Corsets have been a part of women’s lives for centuries. In the time that corsets have been in use they have undergone multiple modifications. These changes included nomenclature, materials, and fashionable body shape. Addeane Caelleigh, author of “Too Close for Comfort: 500 Years of Corsets”, defines corsets as “…fabric garments that constrict the torso. Reinforced with stiffeners, they fit so tightly that the body is molded into the desired shape”. Due to the popularity and longevity of the garment’s presence in the fashion world, it has a plethora of name variations. The “desired shape” Caelleigh …show more content…
Throughout history corsets have been worn by women to alter the natural curvature of the body; the corset is an artifact of both the past and the present. Today corsets are making a comeback as waist trainers. Waist trainers are being endorsed by many women in pop culture, such as celebrity musicians, actresses, reality stars, and dancers. This fad is being highly accepted because of the conditioning of society to the hegemonic ideology and the need to be in competition with others. Corsets are not a problem in society, people should feel free to express themselves how they please. The problem in society is the hegemonic belief in a perfect or ideal body type, people are made individually unique. How much time will pass before society realizes there is no need to aspire to fit into the same hourglass