Comments on: The Perils of Wearing Clothes http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/threaded/2013/03/the-perils-of-wearing-clothes/ Just another blogs.smithsonianmag.com site Thu, 23 May 2013 04:58:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 By: Pam http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/threaded/2013/03/the-perils-of-wearing-clothes/#comment-415 Pam Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:13:49 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/threaded/?p=1530#comment-415 First, I enjoyed reading the old news article from The New York Times dated 1910. Second, let's not kill the messenger here. It's just a picture from 1910. First, I enjoyed reading the old news article from The New York Times dated 1910. Second, let’s not kill the messenger here. It’s just a picture from 1910.

]]> By: Kendra http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/threaded/2013/03/the-perils-of-wearing-clothes/#comment-412 Kendra Sun, 24 Mar 2013 08:06:09 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/threaded/?p=1530#comment-412 While I enjoyed this post, I wanted to echo the above commenter on the image of what a corset supposedly does to your body. It's totally inaccurate and was the kind of thing used to freak people out. Also, I think it's worth questioning why people wear supposedly painful/harmful/etc clothes. There was a good review article a number of years ago in the chronicle of higher Ed that touches on this (http://chronicle.com/article/A-Second-Look-at-the-Big/17665). Unfortunately it's behind a pay wall, but here's two good quotes: This review article from the Chronicle of Higher Education (which is a few years old) nicely summarizes some of my thoughts and the changes taking place in fashion/costume research. “‘Fashion’ can not logically be reified as a magic power that causes women to behave in ways contrary to their own best interests,” (Valerie Steele); and “You can’t possibly argue that for 1,000 years Chinese women were morons and Chinese men were sexual perverts. You have to ask, what stakes did women have?” (Dorothy Ko). While I enjoyed this post, I wanted to echo the above commenter on the image of what a corset supposedly does to your body. It’s totally inaccurate and was the kind of thing used to freak people out. Also, I think it’s worth questioning why people wear supposedly painful/harmful/etc clothes. There was a good review article a number of years ago in the chronicle of higher Ed that touches on this (http://chronicle.com/article/A-Second-Look-at-the-Big/17665). Unfortunately it’s behind a pay wall, but here’s two good quotes: This review article from the Chronicle of Higher Education (which is a few years old) nicely summarizes some of my thoughts and the changes taking place in fashion/costume research. “‘Fashion’ can not logically be reified as a magic power that causes women to behave in ways contrary to their own best interests,” (Valerie Steele); and “You can’t possibly argue that for 1,000 years Chinese women were morons and Chinese men were sexual perverts. You have to ask, what stakes did women have?” (Dorothy Ko).

]]> By: Kathy http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/threaded/2013/03/the-perils-of-wearing-clothes/#comment-405 Kathy Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:15:53 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/threaded/?p=1530#comment-405 I still think that there are more perils to not wearing clothes than wearing clothes! :) I have to admit that I could never bring myself to wear those really big hoop earrings out of fear of the earring getting caught on something and tearing my ear. I still think that there are more perils to not wearing clothes than wearing clothes! :)

I have to admit that I could never bring myself to wear those really big hoop earrings out of fear of the earring getting caught on something and tearing my ear.

]]> By: Cassidy http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/threaded/2013/03/the-perils-of-wearing-clothes/#comment-403 Cassidy Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:54:20 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/threaded/?p=1530#comment-403 <i>Were</i> doctors on to something with their objections to corsetry? Why is it that we can easily dismiss bleeding patients to cure fevers, using mercury in treatments, diagnosing women with hysteria and wandering wombs, and injecting cocaine into people's spines for anaesthesia as ridiculous and outdated medical notions, but at the same time contemporary and fairly baseless polemics against the corset/stays are taken as complete, unbiased fact? A point made in the very Valerie Steele interview you linked to - why would you link it as support for the idea that women feeble-mindedly clung to the corset despite the health risks? Modern corset-wearers report that their movement and breathing are not as restricted as is commonly thought, and that the body reshapes itself without causing any health problems whatsoever. Steele also points out that most women used the corset for bust support rather than a waist cincher. <a href="http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/everything-you-know-about-corsets-is-false/" rel="nofollow"> Everything You Know About Corsets Is False</a> is another Valerie Steele-related article on the subject. Were doctors on to something with their objections to corsetry? Why is it that we can easily dismiss bleeding patients to cure fevers, using mercury in treatments, diagnosing women with hysteria and wandering wombs, and injecting cocaine into people’s spines for anaesthesia as ridiculous and outdated medical notions, but at the same time contemporary and fairly baseless polemics against the corset/stays are taken as complete, unbiased fact? A point made in the very Valerie Steele interview you linked to – why would you link it as support for the idea that women feeble-mindedly clung to the corset despite the health risks?

Modern corset-wearers report that their movement and breathing are not as restricted as is commonly thought, and that the body reshapes itself without causing any health problems whatsoever. Steele also points out that most women used the corset for bust support rather than a waist cincher.


Everything You Know About Corsets Is False is another Valerie Steele-related article on the subject.

]]> By: Kimberly http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/threaded/2013/03/the-perils-of-wearing-clothes/#comment-401 Kimberly Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:27:21 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/threaded/?p=1530#comment-401 Please stop using that medically/ physiologically incorrect drawing of what corsets supposedly do to women's internal organs. Please stop using that medically/ physiologically incorrect drawing of what corsets supposedly do to women’s internal organs.

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