Corsets: The Misunderstood Villain of Period Dramas
Pick any period drama off of the shelf and I can almost guarantee there will be one of the following scenes: A woman is being tightly laced into a corset and/or a woman has removed her corset and is scarred or marked by the boning. These are staples in films that include period costumes and are often a response to what is now considered oppressive fashion. However, the reality of this historical fashion could not be further from what we see on screens now. The classic tight lacing scene from Gone With the Wind (1939) What was the Reason for Corsets? I’m sorry to destroy any illusions you might have, but corsets, stays and crinolines were actually just structural undergarments. In modern terms, they weren’t too far off shaping underwear like Spanx and bras. Emerging in the late 16th Century, fully boned stays were worn under clothes to support the bust. Despite heavy boning, stays were considered informal wear, informal situations garments were constructed with the boning built-in...