what is a corset
A drawing of a luxury hourglass corset from 1878, featuring a busk fastening at the front and lacing at the back. A corset is a garment worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or with a more lasting effect). Both men and women are known to wear corsets, though this item was for many years an integral part of women's wardrobes.