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The History of Fashion and Dress
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18th Century Stays (what we would now call corsets),
 were
primarily intended as posture support for women and children.
Because their bodies were generally softer and weaker than those of adult males,
women (and children) were supposed by many to need the artificial support and
molding of stays. Osteoporosis (a bone weakening and breaking
disease common to European women after menopause) may have fostered this belief. However, even in the 18th Century, doctors were also concerned with the practice of fashionable women "tight lacing" their stays to create a smaller waist. Medical debate raged in the late 18th Century about the pros and cons of stays, until fashion temporarily discarded them in the 1790s. Go to BISSONNETTE ON COSTUME The Lingerie Collection: 1700 to 1799 or 18th Century Stays and view these actual examples of 18th Century stays. Compare them with images of Corsets from Lord & Taylor, 1881 how do the two types of shape mold the body? Go to the Manifesto's main Corset Page and look at sites selling corsets to modern women. By Saturday, post to the Message Board. your reflections on the motivations of modern corset wearers. Have you ever worn a corset? Would you want to? Why or why not? Get a discussion rolling...Optional: Learn how to replicate 18th Century stays at these links Return to The History of Fashion and Dress: The 18th Century when you are finished |
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This Page is part of The Costumer's Manifesto by Tara Maginnis, Ph.D. Copyright 1996-2008. You may print out any of these pages for non-profit educational use such as school papers, teacher handouts, or wall displays. You may link to any page in my site.
The Corset: A Cultural History
18th Century Corset Pattern from Karl Kohler