Alice Vol. 7 No. 3

and steels cannot cut through,” referring to America’s grit and
industry. By the 1910s, corsets were on the move. Traveling
corset salesmen began to take the corset to slightly less urban
areas. This all fell flat during the first world war in which women
entered the workforce. It wasn’t until 1947 that Christian Dior
reintroduced the wasp-waist corset that resembled the corsets of
the late 19th century. In the 1970s, Vivienne Westwood sought
to change the connotation of corsets. By using them alongside
a punk aesthetic, Westwood changed the oppressive symbol
into a kind of woman empowerment symbol. In 1983, Dior’s
spring/summer collection featured his first corseted dress. This
transformed the garment from underwear to outerwear. While
corsets like Gaultier’s were showcased by Madonna on her
“Blonde Ambition” world tour, the 1990’s were mostly a time
of unshaped, layered garments and corsets were mostly seen in
evening gowns or wedding dresses.
2000’s: The iconic corset style drifted over into a constructional
symbol for all garments in the 2000s. Many silhouettes were
not only more tight fitting but they also began to accentuate the
hips by adding volume. Curved shapes were added into blouses,
dresses and jackets. In other cases, the corsets’ intricate lacing
was taken and put on the back of shirts. While there were a few
cases in which the corset remained grounded in its origins, the
large majority of designs were influenced by the construction.
2010’s: By the 2010s, the renaissance era corset was back.
The corset also takes over fitness with a new name: a waist
trainer. Some blame it on the era of instant gratification and
others blame it on the fitness/wellness industry. In 2016,
The New York Times asked the big question in a 2016 article
called, “Can a Corset Be Feminist?” The mixed messages from
the fashion industry, who wanted the sentiment to be true,
and the fitness industry, guaranteeing a slimmer waist, caused
Westwood’s corset style from the 70s to regain the focus. In
2019, a Vogue article referred to Westwood’s corset as the “most
popular vintage piece of 2019.” The Westwood pieces in the late
2010s sold online for thousands of dollars, but their shape was
immediately engulfed into everyday fashion.
While the corset may have changed, it is a powerful reminder
of the societal pressures that women face. The corset started as
a symbol of constriction and submission because royalty was
using the garment to attain the ultimate look of femininity.
Women are still subject to some of the same pressures. Fashion
is a powerful reflection of the evolution of society.
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