Corsets in Victorian England

1
Corsets in Victorian England

• A corset is a woman's close-fitting supporting
  undergarment.
• It often has hooks and laces.
• Inside are pieces of whale bones or metal.
• It covers her body from above or beneath the bust
  to the hips.
• Why do you think women wore them?

2
Why wear a corset?

• For All Women
• Change the shape of your body
• Create a small, circular waist (good breeding)
• Enhance bust and hips
• Prevent stomach, breasts, or buttocks from moving
• Make it possible to fit into dresses
• Attract a good husband
• Why else would a middle or upper class woman wear
  a corset?

3
Corsets and Class Issues

• For Middle and Upper Class Women, Corsets
• Restrict your ability to move, so show that you
  do not need to work.
• Were part of an overall appearance that showed
  your class rank.

4
Sickness and Death Romanticized in Victorian Art
and Literature

• Corsets made womens skin whiter, made it harder
  for women to breathe (chests rising and falling),
  and made women faint more often.
• These were appropriate (and fashionable) female
  behaviors for middle class Victorian women.

5
Working Class Corsets

• Most women who wore corsets were from the middle
  or upper classes.
• But many working class women wore corsets.
• Why?

6
Working Class CorsetsWhy?

• A corset gave a working class woman the
  appearance of a middle class woman.
• An opportunity to escape her working class
  origins
• A chance to enter a higher class by attracting a
  rich husband.
• But how could working class women afford corsets?

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Corset factory employeesSome women made corsets
in factories like these.
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Look a better woman, feel a better woman, be a
better woman from William Pretty and Sons
corset company advertisement

• Earlier, many women made their own corsets
• Patterns were in magazines
• Materials, including whalebone, specialized
  thread, cloth, and needles, were all available in
  stores
• Later, cheaper corsets, like the Pretty
  Housemaid were available.
• Difference between cheap and expensive corsets
  was trim, lace, materials, etc.
• Some corsets were even made for female prisoners!
• Can you think of any disadvantages of wearing a
  corset?

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Heres a ClueNursing Corset w/ 24 Waist
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Another Clue Corset Shields

• Why would a woman want a shield on her corset?
• Why would a company advertise that its corset
  will never break?

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Disadvantages of Wearing Corsets?

• Physically prevented the expansion of the ribs,
  abdomen and waist.
• 80 lbs of pressure on each square inch of skin
• Increased nausea, vomiting, eating disorders,
  headaches, chest and back pain, fractured ribs,
  and indigestion
• Depression and fatigue
• Increased miscarriages, abortions, and stillbirths