By Rhonda Rocks
Corsets. Arguably one of the most controversial topics in fashion since the 16th century. For years, the corset has spurred conversations within the fashion community. It has represented conflicting ideas of freedom and oppression, power and femininity, and strength and weakness.
With feminism in particular, however, it is safe to say that the jury is out. The topic is an established taboo, too controversial to wear, or even discuss. Yet, in the past year or so the corset has resurfaced. Take a quick scroll through TikTok or Instagram, and you may even want to call it a trend. Nonetheless, the casual reappearance of the corset has revived old arguments about how it contributes to unrealistic beauty standards and whether or not it promotes body positivity. This then begs the question, do corsets restrict or liberate?
To truly understand the cultural, historical, and social importance of the corset, one must first be aware of its roots. Corsets first came to be in the 16th century and steadily saw an increase in popularity and importance. About 100 years later, in 1645, Louis XIV of France ordered a mass creation of women’s clothes to be made exclusively by female dressmakers. However, he required that all riding gear and corsets were to be made solely by men. Hence, these corsets were created by men for women, a way to restrict young and old women alike into society’s idea of beauty. The corsets made would be rigid, and not fit to support the health of the woman. The purpose of the corset was to shape a woman’s body into the ideal type. It was to make them look like a gift for men to unwrap, no more a clothing item, a fetish object. From then on, this mere undergarment evolved into a sexual symbol, a moral obligation that any “self-respecting woman” would partake in.
By the end of the 18th century, the corset had become a staple in European and American culture. The demand was undeniable with an estimated 60 million corsets bought each year. Enter–the 19th century, when things went south for those favoring the corset. When the first wave of feminism arrived, the corset had harboured so much controversy and traction that it became the movement’s greatest enemy. It was painted as the villain, the actual physical embodiment of the patriarchy. The movement argued that corsets controlled the bodily autonomy of women, lacing them into their preconceived roles.
Ergo, as the 19th century progressed, corsets became less and less popular. The idea of embracing one’s natural figure, as encouraged by first-wave feminists, became more fashionable, more influential, and finally defeated the rigid ideals of the corset. It was seen as one of the most definite victories of the movement and kickstarted an age of new fashion.
With that, we come to the ’20s era of fashion. Just a glimpse at the roaring Twenties fashion scene could give you an insight. The social politics of the corset, and the negative connotations attached to it by the first-wave feminists, managed to inverse the fashion scene entirely. Take a look at Chanel’s 1920s Summer Collection. Their line included dropped waists, straight-cut skirts, and large outerwear–a complete turn-around, from fashion in the 1800s,- where skirts were long, billowing and made use of tight, boned corsets to emphasise the waist. Chanel also introduced the iconic Chanel Suit in 1925, which still is an integral part of the fashion scene. It seemed as if the general public was trying to move on, trying to forget about the corset. Along with this new mindset, Flapper fashion, a memorable trend of the ‘20s, was in full swing. It featured long, boxy dresses, with poofy outerwear, paired with short, curly hair––a deliberate contradiction to historical body standards (curvy waist, long hair–all turned into sexual symbols by the upperclassmen).
By then, it seemed as if the age of the corsets was over. Most were discarded; products of an abandoned time. But in the middle to late 20th century, the second wave of feminism made its debut. It reinstated the corset–and reclaimed it as some ironic form of empowerment. It was not the patriarchy pulling the strings of the corset, it was the women themselves.
The first revival began in the 1940s, during the second wave movement, when Dior coined the “waspie”. It was a more healthy and freeing form of the corset, essentially a waist cincher worn as outerwear to rebel against the binary that had once again been set in place for women. Designers like Paul Poiret dominated the creation of such fashion by the late 1940s, so the second-wave movement revived Victorian fashion- using the corset as its driving symbol. It went from a symbol of hate and oppression, into something reclaimed, transformed into a symbol of both sexual and social empowerment, women taking control over their own lives once again. It wasn’t a problem of corsets vs. women anymore, the importance now was merely the person lacing them.
Vivienne Westwood, commonly believed to be a trailblazer in punk and new-age fashion, redesigned the corset scene completely in the 1980s. Her designs scandalised the public and existed in conjunction with a new subculture of music, fashion, and entertainment. This cultural phenomenon coincided with the second wave of feminism, making the corset a symbol of female empowerment and overt sexuality. It challenged what was seen as “appropriate” for women to wear through the use of bold colours and bright patterns.
From then on, the corset became this symbol of contrasting ideas, creating conflict between those who believe corsets are as oppressive as they were in the 19th century and those who praise its symbolism of mid-20th century insubordination. As expected, it has ebbed and flowed out of mainstream fashion in the last 40 years- yet it still is regarded as a staple of modern fashion today.
As Miuccia Prada said in her 2016 Fall collection—Corsets are women. They show where we’ve come from, where we are, and where we’re going. It represents our oppression, our emancipation – and hopefully, our freedom.