Tight laces. Loosened laces. No laces. Which is best for my heroine?
When I envision a typical nineteenth century lady in an American city, I envision a small waist and tight corset. But the female lead in the novel I am currently writing decides to pursue the rational dress movement, a push to allow females to clothe themselves in a healthy and safe manner. Would she head to the backyard and burn her corset?
Definitely not! As little sense as it might make to us today since women don't commonly wear laces around our waists, the women of the 1800s held tightly to the belief that a corset was a necessity. They were not about to quit wearing them.
As a Michigan resident, I found the Jackson Waist interesting. At one time, Jackson--a relatively small town in my state--was the leading producer of corsets in the US. The town had sixteen corset manufacturing companies at one time, but the Jackson Corset Company outsold them all.
This corset did away with whale bone and laces. It advertised steel sown into the front and back to aid with a woman's posture instead. Some corsets merely settled over a women's shape after being slipped down over the head and shoulders. Others had fasteners and even laces that had a limited ability to be tightened. They promoted healthy blood flow and free breathing.
A woman could have her cake whilel wearing this corset and eat it too. No wonder the product was a huge hit. Definitely what my heroine will be wearing in Clarice's Chance.
No comments:
Post a Comment