Busting myths of the corset

THIS evening at the Australian Centre for Goldrush Collections, Dr Sarah Bendall will be unpacking the history of the corset from the courts of Europe to the Met Gala.

The talk, beginning at 5.15pm, will look at the evolution of the garment and its practicality, sexuality and eroticism.

“Women in western fashion wore [corsets] for the better part of 500 years,” said Dr Bendall.

“I will also dispel or at least try to nuance some myths that we have about this garment.”

Dr Bendall is a culture and gender historian of the early modern period from Australian Catholic University and is currently working on her second book about historical fashion.

“My background is in material culture fashion, and I did my PhD and first book on the first corsets and hoop skirts that appeared in Europe,” she said.

“They looked at why these garments came about and why women wore them.”

Dr Bendall said one of the key myths she wants to bust is the idea corsets were oppressive.

“These garments, when they came about, were a form of power dressing so women’s and men’s bodies were expected to conform to this idea of the aristocratic and noble bodies,” she said.

“They come from this time when men’s clothing also had structure in it.

“They are actually extremely practical garments because they come from a time when bras didn’t exist, so they offered breast support and they offered a foundational base to put clothing over.”

Tickets to the event cost $10 and can be purchased on the Sovereign Hill website.