Corset In The Victorian Era

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The Victorian era was a time when status and respectability were valued in society, which aligned with personal appearance and fashion choices. For women of the time, fashion was an important aspect of their level of respectability, so women kept up with fashion trends to remain respectable. The corset was the most important and lasting piece of women’s clothing during the nineteenth century, but its use, design, and meaning in the social spheres evolved as society and culture changed. The nineteenth century was both the height and downfall of the use of the corset, and the reason is due to the changes in society and the position of women in society. At its height, the corset became a staple in everyday life for women, and a symbol of respectability, …show more content…
Women wearing the corset were considered respectable, because they were dressed appropriately while in the presence of friends and strangers, following the culturally acceptable fashion trends of the time. Fashion became a way for people to appear respectable and show their wealth and prestige, as Boardman explains, “Fashionable dress, for women especially, was used as a channel through which they could display, assert and even consolidate class status,” which is exactly what the corset allowed them to do. Finch states, “fashionableness conferred by the corset was often disguised as a ‘hallmark of virtue,’” because the women would be dressed as per the social norm, completely covered and respectable when out in society. While the women that were wearing a corset were considered respectable and moral people, women who did not wear corsets, who were usually in the lower classes, were “in danger of being accused of loose morals,” because they were not conforming to the acceptable attire of a respectable woman, and therefore, it was assumed that they were not morale and virtuous women by …show more content…
Due to the corset being laced so tightly and restricting mobility, the doctors became concerned about women’s health while wearing corsets because it squeezed women into such a small shape, and therefore, squished organs into that shape as well. This was a concern for women, but this did not completely stop women from wearing the corset. Some manufacturers responded to these health claims and changed the shape of the corsets that they were making to be more health conscious, so that women could still wear the corsets. As the corsets started to be laced a bit looser, there were also corsets being made for active living too because doctors also suggested that women needed to start getting exercise and live a more fit
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