And to add my two cents:

I periodically wear a corset in my interpretive work. Although bending is not as easy as without, overall the corset is much more comfortable for a "Queen-sized" person than the modern underwire bra. It also is akin to wearing those back belts we see on everyone now - it does help support your lower back quite nicely. Like Indigo, I too am working on my second 19-inch waist, and I can get my waist size down 4 to 5 inches without undue stress.

Remember the "Merry Widows"  and girdles of the '50s? Watch the Hollywood musicals for examples - those ladies could dance, sing, etc, with the most unlikely waists.

Finally, I suspect fainting was a way to manipulate men - women had little formal power but they sure could get what they wanted if they developed the vapors or felt faint. My grandmother, a rather old-fashioned lady, frequently used just this method of obtaining what she wanted. As a result, she trained my father to panic at the mention of cramps or "that time of the month."

Jane Deisler-Seno
Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History
1900 North Chaparral
Corpus Christi, TX 78401

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