East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1922-02-04
WOMEN
HAVE BEST FIGURES
BY HEDDA HOYT,
tNritten for the United Press

NEW YORK. Feb. 4.-(C. PD-
American women have the best figures
fot any woman in the world because
they are the most active Servantless
United States, combined with the
dance craze, has raised the percent
age of perfect shapes in America SO
FAR beyond that of France, Spain or
Italy or the countries Of Latin and
south America. that it makes any real
comparison almost absurd.
y good figure requires no corset
Because Of this fact American women
have revolted against corset denomi-
nation. So successful have they been
up to date that the corset business has
had TO undergo a complete revolution
in style and type.
| In this near corsetless age there is
one big question in most every wom-
ans mind-that is: What is going to
become of her figure if she continues
| in corsetless comfort. She is like a
prisoner, who, having thrown off his
shackle. is frightened by his freedom.
The corset is shackle of long stand
ing. 1t begins with babyhood The in
fants band or binder is inflicted on
| us from the start and the female of
our species has continued this binding
by means of whalebOne and steel
throughout centuries. Now. however,
smart women have permanently rele-
gated these heavy steel ribbed frames
of torture to the junk heap. Ungird-
ling from them at night, one looked
and felt like an accordion.
There will always be women who
need some sort of support about the
waist and hips, but the corset of six
years ago seems a torture of barbar-
ism to us now. In its place we have
the low busted models in satins and
soft materials with elastic over the
abdomen and hips. The straight.line
figure is here and here to stay. The
nipped in waist line which is popular
in Paris at the present moment will
not regain popularity in the United
States. French women have by nature
larger hips and smaller waists than we
American women. They are like the
full blown rose and we the budding
flower. Therefore, we must not allow
ourselves to follow them in our corset
grooming.
Certainly no race of women can bet
ter afford to go without corsets or
slightly corseted than we Americans.
Our hips are less pronounced than
women's of foreign countries and we
have less obesity about the shoulders.
This is because we are more athletic,
more active. The housewife needs no
dietic assistance to reduce superfluous
hips after working all day over tub
and a carpet sweeper. The girl who
sWims, rides horseback, plays tennis
and golf seldom needs heavy stay to
confine too LEX muscles. Dancing is
the working girls saving grace. Few
dancers are bulgy about the hips. Fun |
damentally we are a lean limbed lot. !
We need not fear the consequences of !
insufficient lacing. If one fears q |
slight enlargemen& of the waist line |
one must remember that Venus, that !
perfect symbol of womanly figure, had !
a large waist. Gazing at her one can |
maids, had she any, to rub out the
creases left from corset stays each
night before retiring.
The flapper has no corset worries
Tor some time to come. Nor has the
woman of slight figure. They can
wait until the large waist bogey-boo
appears before worrying over losing
their figures
For the woman of the over medium
build the most popular model is low
busted and slopng out under the bust,
to a higher back with front
boning over the abdomen. Bands of
elastic extend over the thigh, giving
complete comfort while lin sitting pos
Lure. The brassere plays an import ,
INT part in the corset drama, since the
whole business of holding in the dia-
phram falls to it. The latest and ,
most interesting types have elastic
'Ver the diaphram and gussets of elias ,
lc in the side backs, to confine the
lesh under the shoulders. The center ,
'ack is boned rather heavily. Slight :
lgures continue to wear the silk !
andeauX. Heavy satins and silk bro !
AIDES in pinks and lavenders are ia
ored materials for these models as :
veil as the usual batistes.
one of the prcttiest fans seen at the +
pera this season was made of white "
lsrettes. Since they are no longer A
sed as a hat trimming, their usage in h
MS manner may interest one who c
assesses some of these expensive is
'athers. Women have done much q
lth chint2 in the way of household y
raperies and upholstering, but it re- III