Garter belts

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Garter belt is a woman's undergarment consisting of an elastic piece of cloth worn around the waist to which garters are attached to hold up stockings.

Contents 1 History 2 Functionality 3 Present day use 4 Medieval period 5 Footnotes

[edit] History

Garter belts were a common, popular alternative to the girdle in the 1940s through the 1960s, especially among teens and young women. The garter belt was simpler and more practical than the girdle because it basically was used only to hold up stockings. It was considered more comfortable than a girdle. Some men's magazines featured models in garter belts and stockings, sometimes with slips or petticoats.^[1]

[edit] Functionality

A garter belt normally had two or three garters on each side attached to a stiff, reenforced strip of material (at least two or three inches wide) that fastened around the waist. Three garters worked best in attaching the stocking because the two-garter version did not hold the stocking as tight. Most garter belts were white, but there were also some in black or pink as well.^[2]

[edit] Present day use

Garter belts continue to be sold through specialty and some department stores, as well as catalogues and websites, because many women find them more comfortable than girdles or pantyhose. There is also a certain element of sex appeal, too, because many men like their wives or girlfriends to wear garter belts and stockings rather than pantyhose. There are also panties with attached garters, similar to those seen in some of the men's magazines in the early 1960s. Garter belts today are available in a variety of colors and materials; red or black satin garter belts are particularly popular. Six-garter and four-garter versions are available; women find the six-garter styles more practical. Many garter belts today are made of a mixture of nylon and spandex.^[3]

[edit] Medieval period

In the medieval period, garters were were worn in a similar fashion. The Order of the Garter is the highest order of knighthood in Britain. It's motto Honi soit qui mal y pense ("shamed be the person who thinks evil of it") is based on the story of a gathering in which a woman's garter fell off, and the King picked it up and slid it up her leg for her. the king said this future motto in answer to the knights snickering at the event.

Also, in medieval times, the groom's men would rush at the new bride to take her garters off her as a prize.^[4]

[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ Spick magazine archives, Vintage lingerie website
2. ^ Sears Roebuck catalogues
3. ^ Victoria's Secret & Fredericks of Hollywood catalogues
4. ^ Friedman, Albert B., and Richard H. Osberg. "Gawain's Girdle as Traditional Symbol." The Journal of American Folklore 90.357 (1977): 301-15.