The
History of Lingerie
The History Sexy Lingerie
Staying Abreast of the Silhouette Ah, the female
silhouette. It can really vary, can’t it? And it
really has – over the ages. What’s been acceptable
to society has changed from one extreme to the other
– and back again. But the silhouette has been
governed by what’s draped over it. And throughout
history, it’s been adorned in many different ways,
with different areas accentuated along the way.
Women have worn everything from a heavy whalebone
contraption with laces and pulleys, all the way to
the light silky sexy lingerie of
today. To try to make some sense of the
transformation of the silhouette over the years,
let’s look at the history of sexy lingerie – why it
changed, and how it changed.
The first “lingerie” When we think of
sexy lingerie, we
think of light, thin material, usually see-through,
draped adoringly over the female body, covering just
enough to titillate the impressionable male. But
well before Christ, on the island of Crete, in the
Mediterranean Sea, women were very bold. Their idea
of lingerie was a boned bodice corset, designed not for
support, but to tease men, by pushing their breasts up and out,
literally exposing them in their entire splendor.
Although they achieved the “sexy” part, the
“lingerie” part was nothing like what we think of as
lingerie today.
Throughout time, as each vision of the silhouette
emerged, clothing was created to fit and accentuate
this shape. There were, of course, two main elements
in a silhouette – the bust and the butt. Some
societies wanted the bust to be prominent, while
some felt that the butt should be the “point of
interest”. One thing that’s never changed is that
we’re at the mercy of the fashion gurus – whatever
they say is in, that’s what we wear.
The silhouette goes from profound to padded Society
in the Middle Ages felt that the silhouette should
be restrained, especially the breasts, which they
thought should be firm and small. In those days,
women wore many styles of corsets over their
dresses, all with the similar purpose of flattening
their breasts. And in case some men didn’t notice
this flattering flattening, some women actually
attached small bells around their neckline – the
jingling bringing attention to the jiggling v.
During the Renaissance, the Spanish fashion experts
saw the silhouette as padded – in all the right
places. They wanted to see women with cone-shaped
breasts, flat stomachs and narrow waists. And women
went to great lengths to achieve this look – more
than reasonable lengths, as we see it today. They
actually had to have other people dress them because
the cinching up of their corsets was done up their
backs and required a lot of strength. In fact, they
were trussed and bound tighter than a Thanksgiving
turkey.
This unnatural shaping of the silhouette was met
with disapproval by proponents of good health.
Doctors complained that these corsets compressed
women’s bodies so tightly, their internal organs
were being squeezed, and their ribs were being
pushed out of shape. It was quite common for women
to swoon and faint – usually attributed to the
females’ delicate nature. Actually, it was because
they just couldn’t breathe! There was one report of
a woman who actually died when her ribs were cinched
so tightly that they pierced her liver. Wow – the
cost of looking sexy!
By the 18th century, life was becoming lighter, and
clothing trends followed. Although the whalebone
structure of the corset still kept
women tightly silhouetted, there was a definite
movement to incorporate the artistry that marked the
era.Corsets were decorated with beautiful embroidery, ribbons and
laces. And that wasn’t the only thing that drew male
attention – they also pushed the breasts up,
threatening to jump right out.
Later in the 18th century, people started rebelling
against many things and corsets were no
exception. Again, doctors spoke out about the
dangers of these body presses. And this time they
were heard – enough to actually have boned
corsets outlawed.
The softer silhouette is highlighted By the early
1800s, the silhouette was still enhanced, calling
for the support that the old corset had given. So
the corset returned, but with more elaborate methods
of construction. Boning was still used, but in
smaller sections, allowing for more movement. And
since the fashion of the day was for a more
separated look for breasts, a corset-maker named
Leroy came up with a model he called a “divorce”.
(Perhaps it was named that because by the time the
husband got it undone, he’d lost interest! And
separation does precede divorce, doesn’t it?) But
seriously folks, this problem of lacing and unlacing
was met by corset designers – they developed systems
that allowed women to undress themselves.
During the 1840s, with the much-exaggerated
silhouette for women, whalebone came back into use,
but this time with huge hoops and crinolines,
covered with all kinds of fabric and trim. In those
days, a man knew he’d found a fashionable woman if
he could put his hands around her waist. And because
women were still trying to attract men, they cinched
themselves up even tighter.
The hoop-and-crinoline look was soon replaced by the
soft-S silhouette, still using the corset, but
adding the bustle to the back. Now they’d created an
exaggerated bottom. This was fine, except women had
to stand a lot because most of their butts were
covered by the cumbersome bustle. Of course, the men
liked this because it gave them more opportunities
to view those sexy bustles.
As fashion design became more innovative, more
varieties of corsets were created. Now you could get
a lightly-boned corset for the morning, a boneless
corset for the beach, an elastic corset for
horseback riding, and a jersey corset for bicycle
riding. With all the activities women participated
in, think of how many corsets they would
need!
The corset is extended – then expended By the end of
the 19th century, the corset had become a supporter
not only of breasts, but of the newly-created
stockings. Stockings were held up by garters and
suspenders attached to the corset – a very
complex system of rigging.
By the beginning of the 20th century, corsets were
being laced down as far as the knee. But many people
didn’t like that style, and fashion designers were
leaning towards an un-corseted, more free-flowing
style. Sexy lingerie was about to take a whole new
turn. With the advent of the industrial revolution,
and the invention of the sewing machine, Germany and
France opened the first corset factories.
In 1913, Mary Phelps Jacob created a new type of
bra. It was much softer and much shorter than a corset. And it
allowed the breasts to be shaped in their natural
state. When too many people started asking Mary for
her design, she thought she’d better get it
protected. So she applied for a patent. She
eventually sold this patent to Warner Company.
After World War I, women began to enter the
workforce and corsets were definitely not
appropriate for wear in factories. They needed
shorter skirts made of cooler and lighter fabric
that was easy to care for. The other factor was that
the war had taken its toll on their supply of men,
which meant more competition in landing a man – they
needed to look their sexiest!
Then came the Roaring Twenties, with it’s elaborate
parties. Fashion changed dramatically – the boyish
silhouette was in. The quest for flat chests and
stomachs, and straight hips and buttocks, led the
fashion industry to create the liberty bodice, the
chemise, and bloomers – loose-fitting and light. And a
long-overdue substitute for plain old white appeared
– pastel colored lingerie. The first brassieres were
designed to flatten the breasts, adding to the total
boyish look. The corset was no longer needed –
except the bottom part that held up the
stockings. So the corset was shortened right down to a belt – the
suspender belt.
The 30s brought back the full-figured silhouette The
30s brought with them a complete turnaround in the
shape of the desired silhouette. The woman’s
feminine side once again became the priority. Women
were encouraged to look well-proportioned,
full-figured, but still reasonably slim in the hips.
Now women had a full set of lingerie to outfit
themselves – a breast-enhancing brassiere, an
elastic suspender belt, and the girdle, that kept
all the curves in the right places.
One of the biggest advancements in the lingerie
industry came in the 1930s, when Dunlop Rubber
invented Lastex. Lastex was an elastic fiber that
could be interwoven with the fabric used to make
lingerie fashions. Now the industry could make
lingerie in various sizes, to properly fit a woman’s
shape.
But then came World War II, and with it, its
shortages. Germany couldn’t import the fabrics
they’d been using and their industry dried up.
People started making home-knitted underwear out of
anything they could find. Not very sexy, to say the
least. But they were warm.
After the war, lingerie consisted of the basic bras
and suspender belts. This was the norm for most
women. But the teenage girl, emerging from the
oppression of the war, and looking for excitement,
became a target market. These teenagers were anxious
to grow up, and wearing lingerie was a big step
towards getting there. So the lingerie industry
started to create lingerie sets that would attract
the attention of these young girls. And the German
lingerie industry exploded.
Over in America, the lingerie industry was making
its own mark. Everyone was trying to create
something new and different. The market was flooded
with all kinds of innovations to help women look
sexy. For example, Howard Hughes created a new bra –
a special wire-reinforced design for Jane Russell.
(Was that the one that got her the Oscar for “Best
Support”?)
The silhouette suffers as bras are burned As the 60s
brought a wave of women’s emancipation movements,
feminists burned their bras. It’s ironic that they
had lots of support for this movement, because now
that they’d burned their bras, their support
was gone. And, later in life, they’d find that their
support sagged.
This movement gave the lingerie industry a heavy
hit. Many manufacturers were forced out of business.
But on the positive side, Lycra had just been
invented, and women’s legs began to be adorned in
tights or, even better for the men, the sexy little
mini-skirt. And with the mini-skirt came a demand for
bikini briefs.
By the 1980s, wire-reinforced bras had become the
number-one seller. For those who need that added
support, these are still very popular today.
Probably the biggest seller now is the
push-up bra.
Today’s silhouette varies in shape – but always
looks good in sexy lingerie Think of how far
lingerie has come – from the push-up corsets of ancient
Greece, to the push-up bra of today. The history of
sexy lingerie proves one fact – some things never
change. Obviously, the purpose hasn’t changed –
women still want to look sexy. The only thing that
has changed is the method.
We now have a society that allows much more freedom
than in the past. We have lighter, lacier, sexier
fabric. We have more liberal ideas of how much can
be bared. And of course, the men are all for it. So
the goal of the lingerie industry remains the same –
to create an image of a woman who’s desirable and
sexy. And if you look at all the sexy lingerie websites,
you’ll see that the industry is achieving its goal.
Right guys?
About The Author Gareth Marples is a successfully
published freelance copywriter, one of experience
and diversity. He provides valuable tips and advice
for consumers purchasing seamless nylon
stockings, cotton white panties and micro bikini thongs.
His numerous articles offer moneysaving tips and
valuable insight on typically confusing topics.
This article on the "History of Sexy
Lingerie " is
written by the author Gareth Marples.
© 2004 - Net Guides Publishing, Inc.
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