The History of Lingerie Not Always Sexy

The long history of lingerie begins in the ancient world, half a globe away. Though trends have certainly evolved throughout time, lingerie continues to be a market unto itself, and its uses have spanned not only continents and centuries, but also genders.

The history of lingerie has its roots in ancient Greece, when women wore what amounts to a corset for support. As time progressed, there are known instances of the medieval English nobles wearing undergarments for the sole purpose of keeping clothing from absorbing filth from bodies in an era when regular bathing did not happen all too often.

From there the history of lingerie moved from corseting for support to corsets that were worn for the express purpose of creating a cinched waist and hourglass figure. For centuries, these garments were the excruciating norm, and were often topped with layers of other undergarments, including petticoats, slips, stockings, et cetera.

Over the years, the history of lingerie evolved with the times. By the 1920s, the era of the flapper and the very popular boy-shape, the hourglass figure was shunned, and the corset was temporarily abandoned. At this point, an early bra had been invented, too, so the full-torso chemises were being ignored as well.

Of course, the first half of that century was also mostly a time of war, when supplies of everything from basics to luxuries were scarce. For this reason, the corsets and stockings of the past could not be had, and instead there was a reliance on very basic under garments. By the time the two world wars were over, the glamour of the 50s took over, and the hourglass shape was once more desirable.

The history of lingerie has a blip on the radar of time, which is the 60s and 70s. Freedom, equality-these were at the forefront of society's mind. Corsets, brassieres, stockings-implements of restraint and symbolic of suppression, these were abandoned, literally. Women burned their bras, but by the 80s, they needed them back. In fact, the final two decades of the 20th century saw a resurgence in femininity, and the corset came back. Now used for more romantic purposes, lingerie became a symbol of sensuality.

In the long history of lingerie, there have certainly been drastic changes. Today, lingerie includes chemises, robes, underwear, brassieres, and stockings, from the modestly feminine look to the overtly risqu choices. Gone are the days of whale-boned corsets that squeezed the breath out of women; now, there are also girdles, support hose, tummy-control, thigh-control, and derriere-lifters; there are push-up bras to lift and sports bras to stifle; there are panties that show no lines and panties that are only meant to be shown; the list goes on and on. Certainly, never before in the history of lingerie have women had so many choices.

By: Molten..

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