The market for the corset, is huge. Europe’s brassiere, girdle, and corset market combined is expected to become $3.5 billion by the end of 2035. A waistline worth the hype! That’s typically not what one associates with Victorian torture devices or the secret underthings of historical dramas.
Is the motivation behind the demand the same as it was centuries ago? Back when it all started in 16th-century Europe, a 17-inch waist was far from dramatic. It was a social flex and dare we say, a status symbol.
Catherine de’ Medici, the Italian noblewoman who later became Queen of France, may have infused the corset into the cultural bloodstream. However, her banning of ‘thick waists at court’ has endured through generations.
Curious about one of fashion’s most coveted vintage pieces? Then, tighten those laces and loosen your fashion inhibitions as this article explores the corset as an enduring work of art. You will find that this garment never went out of style; it simply slipped behind the curtains for a dramatic re-entrance.
A Fashion Constant in a Changing World
We’ve heard the cliché statement that fashion trends come and go. Vogue conveniently calls this an urban myth that often feels like a conspiracy. Regardless, it still begs the question: Do designers trade whispers or do the editors’ findings bind them?
Just as the modern world continually reinvents itself, the corset has undergone its own share of metamorphoses. The best part, however, is that she still managed to remain a constant in all her vintage glory.
For instance, the stiff upper body ‘stays’ of the Renaissance became the extreme hourglass corset of the Victorian Age. In the former, the garment served as a medieval multitool, whereas the latter was all about a social statement.
Oh, and let’s not forget that Victorian women found cinching their waist to even 18 inches a walk at the park! A waist size of 35 inches or less is considered ideal, but 18? That’s meant to be food for thought.
The Edwardian or the Titanic era was ‘infamous’ for its S-bend corset. The silhouette was so dramatic and spine-defying that Rose’s mother from the Titanic didn’t even need to raise her voice to make a point. The garment itself would have handled the emotional tension of the scene just fine.
The changes that the corset went through over the ages can best be called an identity crisis of sorts. To be fair, she traded whalebone for steel and shifted from underwear to outerwear. However, the corset never handed over her resignation letter.
She has proved herself to be the glamorous debutante of fashion who never left the ballroom. In other words, structure never went out of style; only the stitching was updated through the ages.
Corsetry And the Dialogue of Control
Fascinated as the world was over corsets, it could never get past the symbolism associated with these garments. In truth, they’ve had to walk a tightrope between structure and symbolism in each era.
Ironic as it is, the same society that lauded a corset didn’t shy away from dialogues on vanity, health, and oppression. Is that a polarized way of thinking, a controversy, or a social expression worth looking into?
Let’s dismantle this one by one. First comes the empowerment vs. oppression debate. While some saw corsets as tools of beauty and refinement, others considered them to be instruments of bodily control and patriarchy. Now, both perceptions are valid, at least to some extent. In a world where a woman’s appearance was her capital, the ‘ideal waistline’ could be an armor one day, and a cage the other.
Then there was the critical health debate. For centuries, physicians have raised red flags about how the tight lacing of the corset reduces lung capacity, compresses organs, and displaces ribs. It’s the same response that Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala moment garnered. Victorian-era alarm bells rang again as health experts considered her ‘extreme corseting’ to be as dangerous as it was spectacular.
The truth is that the pursuit of support and health has always been complex for women. Consider how devices meant to support weakened pelvic floor tissues led to unexpected complications, as addressed in the vaginal mesh lawsuit.
Injuries from such devices have included long-term discomfort and pain. That’s an ironic echo of earlier eras’ struggle for form and function. The corset may not have been a medical device even in its functional prime, but its risk factors certainly made it appear as one.
Finally, some women considered corsets to be an assertion of their identity, while others were simply yielding to societal pressure. Overall, the whistleblowers could not deter a majority of women, who continued to wear corsets with a few extra petticoats of sass.
The Comeback Kid From Fashion’s Attic
Grandmas with a trunk full of vintage treasures are sure to pull out at least one corset. This garment that should have been a relic of the past has instead become fashion’s ultimate boomerang. It’s often believed that what’s taboo or scandalous is also swooned over due to the curiosity it sparks. That’s pretty much the story of the corset in a sentence.
Satirized, tossed out, and scandalized, this garment has certainly played hard to get in every generation. Just when the world thought that her story had come to an end, she showed up on the runway, cinched and smirking, “Miss me?”
Perhaps the biggest credit of the 2000s goes to the visual drama of Netflix’s Bridgerton. The shocking 21.42 billion minutes of streaming translated into a whole new fashion trend, called ‘Regency core.’ The costume designer, Ellen Mirojnick, created 7,500 exclusive pieces for Season 1 alone!
Soon after, searches for Regencycore fashion skyrocketed. In particular, the demand for puff sleeves was up by 92.3% and that for corsets was a shocking 194%. Alongside, celebrities also helped resurrect the archival corsets as a red carpet staple. Think about Kendall Jenner in her sheer corset gown at the L’Oreal Paris show 2024.
Then, there was Christina Aguilera’s stunning Versace corset dress at the 2025 Burlesque. The fact that Aguilera pulled out her corset dress after 22 years is proof that this garment is a comeback kid from fashion’s attic. Be it runway glamor or street-level selfies, corsets are not just alive, but they’re thriving.
Let’s be real: fashion has performed more flips than a Cirque du Soleil act. The world has gone over neon tracksuits, quirky miniskirts, and even grunge flannel. Amid the drama, the corset has stayed booked and busy. She’s not clingy, but committed!
The garment’s history and endurance are testaments to its architectural marvel. With every piece being a canvas for the corsetiere to play with silhouettes, it’s no wonder that the craze exists even today.
As long as there’s enough drama, the corset will make its grand entrance. Perhaps now is the time for you to practice fainting gracefully in a chaise lounge?