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0 / 28 Fotos
A medieval torture device - The corset, dating as far back as the 16th century, is often imagined as tight-lacing, largely due to the murky history of the garment (it only became known as a corset in the 19th century).
© Getty Images
1 / 28 Fotos
They used to be fatal - By the Victorian era, corsets were well-known to be deadly. Some were so tight they served as appetite suppressants, and there are accounts of women passing out from lack of oxygen.
© Getty Images
2 / 28 Fotos
It hit extremes - In the late 19th century, the “Wasp Waist” was a famous corset, as modeled here by French music-hall singer Polaire.
© Getty Images
3 / 28 Fotos
Physicians sounded the alarms - After the fashion trend became an epidemic, doctors rushed to illustrate the negative effects of tight-lacing.
© Getty Images
4 / 28 Fotos
They used to be underwear - Corsets used to be worn underneath women’s dresses to give the illusion of a naturally occurring shape—however convincing that may have been.
© Getty Images
5 / 28 Fotos
Corsets slid down - In the 1920s-1950s, girdles became more popular, honing in the belly and hips as opposed to the waist.
© Getty Images
6 / 28 Fotos
The next spike in popularity is thanks to: - Madonna! Only in the 1980s did corsets see a surge in attention, after Madonna teamed up with designer Jean Paul Gaultier. Her version, however, was more like a tight bodice than a proper corset.
© BrunoPress
7 / 28 Fotos
They are more oxygen-friendly - Since the late 20th century, the fashion industry borrowed the term "corset" to refer to tops which, to varying degrees, mimic the look of traditional corsets without the dangerous compression of vital organs.
© Getty Images
8 / 28 Fotos
A visual imitation - While modern corsets often feature lacing or boning reminiscent of their historical style, they have very little, if any, long-term effects on the shape of the wearer's body.
© Getty Images
9 / 28 Fotos
No longer underwear - Women are wearing the garment on top of their outfits, giving shape not to their natural bodies, but to the clothes on top.
© Getty Images
10 / 28 Fotos
A shirt in itself - The corset alone has become a standout wardrobe piece that can even be casually thrown on with jeans, as Bella Hadid demonstrates.
© BrunoPress
11 / 28 Fotos
A new kind of Queen with a new corset - Beyoncé got on the corset trend in the noughties, before even the Kardashians.
© Getty Images
12 / 28 Fotos
There are different shapes and sizes - Kim Kardashian is a big fan of clothes that call upon the historic corset figure, and hers extends over the waist.
© BrunoPress
13 / 28 Fotos
There are different shapes and sizes - Emma Gonzalez wears what is called the overbust corset.
© Getty Images
14 / 28 Fotos
There are different shapes and sizes - Sofia Richie opted for an underbust corset.
© Getty Images
15 / 28 Fotos
The underbust is a favorite - Kylie Jenner and thousands of her fans love adding an underbust corset to any outfit.
© BrunoPress
16 / 28 Fotos
They can be thin - Diane Kruger fastens hers with a belt.
© Getty Images
17 / 28 Fotos
Or they can be long - Lupita Nyong'o sports a lace-up corset with a sheer skirt, which a woman would have likely used as underwear a couple centuries earlier.
© Getty Images
18 / 28 Fotos
Lace and laces - Kate Upton transports more than a few decades back in time with this laced-up lacy look.
© Getty Images
19 / 28 Fotos
Add shape to stiff silhouettes - You can throw a corset over a suit jacket, and while you're at it, you can make it a transparent neon pink fabric. Anything goes!
© Getty Images
20 / 28 Fotos
Add shape to bulky silhouettes - This unique version actually has straps to hold it in place, which means it's nowhere near Victorian levels of tightness.
© Getty Images
21 / 28 Fotos
You can use it as an accessory - Karlie Kloss would have completely blended into the background without her standout leopard-print corset.
© Getty Images
22 / 28 Fotos
It can be a very casual look - Kristen Bell wears a lace-up corset top over a t-shirt and jeans. The best part, however, are the slippers.
© BrunoPress
23 / 28 Fotos
An air of executive - In direct contradiction with the idea that the corset took power away from women, Mary J. Blige makes the corset look extremely powerful.
© Getty Images
24 / 28 Fotos
From torture to trendsetter - It seems the return of the corset has brought with it a general resurgence of medieval fashion, and even Naomi Campbell is on board.
© Getty Images
25 / 28 Fotos
There is also a world of erotic use - Some people use the corset in BDSM, while others prefer to shape their bodies with it long-term for added sexual pleasure.
© Getty Images
26 / 28 Fotos
The rise of the "waist trainer" - Fashionable corsets are fun ways to accentuate your existing figure, but lately "waist trainers" have come into style, with celebrities like the Kardashians backing them. While they're not called corsets, they do have numerous similar health risks associated with them.
© BrunoPress
27 / 28 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 28 Fotos
A medieval torture device - The corset, dating as far back as the 16th century, is often imagined as tight-lacing, largely due to the murky history of the garment (it only became known as a corset in the 19th century).
© Getty Images
1 / 28 Fotos
They used to be fatal - By the Victorian era, corsets were well-known to be deadly. Some were so tight they served as appetite suppressants, and there are accounts of women passing out from lack of oxygen.
© Getty Images
2 / 28 Fotos
It hit extremes - In the late 19th century, the “Wasp Waist” was a famous corset, as modeled here by French music-hall singer Polaire.
© Getty Images
3 / 28 Fotos
Physicians sounded the alarms - After the fashion trend became an epidemic, doctors rushed to illustrate the negative effects of tight-lacing.
© Getty Images
4 / 28 Fotos
They used to be underwear - Corsets used to be worn underneath women’s dresses to give the illusion of a naturally occurring shape—however convincing that may have been.
© Getty Images
5 / 28 Fotos
Corsets slid down - In the 1920s-1950s, girdles became more popular, honing in the belly and hips as opposed to the waist.
© Getty Images
6 / 28 Fotos
The next spike in popularity is thanks to: - Madonna! Only in the 1980s did corsets see a surge in attention, after Madonna teamed up with designer Jean Paul Gaultier. Her version, however, was more like a tight bodice than a proper corset.
© BrunoPress
7 / 28 Fotos
They are more oxygen-friendly - Since the late 20th century, the fashion industry borrowed the term "corset" to refer to tops which, to varying degrees, mimic the look of traditional corsets without the dangerous compression of vital organs.
© Getty Images
8 / 28 Fotos
A visual imitation - While modern corsets often feature lacing or boning reminiscent of their historical style, they have very little, if any, long-term effects on the shape of the wearer's body.
© Getty Images
9 / 28 Fotos
No longer underwear - Women are wearing the garment on top of their outfits, giving shape not to their natural bodies, but to the clothes on top.
© Getty Images
10 / 28 Fotos
A shirt in itself - The corset alone has become a standout wardrobe piece that can even be casually thrown on with jeans, as Bella Hadid demonstrates.
© BrunoPress
11 / 28 Fotos
A new kind of Queen with a new corset - Beyoncé got on the corset trend in the noughties, before even the Kardashians.
© Getty Images
12 / 28 Fotos
There are different shapes and sizes - Kim Kardashian is a big fan of clothes that call upon the historic corset figure, and hers extends over the waist.
© BrunoPress
13 / 28 Fotos
There are different shapes and sizes - Emma Gonzalez wears what is called the overbust corset.
© Getty Images
14 / 28 Fotos
There are different shapes and sizes - Sofia Richie opted for an underbust corset.
© Getty Images
15 / 28 Fotos
The underbust is a favorite - Kylie Jenner and thousands of her fans love adding an underbust corset to any outfit.
© BrunoPress
16 / 28 Fotos
They can be thin - Diane Kruger fastens hers with a belt.
© Getty Images
17 / 28 Fotos
Or they can be long - Lupita Nyong'o sports a lace-up corset with a sheer skirt, which a woman would have likely used as underwear a couple centuries earlier.
© Getty Images
18 / 28 Fotos
Lace and laces - Kate Upton transports more than a few decades back in time with this laced-up lacy look.
© Getty Images
19 / 28 Fotos
Add shape to stiff silhouettes - You can throw a corset over a suit jacket, and while you're at it, you can make it a transparent neon pink fabric. Anything goes!
© Getty Images
20 / 28 Fotos
Add shape to bulky silhouettes - This unique version actually has straps to hold it in place, which means it's nowhere near Victorian levels of tightness.
© Getty Images
21 / 28 Fotos
You can use it as an accessory - Karlie Kloss would have completely blended into the background without her standout leopard-print corset.
© Getty Images
22 / 28 Fotos
It can be a very casual look - Kristen Bell wears a lace-up corset top over a t-shirt and jeans. The best part, however, are the slippers.
© BrunoPress
23 / 28 Fotos
An air of executive - In direct contradiction with the idea that the corset took power away from women, Mary J. Blige makes the corset look extremely powerful.
© Getty Images
24 / 28 Fotos
From torture to trendsetter - It seems the return of the corset has brought with it a general resurgence of medieval fashion, and even Naomi Campbell is on board.
© Getty Images
25 / 28 Fotos
There is also a world of erotic use - Some people use the corset in BDSM, while others prefer to shape their bodies with it long-term for added sexual pleasure.
© Getty Images
26 / 28 Fotos
The rise of the "waist trainer" - Fashionable corsets are fun ways to accentuate your existing figure, but lately "waist trainers" have come into style, with celebrities like the Kardashians backing them. While they're not called corsets, they do have numerous similar health risks associated with them.
© BrunoPress
27 / 28 Fotos
The corset is back with a vengeance
See which stars are keeping things tight
© Getty Images
Corsets were historically worn to hold and mold the torso into a desired shape, traditionally by reducing the waist and exaggerating the bust and hips. Over the years it has come to be seen by many as a popular symbol of female oppression, though the 21st century is seeing its major comeback. How did this both physically and socially restrictive garment of the past return to modern fashion? Click through to find out.
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