By Ilemona Akpa
29 January 2023 |
1:00 pm
From Bridgerton to Gen Z, this sexy undergarment is once again popular. But is the corset an instrument of torture – or a weapon of empowerment” – Beverley D’Silva. The curvaceous woman is the woman of the 21st century, and corsets are no stranger to funding this figure. The corset had been argued to be…
Yemi-Alade-in-hair-corset
From Bridgerton to Gen Z, this sexy undergarment is once again popular. But is the corset an instrument of torture – or a weapon of empowerment” – Beverley D’Silva.
The curvaceous woman is the woman of the 21st century, and corsets are no stranger to funding this figure. The corset had been argued to be a symbol of women’s oppression, and dress reformers have also argued that female bodies were prone to deformities by virtue of wearing it.
Karolina Laskowska, a British lingerie designer who has been creating hand-made corsets since 2012, counters this notion. She says that a well-fitting corset can “take the strain off the shoulders and ribcage,” thus being more comfortable than a bra. Some clients, she says, have likened the feeling of having a fleet corset on to a wonderful hug.
Corsets have found their way into 21st-century pop culture and the fashion space, taking a spin-off of royalty and nobles and making an aggressive comeback with no signs of slowing down. Corsets have progressed from undergarments to overgarments, stylishly incorporating different styles and silhouettes.
Boning has found a home beyond undergarments to sculpting even in basic attire, from high-waisted pants to fitted jackets, dresses, and tips. The versatility of the Nigerian fashion space has embraced the fast-growing acceptance of corseting. Traditional attire has made way for this figure-hugging, body-transforming piece. it is almost impossible to attend an event without seeing an array of corseted women strutting in beauty and poise.
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The corset is particularly loved for its body sculpting abilities and the quick elevation of posture and class. Thanks to fashion designers like Tubo, Veekee James, Ceolumini, xtrabrideslagos and the like, corsets have made a major comeback, reminding us why they’re widely regarded as timeless pieces. While this element of fashion is magical in its interpretation, it begs the question: is there more beyond corsets to explore in the Nigerian fashion space? Could the focus on the specific body type be a major influencer of the love fest?
Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the mainstream idea of the “perfect body shape” for women has shifted almost as often as fashion trends. In some cases, the contrast in the idea of the perfect woman between decades is shocking, and speaks volumes about public attitudes at the time—the beauty standards, basically, depended on whether or not people thought it was okay for women to have curves. Unarguably, a snatched waist is a wonder, however, do we care to see more beyond it?
