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Corsets have a long history through the ages in a woman’s wardrobe.  The corset was instrumental in the shaping of a woman’s body to the desired “hour glass” shape.  During the 1800’s, it was not uncommon for men to also don a corset to shape their bodies.  Corsets during this period were usually constructed of a flexible material like cloth or leather and stiffened with a boning material that was inserted into channels created in the cloth or leather.  In the 19th century, steel and whalebone were favored for the boning material thanks to its rigidity.

Corsets are held together by lacing usually at the back.  Tightening or loosening the lacing produces changes in the firmness of the corset.  Depending on the desired effect, corsets can be laced from the top down, from the bottom up, or both up from the bottom and down from the top using two laces that meet in the middle.  In the Victorian heyday of corsets, a well-to-do woman would be laced by her maid.  Many corsets also had a buttoned front opening called a busk.  Once the lacing was adjusted comfortably, it was possible to leave the lacing as adjusted and take the corset on and off using the front opening.  Self-lacing is also almost impossible with the technique of tightlacing, which strives for the absolute most possible reduction of the waist.  Modern tightlacers are usually laced by spouses and partners.

Since the 1920s, traditional corsets have been replaced by girdles which do not need a second person to perform its primary function of waist reduction.

Corsets offer a number of advantages:

• Corsets promote good posture
• Corsets can improve function for people with certain back injuries or spinal disorders
• Corsets can reduce the waistline 2-4 inches
• The abdominal pressure maintained by frequent use can inhibit the appetite without conscious dieting, drug use, or surgery and result in the reduction of body fat

While there are obvious benefits, there are also inherent dangers to using a corsets improperly:

• If a corset is correctly fitted, the wearer’s posture should be upright; the corset should provide pressure from below the ribcage, rather than on either side.  Incorrectly fitted corsets can lead to chest compression.
• Improper corset use may cause deformation of both the stomach and liver.
• Wearing a tight corset may lead to difficulty breathing or more use of intercostal breathing.  Tightlacers are more likely to notice this, as the volume of the lungs diminishes.
• Growing children are far more vulnerable to the potential health risks of corset use.  Corsets should only be worn by fully-formed adults, never by growing children.

Use of modern corsets has moved away from being intended for bodyshaping and moved more to being relegated for costuming and in the fulfillment of erotic fantasies.

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