The cause of fainting spells--CORSETS!

[Romanov_fan]

Yes, I think the fainting aspect is fantasy as well. But, it is part of popular mythology about those corseted waists in the Victorian era. I'm not sure why, maybe it is because it seems like a natural assumption, although it is not.

[Katya23]

I am a professional actor and, for rehearsal and performance purposes, I have worn more than my fair share of corsets.  Some were cheap (rehearsals...) but I have had several corsets made for me.  I have done my own research on them because I wanted to make sure that I had them made correctly.  Corsets, if made to fit your body, can be very good for you!!!  They can really help your back and posture problems.  While you can lace them too tightly, if you do it correctly, it shouldn't be a problem.  The trick is to lace it up to a fairly snugg fit, but not all the way.  Then, wait 15-20 minutes until your body adjusts to it, then you will be able to lace it up even more.  A woman's body adjusts in the same ways that it adjusts with pregnancy...yes, things inside the shift, but it isn't dangerous unless you don't give you body time to adjust.  I really enjoy wearing them, especially on stage!  I feel much more graceful and elegant because my posture is so much better.  It also helps with my breath support when I sing.  So, don't worry, corsets are fine!!  )

[Martyn]

Katya's post makes a very important point in that the corset actually is warmed by body heat and moulds and stretches.  Thus when she advises that it be donned early, she is absolutely correct.

Our performers are advised to put them on at the half hour call, sit in them and do their make-up, have their wig put on etc.  After about twenty minutes it is usual to re-lace the corset so that it can be made tighter and fit better.  We also sometimes find that dresses with boned bodices, that is bodices that are not worn over a corset but instead have the bones built in to the foundation, often have to be taken in after a couple of rehearsals as they tend to stretch and become loose.

A corset that is too loosely laced will be just as uncomfortable as one that is too tightly laced.

[AnastasiaExpert]

Has anyone worn or wear corsets? 

Myself I wear a corset for a few hours to help strighten my back muscles as I slouch and have a bad posture.  I wear it underneath my blouses.

Just wondering if anyone out there wears them too.  Even if it is to be goth.   

[Annie]

My Grandma, who was the same age as Anastasia, wore them but I always thought they'd be uncomfortable. Once when my back was bothering me I dreamed she came back and told me to get a corset.

[I am_Tatianochka]

I sew and will be making a corset soon...then I will tell what I think of it...

[Alixz]

I had surgery about a year ago on my stomach ( a herniated muscle) and I was given what the doctor's office called "the garment".  It isn't a typical corset with ties, but it was tight and zipped up the front.

I made me stand much straighter and eased the tension in my back.  But I have never worn a real "tie it tighter corset" to make my waist smaller.

Actually in the fashion threads there is a thread about corsets that we started a couple of years ago.  A lot of people contributed.  If you can find it it is worth reading.

[AnastasiaExpert]

Hey Alixyz
Thanks for that   I wear the ones you can get on ebay,  but I bought one which has two ties in the back breast/waist ties.  I don't do it TIGHT lol.  I do it so it's moulded onto my body and it will not fall off, although it is a bit uncomfortable first time around hee hee.

I know in edwardian eras girls started wearing bodices from age 12 and graduated onto corsets around 14-16.

[Alixz]

My mother says they were called corselettes.  She was born in 1922 and she remembers still seeing them being sold in the shops where she grew up.   I think she actually may have had to wear one.

I was late into the family and I grew up in the 60s and 70s and I still remember the "Princess Corset Shop" in our town.  Because I was a "flower child" I was embarrassed to go in there so I never did.  I didn't want anyone to see me come out.

Heck, I remember the introduction of pantyhose.  I am going to be a walking anachronism before I know it.

[rosieposie]

LOL.  I think we all are  anachronisms.   Trying to be stuck in some era or time period.    As I said I'm wearing mine for medical purposes not for fashion although I wear it for my boyfriend.  He likes helping me do up the hook and eyes and then he does the lace pulling.

[Robert_Hall]

When I had back problems, I wore one.  Not very comfortable but sure improved my posture.

[I am_Tatianochka]

I wear a corset!

[Carolath Habsburg]

i wear corsets often but im not a tightlacer. I just love to give a a wee curves to my bod ;-)

[clockworkgirl21]

My friend collects all types of corsets. She had one made to make and feel like a Victorian corset, and she let me try it on. It was fun to wear for a few minutes, but I wouldn't want to wear it all the time.

[Olga Maria]

Nice to try one but I think my blood vessels will complain of asphyxiation.