Corsets
Corsets and Victorian Society
Victorian women wore corsets; it was the standard practice of all women to wear them. The corset was the fashion of the time and not wearing one would make you an outsider.
Corsets and Health
Although most people wore corsets for fashion, there were some medical reasons to where them as well, including:
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To give support to a back with Scoliosis
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To give support to weak back muscles
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To give better support to women with large breasts than traditional brassieres offered
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To promote overall good posture
However, there were just as many negatives to wearing corsets as pluses. Because corsets needed to be custom made to fit each person individually, and because this was very expensive, many women wore corsets that fit improperly. Many women also wore corsets for much longer stretches of time than was advisable (ie a full day rather than a few hours). If a woman was wore a corset that fit improperly or wore it too much, it could cause many medical problems, including:
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Lack of abdominal musical
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Floating ribs
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Broken ribs
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Ribs that puncture organs
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Deformation of the stomach
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Deformation of the liver
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The pushing of the uterus out through the vagina
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Reduced ability to breath
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