So fun fact - the clothes were made to look like the proportions were wild and therefore historical corsets were not as crazy tight as we would assume.
Can confirm. I’ve made and worn historically accurate Victorian corsets for a few decades. They’re actually quite comfortable, supportive, and great for back pain.
The fainting thing is a myth. You can breathe fine and even touch your toes easily.
Only a few people were doing extreme tight lacing for clout – basically the equivalent of the Kardashians – but since photography was expensive and the media was like it is now, those were the ones we heard about most. Regular women weren’t doing that.
I have a question out of curiosity… Is it supportive in a good way or do the ab and back muscles start to weaken with time if you don’t make an effort to strengthen them?
They’re supportive like a back brace. Modern back brace construction borrows quite a bit from corseting.
If you wore them too tightly for prolonged periods because you were an actress or socialite, your core muscles may weaken eventually because the corset did all the posture work, sure.
That was a thing, but pretty rare since average women wouldn’t tighten to impractical amounts.
