Cross-cultural - Tumblr Posts
And there were even corsets made for sport activities and corsets made for summer (more of skeletal design with thin matterial, rather than complete layered lining), but that would be nineteenth century upper mid and upper class. Most people, esp. pre-industrial revolution, would be happy they've got one in the first place. And beside back and posture in general it also nicely supported breasts - less strain on shoulders than bra. And why, yes, it does shape one's figure, sure and there's nothing anti-feministic about having some ideal of beauty. If anything this was less invasive than surgeries or dieting. As for skirts... I would add that beside narrow long ones a wearer could run into a problem with number of undergarments used for the sake of creating volume. I had a reenactor tell me, her gothic costume slowed her down somewhat. Then there is that time in la belle epoque, when fashionable shape required increasing amount of underskirts (and even led to a small movement of short skirt + wide pants (named after Amelia Bloomer)) until crinoline was invented. Which would concern upper mid and upper classes, but it could also explain part of that impracticality myth. Like yeah, running in ten voluptous petticoats instead of one or two simple ones ain't gonna be the most comfortable experience. That said, when it comes to petticoats and outter skirts, they allowed for lotsa space in pockets, which actually is practical for carrying around all sorts of things. When it comes to pants, there is sense of victory in winning over crossdressing bans and un-femininity taboo. But it is stupid to throw skirt away altogether just because at some point females in trousers were frowned upon.
Feminist fantasy is funny sometimes in how much it wants to shit on femininity for no goddamned reason. Like the whole “skirts are tools of the patriarchy made to cripple women into immobility, breeches are much better” thing.
(Let’s get it straight: Most societies over history have defaulted to skirts for everyone because you don’t have to take anything off to relieve yourself, you just have to squat down or lift your skirts and go. The main advantage of bifurcated garments is they make it easier to ride horses. But Western men wear pants so women wearing pants has become ~the universal symbol of gender equality~)
The book I’m reading literally just had its medievalesque heroine declare that peasant women wear breeches to work in the field because “You can’t swing a scythe in a skirt!”
Hm yes story checks out
peasant women definitely never did farm labour in skirts
skirts definitely mean you’re weak and fragile and can’t accomplish anything
skirts are definitely bad and will keep you from truly living life
no skirts for anyone, that’s definitely the moral of the story here