The Corset: Painful Yet Provocative

Fashion has changed considerably since the Victorian era in England, however there are many styles that have remained or have been modified for our current society. This time period was marked by defined curves and an hourglass figure. The most scandalous of these fashion articles were undergarments, and in particular, the corset. This Victorian fashion item was amoung the first of its kind and incorporated materials such as lace and silk, while sometimes also including stunning embroidery. Corsets came in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes, but seem to be all used for the same purpose: to confine the body, while making it more sexually desirable.

The corset can also be seen as an example related to the class system because they were most often worn by middle and upper class women. Corsets also materially set apart women since women of the working class who could not afford corsets were seen as loose or immoral. The confining and painful characteristics associated with wearing a corset can be symbolic to the roles that women tended to play during this time. Women were considered to be inferior to men and seemed to dress in this manner for male sexual desire.

While the Victorian corset disfigured the female body, it also highlighted its feminine features and ended up becoming an eroticized item of lingerie. Although women wore corsets for sexual attention, they gave the female body an unrealistic view of sexuality. Women’s undergarments were also known to excite curiosity about what is hidden beneath, and therefore increase male interest.

In recent years, Roy Raymond, the founder of Victoria’s Secret, recognized the idea of the corset as an eroticized item of lingerie. He found it hard to shop for lingerie at department stores for his wife and decided to open a store that resembled the drawers and closets of a traditional Victorian woman’s dressing room. There are many types of lingerie available at stores all over the globe. They not only carry modern corsets, but also have expanded their selection to include underwear, brassieres, sleepwear and swimsuits. Victoria’s Secret is now one of the world’s largest lingerie suppliers and continues the trend of supplying elegant and fashionable undergarments for ladies.

The reasons women chose to wear corsets have changed slightly since the Victorian era. The previous restrictive style has been updated to suit all of women’s undergarment needs, whether it is for at work, going out for dinner, or lazing around the house. However, corsets still give a somewhat unrealistic view of the female body and sexuality, but this look can sometimes be perceived to be more attractive than simply letting loose. Gender roles that once were associated with women wearing corsets in the nineteenth century do not apply in the same way today. Presently, corsets are seen to be more of an accessory rather than a necessity, and although they are only accessories, women of all social and economic statuses are encouraged to wear them. This notion makes present day corsets a great example of Victorian culture that we see in our everyday lives.