corset

Also known as corselet, corps

thumb|A drawing of a luxury hourglass corset from 1878, featuring a busk fastening at the front and lacing at the back

AI overview

A corset is a tight-fitting undergarment designed to shape the body, typically fastened with lacing at the back and a busk (a rigid fastening) at the front, as seen in this 1878 luxury example. It matters because it represents an important historical garment that significantly influenced how people—particularly women—shaped their bodies and dressed across different eras.

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Commons category: Corsets

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~48 min read

Article

34 sections

Contents

Etymology
Uses
Fashion
16th-18th centuries
19th century
Men's corsets
Support garments for the corset
Fetish
Medical
Construction
Manufacture and design
Waist reduction
Health effects
Comfort
Respiration
Muscular wasting
Skeletal deformities
Pelvic floor and reproductive health
Prolapse
Miscellaneous
History
16th and 17th centuries
18th century
19th century
Corset controversy and dress reform
Early 20th century
Late 20th and 21st century
Special variants
Corset dress
Neck corset and collar
See also
References
Further reading
External links

thumb|A drawing of a luxury hourglass corset from 1878, featuring a busk fastening at the front and lacing at the back

A corset () is a support garment worn to constrict the torso into the desired shape and posture. They are traditionally constructed out of fabric with boning made of whalebone or steel, a stiff panel in the front called a busk which holds the torso rigidly upright, and some form of lacing which allows the garment to be tightened. Corsets, also known as stays, were an essential undergarment in European women's fashion from the 17th century to the early 20th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries they had a conical, straight-sided shape. This eventually evolved into the more curvaceous 19th century form. By the beginning of the 20th century, shifting gender roles that allowed women to be more active outside the home, as well as the onsets of World War I and II (and the associated material shortages) led the corset to be largely discarded by mainstream fashion.