The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-15
HOW THEY WEAR CORSETS.
An Hour in Dry Goods EmpOrium-Big
Women Who Wear Small COrsets.

are so particular and fussy about as corset"
said the forewoman in the corset department of
a fashionable store ''And really, there is no
other that they have got better right to be par
ticular about, for nice, easy good-ftting corset
is joy forever, and the reverse is enough to try
the temper of a saint"
''What do you think of the effect of corset
wearing on the healthl" asked the reporter
"Corsets, when worn sensbly are certainly
a great convenience and comfort Indeed
there are few ladies who would know how to
get along without them in some form shape
There are, to be sure, some ladies who do not
wear corsets, and never have worn them; but
[ think this is often quite as much affectation
en- their part as on the part of others who,
through ignorance or vanity, are addicted to
tight lacing. AT all events, I don't see how
stylish woman could once know the real support
afforded by loose but perfectly fitting pair of
stays and then relinquish them willingly. With
stout women, especially, corsets are great com
fort"
care not the majority of women tempted to try
corsets somewhat smaller than they naturally
require?'
Eyes, think they are" was the reply. "a
woman of twenty six or twenty-eight natural
waist measure will, in most cases, get twenty
or twenty-two-inch corset, in order to lace down
to that measure. Often one of the natural waist
measure mentioned will even try to lace down to
eighteen. Such acing is, of course hurtful and
life-shOrtening. II throws the bust almost up to
the chin, draws the lower ribs together con
tracing the breathing apparatus and forcing
down the lower trunk and its organs, thus caus-
ing various disorders which are common
among fashionable Tight-lacing
O ptnd NV 10 int al
server in many ways. 1t prevents natural
circulation, and impoverishes the blood, as be
trayed in pimples, blueness of the lips, redness
of the nose, discolored eyelids and swollen hands
and feet. Sometimes only one of these indica-
tons may be present, but they will all appear in
time II the evil practice is persisted in. There
is beautiful young lady who comes here fire.
quently, whose beauty has only one defect The
tip of her pretty little is as red as a ruby
1t must cost her much secret modification, and
| only wish l might give her hint as to its
being altogether caused by tight. lacing, but 1
would not dare to. 1t is a wonder to me that
her family physician doesn't give her hint
We have another customer, beautiful and
stately woman, one of the great leaders of fash
ion, whose lips habitually as pallid and blue
as though she had just stepped out of an icy
bath, and whose gloves always look as if about
to burst on her painfully swollen hands. Tight
lacing, of course; but if she doesn't know it al
ready, she doubtless wouldn't thank me for max
ing her wiser"
But is not this constant tendency to tight
lacing' we asked, IAN indirect but powerful
argument against corset-wearing altogether
Not at all, said the forewoman. you would
not have shoe-leather discarded because numbers
of foolish persons are lame and deform their
feet through excessively tight shoes | supposed
Well, no more should corsets be wholly inter
dicted simply because many women lace them
selves to death"
Have you ever known of such case9n
Eyes. A handsome young woman used to buy
eighteen-inch corsets of us a few years ago. She
lady's maid to one of our wealthiest Gus
toners, and was given to tight lacing, though
one would have suspected it save for slight dis
cOloration of her nose But all the saleswomen
thought that eighteen was her natural measure
and we used to rank her as the most stylish
figure that came into the store One morning
she was found dead in her bed with her corsets
on, laced to the very last notch, victim to
tight lacing, if there ever was one" The details
were afterward given to our employer by
the girls mistress. The girl had long been
in the habit of keeping herself laced so
tightly as scarcely to be able TO breathe Her
fellow-servants declared that she would often tie
one end of the laces to staple in her bedroom
wall, while selling the other end with both
| hands, and then, with this tremendous purchase,
struggle and tug until the stays were drawn up
| to the very last extremity. But this wasn't the
worst of it, for she had actually been in the
habit of sleeping with them on in this condition.
The post-mOrtem showed that the ribs were
drawn so closely together as to interlace, there
being toward the last such insufficient space for
| Jle aCIlOn OF Une ledrU ana lungs as TO nave
caused her untold agones, which were, however,
uncomplainingly borne until death had put an
end to them"
"That is horrible story"
ut is, nevertheless true, There" continued
the forewOman, pointing to expensive pair of
corsets on frame, lis a twenty siX-inch corset
we have made to order for lady who will come
to try it on to-day. Her normal waist is thirty
FOUR so you can imagine how much she will have
to squeeze to get into this affair The sales
woman who waits upon her will have no easy
task and will require assistance But here now
is even more expensive corset of about the
same size, but the lady for whom it has been
made is very sensible woman, and will Just
about fill it naturally"
sudden and uneasy silence fell upon the
speaker. 1t was occasioned by the entrance of
a stout lady into the part of the store,
where the conversation had been going on. The
stout customer nodded to the forewoman, eyed
the reporter rather furtively and then. elevating
a pair Of gold trimmed eyeglasses, began an in
terested examination of the first pair of corsets
just alluded to. The forewoman sgnalled a
pretty and athletic saleswoman, who seized the
corsets and approached the customer respect
fully, but at the same time adjusting her wrist
bands and squaring back her shoulders as
though preparing for some muscular undertake
ing. AS she ushering the customer
through the curtained doorway of % small ad-
| joining room the latter, whose ample waist
| seemed to be wholly untrammeled by stays,
paused on the threshold with hesitating half,
| piteous air, but she finally disappeared The
reporter addressing himself discreetly to the
forewoman, hoped that the fat lady was not
about to encounter any terrible ordeal. ''She is
only indisposed i'll her imagination yet" was
! the reply, for she knows what to expect We
sometimes call the room in yonder the torture
| chamber"
The reporter eyed the yelled recess with re-
newed interest when the customer reappeared
at the end of five minutes, followed demurely by
the attendant, who seemed somewhat fatigued
and hustered, remarkable transformation had
been effected IN her appearance. The 6eshy Gus
toner had crossed the mysterious threshold
timorously and with a pallid face She re-
crossed it triumphant but with countenance
like boiled beet eyes gushing from her head,
disappeared with flowing undulating ampli-
tude of figure She reappeared girdled and