Corsets are items of clothes created at least four thousand years ago. Throughout the history, they were worn by men and women to strengthen the posture and emphasize the waistline. The first examples originate from Aegean civilization, we know it from little figurines of goddesses holding snakes in their hands and wearing underbust corsets that reveal naked breasts and make the image very feminine and authorative at the same time.
In the Medieval period, no corsets were used, they reappeared in the 16th century — the High Renaissance period: French soldiers put them on as protective armours. At French court, Catherine de’ Medici spruced up and made them a compulsory element of a garment to even and smooth the front part of the body. Black corsets were used most often because the colour was popular those days. The 17th century turned corsets into wonderful bases for gemstones and rich embroidery, and they were not that tight as before. During the next hundred years, the shape became cylindrical to bear the back upright at long-hour royal parties and hold multiple skirts. The French Revolution interfered into the peaceful existence of corsets freeing women’s bodies, yet only for a couple of decades. The great change came at the time of the First World War when they turned to be disturbing.
Nowadays, the item of clothing is not compulsory at all, but such types as wedding or steampunk corsets are favourited, plus size corsets prove to be popular. Special orthopedic items are used, but perhaps, the most frequently bought option is corsets lingeries beautifying and making a women’s body even more attractive.