as if look up
29 January 2023 | 1:00 p.m
From Bridgerton to Gen Z, this sensual underwear is popular again. But is the corset an instrument of torture — or is it an instrument of power?” – Beverly DeSilva. The curvy woman is the 21st century woman, and corsets are no stranger to funding this figure.
Yemi-Alade-in a hair-corset
From Bridgerton to Gen Z, this sensual underwear is popular again. But the corset is an instrument of torture – or is it an instrument of empowerment” – Beverly D’Silva.
The curvy woman is the woman of the 21st century, and corsets are no stranger to funding this figure. Corsets have been argued to be a symbol of women’s oppression, and dress reformers have argued that wearing women’s bodies exposes them to physical disabilities.
Karolina Laskowska, a British lingerie designer who has been creating handmade corsets since 2012, challenges this idea. A well-fitting corset “takes pressure off the shoulders and ribs” and is more comfortable than bras, she says. Some of her clients, she says, liken the feeling of slipping into a ship’s corset to an amazing hug.
Corsets have entered the pop culture and fashion scene of the 21st century, taking a whirl with royalty and aristocracy and making a strong comeback with no signs of slowing down. Corsets have gone from undergarment to overgarment, incorporating a variety of styles and silhouettes.
Beyond underwear, Bonning has found a home for sculpture on basic apparel, from high-waisted pants to fitted jackets, skirts and tips. The versatility of the Nigerian fashion scene has embraced the rapidly growing adoption of corsetry. Traditional clothing has made way for this figure-hugging, body-changing body. It’s almost impossible to attend an event without seeing star-studded women beaming with beauty and poise.
1 out of 10
Yemi-Alade-in a hair-corset
stain
printing-corset-top
Corset-blue-gown
Casual clothes
Blue-jeans-and-corset
Brown-corset
Ankara-corset-top
A-line-corset-black dress
The corset is especially good for shaping the body, and it rises quickly in position and class. Thanks to fashion designers like Tube, Veke James, Seolumini, xtrabrideslagos and the like, the corset has made a huge comeback, reminding us why it’s considered such a timeless piece. While this fashion element is magical in interpretation, it begs the question: is there more to explore in the Nigerian fashion space than corsets? Could the focus on a particular body part be the main influence of the love festival?
In the 20th and 21st centuries, the main idea of the “perfect body shape” for women has changed many times according to fashion trends. In some cases, the comparison between the decades in the idea of the perfect woman is shocking, and it speaks of the public opinion at the time – standards of beauty, basically, are based on whether or not people think it’s okay for women to have curves. An unmistakable, svelte waist is a wonderful thing, but do we really need to look beyond it?
