Corsets first appeared in Europe and reached the zenith of its popularity during the Victorian Times. They were the biggest fashion trend until 1920 when the flapper and waist-less style took over the fashion industry. However, corsets came back in fashion this season--in spring-summer 2017. Although most people are excited about the comeback of corsets, I doubt whether they should be back in fashion. Corsets compress the organs, imprison women’s bodies and souls, and cause enfeeblement on the back muscles.
First of all, corsets require fastening the body, which leads to the compression of the organs. In the 18th century, the product is designed to trim down women’s waist. Accordingly, it squeezes the organs to create a thin and small waist. It mainly affects the lung, stomach, and colon since these three organs are the closest to our waist. The oppression of the lung could reduce lung capacity(Goldberg par.6). When our lung capacity is reduced, we breathe in less oxygen.
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Another purpose of the corsets is to help one keep good posture by straightening the person’s back. In the past, females were made to wear corsets at a very young age, especially girls in upper social class or royal families. It was essential for them to wear corsets because having good posture is an important part of the courtesy. However, the back muscle is only straightened when wearing the corset. When the corset is worn, the muscle is kept straight with the help of outside force. After the corset is removed, the muscle will get weak again(Sato N. et al.). This makes the body have a greater reliance on the corset. The moment the outside force is removed, the lower back suddenly lacks support. It will make the muscle painful and sore. All in all, corsets will not be able to help maintain good postures, they only have temporary results. This means that corsets are not sufficiently effective to us, instead, they cause us to feel