KissMeGoodnight Article Series: Lingerie
Wearing Lingerie: Sizzling Secrets 

The Truth About Corsets

When thinking about corsets the first thing that tends to pop up is something one wore in the 16th century. It was a time when clothes started to be molded the body. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance Eras the corset was made to conform to the attire instead of the other way around. The corset is representative of clothing and tailoring of that time period. There are many myths about corsets in general, most from the Victorian corsets rather that the Elizabethan ones. The corset of the 16th century was designed to make the body cylindrical and flatten and lift the bust line. It wasn’t used as people think, to get that hourglass shape. That period had no mention of being small wasted. In fact, fuller was the preference with the flattened look of the torso, which is why the corset was invented in the first place. So, it isn’t true that maids and servants were binding and lacing up the nobility to make their wastes smaller in some torturous way.

Another common myth about the corset is its comfortability. This was not a torturous article of clothing and actually was very comfortable. This myth stems from the Elizabethan corsets of the 19th century. In England, it was very common for women to have these lightly laced up corsets under their other clothes. They were fitted and laced up properly and caused no discomfort at all. In fact, they were much more comfortable than today’s underwire bra. The boning they had in the back gave women the extra back support they needed to have less back problems and back pain. In fact, many women have remarked how the corset feels like a supportive back brace. Buckram was used to stiffen the corset to get that flattened bosom. This was designed to save the time in stiffening all the ladies gowns. So one would wear the stiffened corset to get the desired appeal in their clothing. This also helped people keep clothes longer and extend their lifetime usage.

It was during the mid 1500s that the corset began to evolve into a separate garment. Instead of just being used underneath the clothing, it was starting to be used as decorative clothing in the outer garments of the times. It was also separated from the gown or under gown and became more like the corset we know today. At first it was attached to a slip. The two were separated into two separate undergarments or outer garments in stead. The corsets of 16th century Spain were actually two separate pieces, the corset and the skirt attached together with lacing. Usually when asked a women will list the corset in the category of the top ten most painful pieces of clothing. One must try to forget abut the primitive design of the first corsets and move into today. The corset is bigger and better than ever before with the development of modern fabrics and a woman’s need for comfortability.

There are so many absolutely wonderful things about the corset these days. For starters, it will hold you in and boost you up for an amazing streamline appearance. The corset will make any bust have sexy cleavage and also help to give you back support. Your posture will improve as well. Not to mention they look and feel great and make any woman feel sexy while she is wearing one. You want to be sure to get a corset that bests fits you and your sized body. The point is not to be freakishly skinny it is to have a streamline waste and a flattened silhouette. Your boobs should not be so close to your chin that they can touch that would mean that your corset is too small. Another dead give away of whether or not the corset does not fit is if you have a bulging belly popping out from underneath.

In today’s age you can wear a corset with anything. This can be chosen as an under garment or as the main attraction itself. You can wear the corset with slacks, jeans, or skirts. For the more modest wearer add a simple sweater or blazer for more concealment. Corsets come in a variety of fabric and pattern designs in an amazing array of colors. There is one for every occasion and outfit. There are also those special little naughty corsets for those more intimate nights. There is nothing sexier than a shear corset worn with a garter and stockings to turn the heat up in the house.

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by KissMeGoodnight.com : 2006

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