#stays

[marzipanandminutiae]

in view of Netflix and a few other networks apparently announcing that they are no longer requiring actors to wear corsets/stays, but framing it as the ultimate in feminist allyship against an Oppressive Historical Torture-Garment (and presumably typing their press releases one-handed, if you catch my drift), I have a few things to say:

1. I presume they will also be condemning Spanx, dieting, weight loss surgery, obsessive exercise, breast or pectoral or ab implants, Flat Tummy Tea, editing actors’ bodies in post, etc. since this is all about promoting healthy body image. ...right?

2. Okay, this one is not tongue-in-cheek: if a costume designer forces you to wear massively uncomfortable stays or corsets and tells you your discomfort is an inherent feature of that garment type, they are lying. All the articles on this cited reports from actresses saying they threw up because of Regency stays or couldn’t eat in Edwardian corsets. And while  I’m sure some of that is giving interview audiences the sensationalism they want to hear, I believe them in general. 

Someone needs to tell them that that’s not normal.

I have worn corsets and stays a lot in my life. I know people who wear them as everyday support garments. And neither I nor anyone I know has been seriously hindered in normal activities by them. There are even photos and videos of women from corset-intensive eras climbing glaciers, playing sports, having snowball fights, doing manual labor...living their lives

 Sure, there have always been and will always be people who find corsets or stays inherently uncomfortable- that’s why it’s good to have many support garment options available for people who need them. And there have always been and will always be ill-made, ill-fitting, or extreme examples of the type- I’m not  saying corsets are always The Most Comfortable Thing Ever For Everyone, because that’s not universally true of any garment.

But these production companies have been hurting actresses under the guise of “historical accuracy,” and this latest pronouncement is just another attempt to shift the blame. 

Don’t let them get away with it.

EDIT: Apparently the Official nature of the source for this announcement is in question, but the gist of the post still stands, so I’m leaving it up. Will edit further if new developments arise.

[lookingbackatfashionhistory]

• Stays.

Date: ca. 1750

Place of origin: France

Medium: Silk damask, printed linen lining, whalebone, silk tape, and kid leather.

[slothdrop]

“My neighbour Wolfchan”

The movie date

[typicalskz]

Changbin: Why do you let me win when we race up the stairs? You’re the faster one Stay: Erm… it’s nice see your smile when you win! *later* Changbin: They're probably just staring at my ass, aren't they

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Stays, 1750, France.

[lake-lady]

Someone please tell me this outfit will make me the hottest she/they at the Renaissance Faire I am feeling highly insecure 🥲

[thedeadbelle]

Rare closed whalebone body trimmed with sleeves.

Mid-18th century

[crinolinecuriousity]

Stays & Busk | c.1660-1680 | Dutch

[digitalfashionmuseum]

Pink Silk Stays, 1780-1789, British.

Victoria and Albert Museum.

[unclebabie]

anyways…. I feel delicious!

[slothdrop]

HAPPY STAY DAY

[fashion-from-the-past]

Georgian Stays

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Stays, 1750, Sicily.