week ten: corsetry...

A corset is a garment worn to mold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes. In recent years, the term "corset" has also been borrowed by the fashion industry to refer to tops which, to varying degrees mimic the look of traditional corsets without actually acting as one. While these modern corsets and corset top often feature lacing and/or boning and generally mimic a historical style of corsets, they have very little if any effect on the shape of the wearer's body.

The most common and well-known use of corsets is to slim the body and make it conform to a fashionable silhouette. For women this most frequently emphasizes a curvy figure, by reducing the waist, and thereby exaggerating the bust and hips. A shorter kind of corset, which covers the waist area (from low on the ribs to just above the hips), is called a waist cincher. A waist cincher (sometimes referred to as a Waspie) is a belt worn around the waist to make the wearer's waist physically smaller, to create the illusion of being smaller.

A corset has the influence to command the awareness of those around. It highlights the centre, the core of the skeletons frame. It protects the cluster of importance within the body, becoming a supportive armor. The chosen shape of a corset determines its power over the body. It most classically creates the hourglass figure desired by females, accentuating aspects of the form as to better shape. It ultimately crafts a smooth, reduced waistline which contours are rounded off to the hips.

(Above images www.iainclaridge.co.uk/. ../babyphat_dm.jpg, viewed 8/5/10)