Corset: Instrument of Oppression or Power
31st October 2011
The Corset: Instrument of Oppression or Power
"I must tell you something of significance. Fashion is always of the time in which you live. It is not something standing alone. The problem of fashion in 1925 was different. Women were just beginning to go to work in offices. I inspired the cutting of the hair short because it goes with the modern woman. To the woman going to work, I said to take off the bone corset, because women cannot work while they are imprisoned in a corset." (Coco Chanel)
The image is an advertisement in the late 19th century promoting the usage of corsets. This image represents the culture, fashion and class of the late 19th century. Illustrated in four chapters, it tells a story of a rich bachelorette of the upper-class society in the 19th century whom, unhappy of her figure in an old corset, decides to buy a new one; ‘The Madame Warren Corset’. Upon wearing this corset, the woman feels confident enough to step out to gain the attention of the public whom in this case are all men. The story ends in a ‘happily-ever-after’ enchanted theme, with the woman getting married in the end. The advertisement displays the corset as the upper class’ woman gateway to the ‘fairytale’ life in the 19th century unlike in the present 21st century where the corset is considered as an entirely different tool.
First chapter; a wide-figured brunette Caucasian female wearing a red coat, standing in front of a large mirror placed on a vanity table, which has a hairbrush, tissue and other items on it. With the citation, “Oh! How horrible I look in this old corset” written underneath the chapter. The woman in the image concerned about her looks in an old corset represents the portrayal and vanity of women in that era. Her ability to buy a new corset identifies her as a member of the upper class. Lower class women of that era did not wear corsets neither did middle-class women unless they were privileged enough to inherit one from a family
The Corset: Instrument of Oppression or Power
"I must tell you something of significance. Fashion is always of the time in which you live. It is not something standing alone. The problem of fashion in 1925 was different. Women were just beginning to go to work in offices. I inspired the cutting of the hair short because it goes with the modern woman. To the woman going to work, I said to take off the bone corset, because women cannot work while they are imprisoned in a corset." (Coco Chanel)
The image is an advertisement in the late 19th century promoting the usage of corsets. This image represents the culture, fashion and class of the late 19th century. Illustrated in four chapters, it tells a story of a rich bachelorette of the upper-class society in the 19th century whom, unhappy of her figure in an old corset, decides to buy a new one; ‘The Madame Warren Corset’. Upon wearing this corset, the woman feels confident enough to step out to gain the attention of the public whom in this case are all men. The story ends in a ‘happily-ever-after’ enchanted theme, with the woman getting married in the end. The advertisement displays the corset as the upper class’ woman gateway to the ‘fairytale’ life in the 19th century unlike in the present 21st century where the corset is considered as an entirely different tool.
First chapter; a wide-figured brunette Caucasian female wearing a red coat, standing in front of a large mirror placed on a vanity table, which has a hairbrush, tissue and other items on it. With the citation, “Oh! How horrible I look in this old corset” written underneath the chapter. The woman in the image concerned about her looks in an old corset represents the portrayal and vanity of women in that era. Her ability to buy a new corset identifies her as a member of the upper class. Lower class women of that era did not wear corsets neither did middle-class women unless they were privileged enough to inherit one from a family