Is It A Corset Or A Cage?: How Fashion Represented The Struggles of Women In The Victorian Era

      

    This picture is from a woman’s advertisement for corsets in 1891. The advertisement displays a mother with her daughter. The corset is not only being worn by the mother, but is also shown on the daughter too. The advertisement specifically states that “sensible mothers” and “beautiful children” need to  wear this specific type of corset. The woman also seems to be holding a mirror to her daughter’s face, while the child is smiling and seems happy with their appearance. In big black letters across the top reads the words, “A perfect health corset superior to all others”. The designing company puts a lot of emphasis on the word “health” in order to show that the corsets will not cause any harm to the female body.

    The image shown in this advertisement helps to represent the lack of freedoms women had within society. The fact that the young daughter is already being forced into a corset, is a symbol of how the struggles and silence of women was being passed down through generations. Until there was a challenge to the patriarchal structures of society, women were teaching their daughters on how to be a “lady”. In the case of this advertisement, a “lady” meant having a tiny figure and putting perfection on one’s body rather than strengthening their mind. The ad also uses the words “beautiful children” to suggest that in order for a female child to be pretty, they must follow the strict and harsh guidelines for clothing. A female living in the Victorian era had their childhood taken away from them, and had to focus on being an appealing object that society wants. 

The words “sensible mothers” is also very significant when looking at the advertisement. The corset company seems to be shaming mothers that choose not to put corsets on their children. “Sensible” is often used to describe someone with wisdom, and defines a person who has enough knowledge to make good choices. However, the advertisement is not simply praising the choices a mother makes, the ad is instead forcing women into their stereotypical roles in society. A woman who chooses not to wear a corset will end up challenging the sexist social structures that are already in place. In order to stop a new revolution of women against corsets, the advertisement goes on to blame the parenting skills of a mother who does not raise their child to be confined to the constricting fashion. The wording used by this fashion company is very similar to the language that was used in Ben Griffin’s essay “The Domestic Ideology of Women’s Patriarchy”. The essay showed how women in the Victorian Era were forced into their domestic duties and to make sure there was a happy “household harmony”. If the house was not in perfect condition, then the woman was blamed for failing her duties as a household wife. The ability to shame women for not doing domestic chores was the only way the patriarchy was able to keep its power over the years. Calling a woman “a bad mother” or “a horrible wife” meant that a woman failed at the only job she had in society. Blaming a woman allowed men to limit the roles a female had in society, while keeping the power for themselves.