The Corset Revival: Empowerment or Restriction?

Marie Claire

From its historical roots as a symbol of class and control to its modern interpretation as a statement of power, the corset has always been controversial. This video examines its role in films like 'Titanic' and 'Wuthering Heights' and what its current popularity says about our culture.

Transcript

00:00Fashion was always going to have a big part in weathering kites but I did not

00:03expect the corset to play such a starring role. As a garment the corset has

00:07always been a signal of power, first through the enforced dress codes of its

00:10time, later as a way for women to reclaim agency and to challenge the

00:14corset's own history. Before its rebirth, as lingerie or provocation, the corset

00:19was a marker of class, wealth and control. This was a garment that not only

00:23required time and money but another person to lace you in. You needed help

00:27basically. In Titanic this scene acts as a visual representation of the constriction

00:32that Rose is literally living within and there's an identical scene in Wuthering

00:36Heights. But what's more interesting, because this is a period piece, is that

00:41the corset's played a massive role off-screen as well. And if you think

00:44about it the corset makes complete sense. Fashion is flirting with another gilded

00:47age, opulence has been flaunted against rising inequality. Against this world of

00:52extremes the corset fits right in. Historically the corset has thrived in

00:56moments of imbalance, when the wealthy have felt able to flaunt their

00:59conspicuous consumption. Cock off the Bezos's at Couture Week. Obviously we

01:04could just chalk this down to costume, but fashion always acts as some kind of

01:09cultural commentary and against a backdrop of a world increasingly anxious of

01:13women taking up space, I think that the corset's return seems like a curious one.

01:18Just feel like I have to point out that I'm actually not wearing a corset, although it does look like

01:23it, which was bad timing on my

01:25behalf. Obviously we could just chalk this down to costume, but fashion always acts as

01:31cultural commentary and against a backdrop of a world increasingly anxious of

01:35women taking up space. The corset seems like a curious thing to be returning to.

01:41High onajibar. Hoorayah.

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