Corsets: Because Every Woman Has a Figure Problem

I do not agree!

I think corsets are comfortable, because they support the back and force me to maintain a good posture. Both my mother and my mother-in-law wear them. They have special corsets for bad backs, and it helps them a lot.

By the way, I think that they do give a good-looking figure as well, with a nice hourglass form. Unfortunately they are expensive and not really compatible with modern clothing.

Panty hoses on the other hand, eew! Luckily there still exist long stockings to fasten in the corset ;-)

I am an opera singer and have worn many corsets under costumes over the years. I actually like them. The one thing you really can't do once they're on is tie your shoes. Shoes have to go on first or you're gonna need help. I corset, despite what you may have read in Gone With the Wind, shouldn't be so tight that you can't breathe, might faint, or might bring your lunch back up. Cotten corsets, like the ones worn under costume, tend to relax to fit your shape. All that being said, no WAY would I wear one for my own purposes. Too inconvenient! Too bulky! Too hot!

I like corsets... I don't wear one though, because they're annoying and hard to tie tightly enough by yourself, and wearing one during intense activity like I participate in would just not be a good idea. My SO and I have thought about buying one though.

I don't even like shoulder pads in a jacket. Feels like I'm wearing a backpack or something. And they make women look like androgynes.

Corsets make women look like wasps. Forget it. I like my women to look as close to natural as possible. To question "What are you?" is not very attractive.

Great posting - I'm always fascinated on the ways advertising has - and hasn't - changed.

Corsets have changed, though. There's an excellent summary on the topic here. My favorite quote from the article:

Women today expect the perfect figure to come from inside, with dieting and exercise, not from restraint on the outside. While the lean, athletic figure is now seen as a function of freedom and feminism, says McTeer, “the goal still is to look smooth and under control. The ideal is the same, the means to achieve it have changed.”

I had a corset to wear under my wedding dress to make the silhouette smoother. It was horrible...it made my dress too big and it itched and the boning kept poking me in the side. Although, my husband DID think it looked kind of sexy. Not something I'd wear all the time though.

Oh, and I HATE pantyhose. I avoid them whenever possible just because they are so tight and itchy and uncomfortable.

I stand corrected and amazed that not all women despise corsets along with me! Perhaps I had a bad experience with one, along the lines of comfort.

But, along the "symbolic" lines of corsets, I will say that I still despise them! I think they hold a standard which is unrealistic, and fake. They are simply not for me.

Health purposes are one validation, but societal standards are a different story...

I like my curves the way they are. I don't want to smush them around.

I really don't mind pantyhose. But I had wiring in my bra already, forget it about a corset.

Now, those super tall panties that come to under your bra are great under lighter-fabric dresses, and they are not uncomfortable at all.

hate*, not had.

Panty hose are disgusting. They are hot and make my skin smell bad. As for a corset, maybe I would try one if it was velcro and would release immediately. All in all, women's undergarments are scary and confusing. Too bad I have to wear them.

I kind of like corsets. I have one I wear under my Renaissance Festival costume and I wish I could wear it more often. It supports my very large bust beautifully without shoulder straps (no bra straps digging in) and smooths out the "bra bulges" on my back. It also forces me to sit and stand more upright, thereby helping my bad back. As someone else mentioned, about the only thing I can't do in my corset is tie my shoes, but my RenFest shoes are slip-on's so that's not a problem. It can be a little uncomfortable when it gets hot, though. But I find any underwear is uncomfortable in hot weather.

I have no idea how women wore those things as I have enough trouble putting on my jeans when they came right out of the wash. Hopefully this way of dressing is over.

I think they are a torment, im glad we dont need to wear them anymore and that it is an optional garment. But im just disturbed by the ad....so all this marketing and brainwashing about how a woman's shape should look has been torturing our femenine psychology for how long now? This is ridiculous!!

I wear corsets pretty often. I am very interested in tightlacing. I found mine pretty comfy and supportive. Everything you do looks so graceful.

To be comfortable you must wear an protective chemise under the corset. The corset must be somewhat high-quality. Lingerie corsets DO NOT COUNT.

I also wear my corset for Renaissance Festivals and it makes me feel so gorgeous. I highly recommend them if you can pull off the look.

That was in the case of olden times and now more often in certain youth scenes like Goth, where women had to wear corsets to look curvy.