Corsetry Essays

  • Waist Cinchers: The Oppression Of Women

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    While a flat stomach comes naturally for a sizeable proportion of the population, it has been a feature that many have strived to achieve; so much so that some will be willing to do just about anything for it. It’s no wonder that, it’s suddenly become fashionable to own a waist cincher while using it in the past has been associated with oppression of the female gender. Waist cinchers have been used by women since the 1500s but have gained tremendous popularity over the past few years as more women

  • Scoop Necklines Essay

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    sweetheart, and scoop necklines. Narrow necklines slim down your bust while keeping it looking balanced. Low necklines draw the eye closer to your narrow waist. Avoid wide necklines like boat necks and squares, these tend to give you a top heavy look. 3. Select pants with a slight flare. Look for wide-leg and boot-cut style pants. The flared cut keeps the bottom portion of your legs in balance with your wide hips. This also creates a longer, slimmer appearance for your legs. Last but not least, my

  • Corsets Growing Up Myths

    2326 Words  | 5 Pages

    Corsetry has been routinely used by women of all ages for centuries. So why does it have such a stigma today? In this paper, I will be analyzing the history, the modern-day myths, and the way that corsets are portrayed in the media. Many Feminists, Feminist thinkers, and women in academia have unwittingly fallen into the stereotypical mindsets that purport that corsets were used so that women would have less movement, corsets broke ribs, corsets encouraged an unhealthy bodily ideal, and so many more

  • Burn The Corset Analysis

    516 Words  | 2 Pages

    as unruly, inadequately gendered. It was, as the century reached its close, also viewed as sexually labile and alarmingly modern. Nonetheless, combined sartorial and political rebellion manifested in explicit advice - not to simply abandon their corsetry, but to torch it;

  • Modern Primitives John Leo Analysis

    639 Words  | 2 Pages

    modifications are a sign of a crisis.  In reality, these are people's chosen lifestyles that have absolutely no effect on his everyday life.  Within his commentary, Leo discusses the many different forms of body modification such as piercing, tattoos, corsetry, branding, scarring, and S&M.  A nose piercing might be on the more “innocent” side of  body modification, but scarring by a knife would be on the “more extreme” side, showing the various stages of adversity. As with most alterations, the human

  • Women In The 1900's Fashion Essay

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women’s Fashion in the 1900’s “Fashion has the power to not only redefine our own industry, but become a role model for others to reinvent their practices.” Fashion has become an important industry for many women and men. The way that women are dressed is what determines their personality. In the 1900’s to 1939 the women dressed differently. In the 1900’s the women would wear lots of layers underneath their dresses to shape their figure. The women’s dresses in the 1900’s had crinolines, bustles,

  • What Is The Royal Wedding Dress Essay

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    The chosen garment that will be discussed in detail in this essay is the Royal wedding dress designed for Catherine (Kate) Middleton, The Duchess of Cambridge made by the English designer Sarah Burton creative director of the fashion label Alexander McQueen. This essay will cover the topics of this dress in terms of historical and cultural context, the formal elements and its meaning. This royal wedding gown designed by Sarah Burton was worn by Kate Middleton on her Wedding day to Prince William

  • Goth Subculture Essay

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    People who belonged to the Goth subculture were hardly unnoticeable. Indeed their clothes, hair style and make up made them stand out from the crowd. The idea was to break from the conventional, traditional style. When the subculture came out in the U.K., wearing a complete suit was fashionable. The look of Margaret Thatcher with her plain suit and the hat of the same color, and Princess Diana served as* example to English people and influenced them. Other influences shaped the country but this time

  • Women: Prostitution During The Victorian Era

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women of The Victorian Era The Victorian era, 1837-1901, is characterised as the domestic age par excellence, epitomised by Queen Victoria, who came to represent a kind of femininity which was centred on the family, motherhood and respectability. Accompanied by her beloved husband Albert and surrounded by her many children in the sumptuous but homely surroundings of Balmoral Castle, Victoria became an icon of late-19th-century middle-class femininity and domesticity. Men were second to none during

  • Research Paper On Guy De Maupassant

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    neckline) was so torso defining that a woman’s shape could hardly go unnoticed” (2). Even though Mathilde may have dressed plain and modest, it wasn’t so modest. 1880 happened to be a very restrictive decade. With “severely tight and restrictive corsetry that was worn with long boned bodices, tight sleeves, and high necks” (2), it was no wonder that the necklace that Mathilde tried on over her high necked dress was so eye catching to

  • The Tumultuous Relationship between the East and the West

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    tumultuous relationship between the East and the West, as well as discuss the impact and progress of Orientalism in fashion. Paul Poiret was the first couturier to embrace draping, thus moving away from the more traditional techniques of tailoring and corsetry. This launched the transformation of couture traditions of the Belle Époque. To many, Poiret had dethroned the paradigm of Western fashion when he employed the art of Orientalism into clothing. Today, Marc Jacobs also illustrates the contribution

  • The Impact Of The Gibson Girl On American Culture

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Wear a blank expression/and a monumental curl/And walk with a bend in your back/Then they will call you a Gibson Girl."(Camille Clifford) In each turn of the century, there is a fashionable icon and role model for girls to follow. Some were real people like celebrities and models; for example, in the 1950s, the known fashionable icon is Audrey Hepburn. Then in the 1960s, barbie became a cultural icon. While in the late 19th century, the cultural icon was a drawing of a girl, a vision created by

  • The Jazz Age

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    The era of the Roaring Twenties, was a time of great societal change. Many of these changes were greatly influenced by jazz music. During this time, the country was coming out of World War I and the attitude of most people was dark and dismal. Dance and music clubs became tremendously popular in an effort to improve the quality of life for many people. After experiencing the death and destruction caused by World War I, young men and women were ready for a change. They wanted to forget about misery

  • Fashion and Semiotics

    1926 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ever since their invention many centuries ago, clothes have been used as a way of communicating. The message communicated relies on a number of factors including the social background of both the communicator and the receiver, and the context in which the message is communicated. Although at times the exact message or symbolism one is trying to portray may not be clear, it is evident that clothing has long been embraced as one of the best ways to project one’s desired personal image to those around

  • The Corsets And Pregnacy

    1459 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many women of all economic classes tried to hide their maternal condition from society. The use of corsetry helped them to keep their pregnancy a secret (Bach.)Women of the middle and upper class used corsets to accomplish a small waist and smooth silhouette. These women enjoyed attending social events, wearing extravagant gowns and clothing. When they

  • Collette Dinnigan's Designs

    1523 Words  | 4 Pages

    Collette Dinnigan’s designs possess an elegant, soft and ethereal sensation reflecting her individual style and ultimately resulting in her worldwide success. Her are designs for all ages from infant through to bridal wear and established her self-titled label, Collette Dinnigan in 1990. She is well known for her lingerie and bridal wear which has featured in Vogue magazine. Dinnigan’s garments are carefully hand-made in Sydney, Australia; according to Dinnigan “The product itself is not necessarily

  • 1960's Fashion Trends

    1745 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the 1950s a separate market came into being, specifically for young people with large disposable incomes. Hollywood film stars James Dean and Marlon Brando popularized jeans and the motorbike jacket and also transformed the T-shirt into a fashionable item of clothing. Teenage girls wore tight sweaters and cardigans over pointed brassieres, with circular skirts held out stiffly by layers of nylon petticoats. Young people around the globe danced to the new American rock’n’roll music, and it was

  • Gendered Ideals of Body Form

    1713 Words  | 4 Pages

    Gendered bodies in the West are bodies of contrasts. A masculine, sharp, inverted triangular body is contrasted to the feminine, soft, hourglass shape. Humans, throughout history, have resorted to drastic measures to meet and exemplify gendered ideals of body form. One such measure that has been in place since the Victoria era is the wearing of corsets. In attempting this research, I thought that wearing a corset would provide an insight into the ways feminine bodily ideals are appropriated by women

  • Why We Should Stop Extinction

    2509 Words  | 6 Pages

    Southern Right Whales were hunted because they float when dead, can yield, many barrels of oil, have long baleen plates and come close to shore. Whale oil was used for candles, light fuel, soap, heating and lubricant. Baleen or “whalebone” was used in corsetry, bookbinding, whip, and umbrella making (Environment). Between the years 1835-1844 whales in New Zealand and Australia were hunted to near extinction. As a result the hunting whales was no longer profitable and by 1935 the whales were internationally