Question

Explain the shortcomings of tight dresses and corsets.

Answer 1

Hint: The French Revolution had raised the question of equality and ended aristocratic privileges, as well as the laws that maintained those privileges. Differences in earning, rather than sumptuary laws, now defined what the rich and poor could wear. The notion of what was beautiful or ugly, proper or improper, decent or vulgar differed.

Complete answer:
We must remember that before the ${17^{th}}$ century, most ordinary women in Britain possessed very few clothes made of flax, linen, or wool, which were difficult to clean. After $1600$, trade with India brought cheap, beautiful, and easy-to-maintain Indian chintzes within the reach of many Europeans. Then Britain began the mass manufacture of cotton textiles which is exported to many parts of the world. Cotton clothes became more accessible to a wider section of people in Europe. By the early ${20^{th}}$ century, artificial fibers made clothes cheaper.
Now, let’s focus on the shortcomings of tight dresses and corsets.
(i) Tight dresses and corsets caused deformities and illness among young girls. Such clothing restricted body growth and hampered blood circulation.
(ii) Muscles remained underdeveloped and the spines got bent.
(iii) Women wearing such clothing regularly complained of acute weakness. They felt tired and fainted frequently.

Note: After understanding the shortcomings let’s understand what a corset is. A corset is a garment worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, traditionally a smaller waist or larger bottom, for aesthetic or medical purposes either for the duration of wearing it or with a more lasting effect, or support the breasts. Both men and women are known to wear corsets, though this item was for many years an integral part of women's wardrobes.