Wasp waist
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Wasp waist refers to a silhouette, given by a style of corset and girdle, that has experienced various periods of popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Its primary feature is the abrupt transition from a natural-width rib cage to an exceedingly small waist, with the hips curving out below. It takes its name from its similarity to a wasp's segmented body. The sharply cinched waistline also exaggerates the hips and bust.
In the 19th Century, while average corseted waist measurements varied between 20 and 23 inches, wasp waist measurements of 18 to 16 inches were not uncommon and were often striven for as the reigning standard of feminine beauty in the period. [1] [2] Some among the multitude of medical problems women suffered to achieve these drastic measurements were cracked and deformed ribs, weakened abdominal muscles, deformed and dislocated internal organs, and respiratory ailments. Displacement and disfigurement of the reproductive organs greatly increased the risk of miscarriage and maternal death. [3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Data from paper patterns advertisements and dress stands (1886)
- ^ http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04072006-115441/unrestricted/Klingerman_thesis.pdf
- ^ YJHM: Eileen O'Connor, "Medicine and Women's Clothing and Leisure Activities in Victorian Canada"
1. *D. Kunzle: [http://www.corsets.de/Data_from_paper_patterns_advertisem.php "Fashion and Fetishism", Accessed June 20, 2007 2. K.M. Klingerman: "Binding Femininity: The Effects of Tightlacing on the Female Pelvis", Accessed June 20, 2007 3. E. O'Connor, Ph.D.: "Medicine and Women's Clothing and Leisure Activities in Victorian Canada", Accessed June 20, 2007
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