What IS a Corset

This is a big huge debate amongst corset people: What is a corset?

Well, if you type "Corset" into Google or eBay, you'll get a wide variety of things from this:



To this:

So what's the difference, right? And which one is a corset?

Like lots of people, my first corset was this little number, a gift from someone special, and an expensive purchase for us in those days:

But, trying cover up some recent weight gain, and expecting miracles, I couldn't help but be disappointed--my bulges were soon lumping right out of those plastic bones. The models look so good in them because they're already skinny!

You see, this corset is really an entry-level piece for people who don't expect any major waist reduction. The boning is scarce, what's there is plastic. It'll smooth you out a bit, but lace it too tight, and that plastic will buckle and bump, and it will make you look all lumpy. This goes for any of those plastic-boned corsets you buy from Fredrick's of Hollywood, Victoria's Secret, or most other lingerie stores.

Don't get me wrong. They're cute. I have one or two (though my first one seems to have disappeared, much to my dismay--surely a testament to my shoddy housekeeping). But they're never going to make you into a super-curvaceous vixen or Scarlet O'Hara with someone's foot in your back to "Lace me tighter, sister dear."

No, once you get beyond those first plastic corsets, there's a good chance you'll find yourself yearning for something a little more serious. And that's when we start getting into the "Is it a corset?" debate.

The Free Dictionary has this to say about corsets:

" A close-fitting undergarment, often reinforced by stays, worn to support and shape the waistline, hips, and breasts."

Apparel Search also had this to say:

"The most common use of corsets is to slim the body and make
it conform to a fashionable silhouette. For women this most
frequently emphasises a curvy figure, by reducing the waist, and
thereby exaggerating the bust and hips...Corsets are typically
constructed of a flexible material (like cloth or leather) stiffened with boning
(also called ribs or stays) inserted into channels in the cloth
or leather. In the Victorian period, steel and whalebone were
favored. Plastic is now the most commonly used material; spring
or spiral steel is preferred for high-quality corsets."

Alright, so the fact is, that my old Fredrick's corset does meet the definition. But if you start talking to corset aficionados, you find out that calling your Fredrick's bustier a "corset" is like telling a wine aficionado that your favorite wine is Boone's Farm.

Basically, even though they still cost a pretty penny, they're not doing their job: which is pushing your body into the shape at the corset says it should be. It should give you real, honest-to-God curves! With plastic and stretchy fabric, you'll see at most two inches of waist reduction, whereas, with a good steel-boned corset, you'll see at least two, and probably more like four solid inches squeezed off your waist. Plus, it should push everything else (like boobs) to where you want them to be.

So the answer is yes. This:

is still a corset, the same as Velveeta is still sold in the cheese aisle. And if you like your Velveeta, that's okay (love it in my macaroni and cheese). But if you find yourself thinking about quality, and wishing that you didn't already have to be skinny to look this good in your corset:



it might just be time to start looking up what makes a corset a corset. Start asking around. Like any buff, we corset aficionados love to talk about the details.