“Palpably Ugly” or “beauty of their form”?: Corsets in Toronto periodicals, 1871-1914

ABSTRACT

At the turn of the twentieth century in Toronto, articles in local newspapers and magazines exposed women to disparate views on corsets. On one side of the argument were dress reformers who advised women to do away with corsetry for the sake of their health and wellbeing. On the other side, were fashion journalists who advised them about current styles, which often oscillated from year-to-year. Despite this disparity, corsets were an ever-present foundation of nineteenth century fashion, to the extent that they were a frequent, sexy addition to crime reporting. The exaggerated stories in the media subjected women to a tug-of-war over their body autonomy. This article is based on content analyses of periodicals and exposes how corsets were presented in Toronto periodicals such as The Toronto Star, The Globe, and The Canadian Dried Goods Review, among others.

KEYWORDS:

• Corsets
• dress reform
• feminism
• fashion advice
• fashion journalism
• newspapers
• nineteenth century
• Toronto

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alanna McKnight

Alanna McKnight holds a PHD in Communication and Culture from Ryerson University. She has been researching the intersection of fashion and labour in nineteenth century Toronto, Canada for the past 15 years, taking particular interest in the experience of women employed in the needle trades. Her doctoral dissertation engaged in an extended case study of the manufacturing and consumer centres of Toronto during this moment of history to argue that corsets are a site of feminist agency – a stark contradiction to common media portrayals of the garment. Her academic work is enriched by her former career as a theatre costumer, and she has been an avid wearer of the types of corsets she studies for the majority of her life.