's, to create an even smoother line, .the corset was pushed aside for the new Lastex panty girdles.

Next in our review is a discussion of Middle-eastern Attitudes Towards Women's Bodies and Dress.

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