Underneath It All: A History of Women's Underwear by Amber J. Keyser (review)

Aiming at readers well past giggling age, Keyser presents a truncated but thoughtful overview of women's undergarments. Opening chapters focus, predictably, on history: chest binding for women exercising in third century BCE Sicily; loose halter-style garments in Han China "which were said to remove desire as well as protect the heart and belly from disease"; caged underskirts, corsets, and bloomers over the centuries in Anglo-western countries; and current designs. Discussion includes the absence of under-wearing as well, and the recent discovery of an unmistakable fourteenth-century bra in an Austrian castle. More engrossing, however, is Keyser's discourse on modern lingerie and corseting as both a proud statement of sexuality and an expression of male fantasy and the conflicted attitudes toward glam underfashions that result. She makes cursory but valuable introductions to critical theory—Laura Mulvey's "male gaze" and bell hooks' "oppositional gaze"—which will point serious readers along a path to further investigation. Designers addressing the practical and aesthetic needs of transgender patrons are also noted. While not an exhaustive history, this is an engaging read for anyone with an overflowing underwear drawer and a useful resource for teens whose interest is more scholarly than sartorial. Color photographs, sources notes, bibliographies, and an index are included. EB