Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1878-11-09
Wasp-Waisted Women,

+ rom LlpplncOttS Magazine Tor November
If the truth be fairly stated, women
have many excuses for their infatuatiOn
regarding small waists. 1t is Mrs. IIa-
weis who says, THE reason why Il small
waist is beauty is because, when it is
natural, it goes together with the peCu-
liar lithenesS and activity of Il slcnderly-
built figure. All the bones are small.
the shoulders and arms petite, and the
general look is dainty and youthful In
other words, a small waist is only Il
beauty when it is in proportion to the
rest of the figure. The common mistake
lies in considering it Il beauty in Il large
woman OF massive proportions. \ few
centuries ago women did not take Il
scientific view of things, and fell into
delusions which in this age are dis
grace to the sex. They knew nothing of
anatomy, OF the law OF proportion or the
curve OF beauty, and they miSunder-
stood the language OF admiration. The
latter | suspect To be the root Of the
whole matter. Poets We're everlaStingly
praising small waists, and women fell
into the error Of supposing that small
waist was, i'll the abstract, Il beauty and
an attraction.
In view OF all this is there any Won
der that it is hard to persuade women
that men do not admire wasp waists?
How are they To know that the limp
middle" of the ballads was i'll its jump
ness i'll proportion To the shoulders?
The trouble is, that the early rymcstcrS
have used up the Onl V side Of the qucs-
ton capable OF poetical treatment. One
can not sing of the reverse; no poet
could seriously lit up his voice in praise
of her ample waist" or ''graccless port
Illness" In order to reach woman :
ear, modern writer's must adopt a differ
ent course, and il is curious to contrast
their utteranCe with those OF the ballad
makers. Place Charles Reade by the
side OF Douglas, and then what becomes
of the waist We weel MIGHT spon?' Al
ter showing how the liver, lungs, heart,
stomach and spleen are packed by ma
turc. the novelist asks: SIS it 4 small
thing for the creature who Uses cor
set to say To her Creator, Il can pack all
this egg-china better than you can, and
thercupon to jam all those vital organs
close by a powerful, a very powerful,
and ingenious machine?
Every lady should read a Simple
ton, and learn something of the mon
strous wrong she intlicts upon herself
by trying to compass an artlticlally-pro-
duced middle sea jump 1t will pre-
pare her for Mrs lIawcis'S lessons upon
the art OF Beauty" One or two pas
sages will give hint OF their flavor:
Nothing is so ugly as pinched waist;
it puts the hips and shoulders lnvarla-
blv out of proportion in width.
In deforming the waist almost all the
vital organs are affected by the pressure,
and the ribs are pushed out OF their
proper place" ''Tight-lacing Is ugly,
because it distOrts the natural lines OF
the figure, and gives an appearance OF
uncertainty and upSafcncSS.
Men seldom taktto W>ifc 4 girl who has
too small a waist, " 1sther natural or
artificial" "In architecture. pillar or
support Of any kind is called dcbascd
and bad in art If what is supported to be
too heavy for the thing supporting. and
if q base he abnormally heavy and large
for what ii upholdS. The laws ol pro-
porticn and balance must be understood.
I'm a waist II inches both are destroyed,
andthccorrcspOnding effect is unpleasant
to the eve. The curve of the waist l.
coarse and immOdcrate, utterly opposed
to what Ruskin has shown to be beauty
i'm a curve. Real or artificial, such IL
waist is always ugly; il real, it Is a de-
forrnitv that should be disguised; If art
fetal, il il culpablc, and nasty ~ boot.