Guide Note

A corset is a garment designed to make a person's body, typically a woman's body, conform to a certain shape through the use of rigid stays and strong fabrics.

Fast Facts

1. Types of corsets include: Underbust, Overbust, and the Waist cincher
2. Usage became widespread in the 16th Century
3. Popularity peaked in the 19th Century
4. Usage declined heavily in the 20th Century

Corsets are typically made of cloth or leather and stiffened with boning, or stays, which are inserted into channels in the cloth or leather. In the 19th Century, whalebone, ivory, wood, or cane were used as boning. Today, plastic is the most commonly used material.

Corsets are tightened and bound together with lacing. The most common use of a corset is to slim the waist and create a curvy silhouette. Some corsets cover the breasts while others begin under them. A corset may include garters to hold up stockings.

1. 1939: Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind
2. 1993: Holly Hunter as Ada McGrath in The Piano
3. 2001: Nicole Kidman as Satine in Moulin Rouge
4. 2003: Kate Bekinsale as Selene in Underworld