'Fighting the Corsetless Evil': Shaping Corsets and Culture, 1900-1930

During the nineteenth century virtually all free-born women in the United States wore corsets. Yet from mid-century onward, the purpose and meaning of the corset generated heated debate. In the early twentieth century, these debates intensified as women began to reject Victorian restrictions upon their mobility. Corset defenders gained a powerful new ally in 1907, the well-organized Corset Manufacturers Association. Arguments supporting corset use changed as a result. By 1930, the shapely "womanly" figure returned to fashion. Corset debates, waged with words and bodies, reveal how the corset works as an instrument of cultural hegemony. U.S. manufacturers and retailers were forced to adapt, but also fought to control fashion changes.