Wasp waist

Polaire, a French actress famous for her wasp waist.
Photograph (1890)

Wasp waist refers to a woman's fashion silhouette, produced 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 16 to 18 inches were common and were often striven for as the reigning standard of feminine beauty in the period.[1][2]

Among the multitude of medical problems women suffered to achieve these drastic measurements were 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]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Kunzle, D."Fashion and Fetishism", Accessed June 20, 2007
  2. ↑ Klingerman, K.M. "Binding Femininity: The Effects of Tightlacing on the Female Pelvis", Accessed June 20, 2007
  3. ↑ O'Connor, E. "Medicine and Women's Clothing and Leisure Activities in Victorian Canada", Accessed June 20, 2007
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