Women have a vast range of body types, and this fact is well-known. It’s always been this way, as we can see from looking back in time. The trends in women’s body silhouettes have progressed from dazzling to ridiculous. There have been a wide variety of ways in which the allure of women’s bodies has been concealed throughout history.
Furthermore, certain female parts have been highlighted, concealed, or slashed through the fashion of trendy frill fripperies. We’ve seen odd things like a little army forcing a fashion-conscious victim into the smallest, most ludicrous dress flutter.
Let’s take a look at how sexy lingerie has been developed and how it got to the point it is now. Let’s first clarify some terms. Because of the most passionate language in the world, we now refer to women’s underwear as ‘lingerie’ unless we’re making a joke or being sexist. Then, depending on your location, there is a way to use the word ‘lingerie’ to fill in the blanks!
The roots of the word “lingerie”
When we (at least, us males) think of sexy lingerie, we imagine a thin fabric that adorns the female body in a manner that offers a glimpse of the joy beneath. However, the first lingerie, which most likely originated from the Ancient Greek islands, was very different. These captivating Greek women wore an elongated corset with bones sewn around the midriff.
It was not to support themselves or even to create an ‘enlarger’ effect and to entice men by showing their protracted breasts in a very noticeable manner. It’s not exactly what we consider sexy lingerie. However, they had the exact desired result.
Fashion shaped the female body into ‘ideal’ forms, with frill fripperies polished to flatter and enhance these shapes. Society’s standards determined whether breasts or bottoms were praised.
For medieval women, powerful, small breasts and a restricted physique were ideal. Many corsets decrease these features.
There is a belief that you should pay attention to this body portion that shouldn’t. Women have little bells on their breasts to remind men of the pleasure underneath.
The brief story of corsets’ history
The modern corset is believed to have been invented by Catherine de Medicis, the wife of King Henri II of France. She imposed a ban on waists oversized at court during the 1550s. It was a controversial influence on women throughout the following 350 years.
The Renaissance brought about a new shift in the female body shape. The women of the time needed cone-shaped shoulders, flat stomachs, and slim waists. To achieve this style, they required household members or maids to dress them since cinching women’s corsets was performed behind closed doors and took lots of effort.
Because of this non-natural manner of perfection, doctors and notaries feared that corsets were constricting women’s bodies and damaging their internal organs and ribs. During this period, women often collapsed into bliss.
What was thought to be their fragility was actually their respiratory problems! There are numerous stories of women dying due to severe punctures to vital organs due to this kind of practice.
The 18th century
The 18th century was in its beginnings. The whalebone corset constrained women, but it was artistically decorated with sparkling threads, lace, and ribbons to match the artistic style of the time. The trend of pulling up the breasts to make them appear to jump out contributed to this lightening.
In the late 18th century, the wealthy, emerging middle class, and religious convent nuns wore corsets. Since the corset was obvious, wearers showed it proudly. It was beautiful and a symbol of society.
As they became more educated, people challenged and criticized politics, art, and fashion. With medical professionals’ support, bone-laced corsets were prohibited in some places due to public opinion.
Changing perspective toward sexy lingerie
In the early 19th century, a more feminine approach to the female form became fashionable. However, the previous corset needed support, so it was reintroduced with more sophisticated construction techniques. Boning was used in smaller sections for better and more comfortable movements.
The fashion desired a distinct appearance for breasts and corsets. M. Leroy, who designed the corset for Marie Luise of Austria’s wedding to Napoleon Bonaparte, developed a style called a ‘divorce’, allowing women to dress and undress due to the elaborate lacing structure.
The “S” shape
Women brought whalebone back with huge hoops and crinolines lined with all kinds of materials and fineries in the 1840s. It was trendy for ladies to have waists thin enough for men to wrap their hands around, making waist-cinching a daily torment.
That gentle “S” form quickly replaced crinolines and hoops. This corset-based design included a bustle on the back for an enormous rump. Fashion pressure caused women to stand much of the time due to their heavy bustles on their bumps. Men enjoyed this since they could see the beautiful women’s large rumps.
Fashion brought more corset possibilities. Women used to wear a lightly boned corset for a visit with friends, an elastic corset for side saddle riding, a boneless corset for beachgoing, and a jersey corset for biking. Corsetry was thriving!
The late 19th century
In the late 19th century, corsets did not just support the breasts but also the newly developed stocking. Suspenders and garters were attached to the corset to keep the stockings in place. Though an impressive design feat, the devices could have created a new problem for the fashion-conscious woman of the moment.
Corsets were worn in the early 1920s and fastened just above the knee. However, many didn’t appreciate the look, and fashion designers embraced the more loose, flowing, and uncorseted style. Sexy lingerie for women was set to enter a new dimension. With the advent of the industrial revolution and the beginning of sewing equipment, Germany and France established the first manufacturing facilities for corsets.
New York socialite Mary Phelps Jacob designed a bra in 1910. Mary helped her lady bind two silk handkerchiefs with pink string and ribbon since she was unhappy with the whalebone corset she was going to wear in a dress she had bought. It was lighter and suppler than a corset. Breasts could be designed to fit their natural contour.
Mary Phelps Jacob was the first patent holder to create underwear named “Brassiere.” The name comes from the French word for “upper arm’. After a short period, she sold her Bra patent to Warner Brothers Corset Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for $1500 (over $256,000 in the present).
In 1917, the War Industries Board of the United States requested women cease purchasing corsets to free up metal to manufacture weapons of war. That released nearly 28,000 tons worth of metal, enough to construct two battleships.
Era of bra
World War I
It is believed that the popularity of the bra can be attributed mostly to World War I. World War I forced women into factory labor, wearing uniforms for the first time. Women needed proper, comfortable attire. Warner might earn over $1,000 from the brassiere patent in 30 years.
Another reason corsets died was World War I’s impact on the male population. That increased rivalry among men; therefore, women had to dress well!
As fashion reversed in the Roaring 20s and its posh social occasions, boys looked good. The quest for flat stomachs, chests, buttocks, and hips led to the liberty dress, bloomers, and chemises, which were loose and light. Pastel underwear replaced white for the first time.
Brassieres were first designed to decrease breasts for a masculine aspect. What became of the corset? After cutting the stocking rump, it became a belt to suspend socks.
Slim in their hips
In the late 1930s, full-figured fashion returned. Femininity returned to fashion. Women were pushed to be lovely and proportionate while slender in their hips. The women of the day possessed brassieres that enhanced breasts, elastic suspender belts, and girdles to keep curves in place.
The 1930s saw one of the largest underwear developments. The Dunlop Rubber Company invented Lastex, a 2-way stretch fabric made of latex thread. That was woven into the cloth so the manufacturer could make women’s underwear in different sizes.
The onset of World War II and its shortages caused Germany to import the textiles that they had used up to the time of war, and their manufacturing industry was unable to survive. So, always innovating, people began making knitted underwear at home from the fabrics available. It wasn’t the sexiest of lingerie, but they stayed warm.
After the war
After the war, women’s underwear consisted of basic suspender belts and brassieres. Women, in general, accepted it. However, the teenage girl emerging from the deprivation of conflict became an ideal target. Young ladies couldn’t wait to be grownups, and gorgeous lingerie was vital. The German underwear industry created sets of sexy lingerie that appealed to girls of this age and didn’t stop there.
When it was in the U.S.A., the underwear industry was trying to create something fresh and modern. Women were bombarded with a variety of clothing and undergarments to make them look more attractive. Then, film director Howard Hughes developed a new bra, a specially wire-reinforced device designed for Jane Russell.
Hughes’s bra inventions revealed Jane’s breasts, so censors threw their toys out of the crib.
Wear tight-fitting
The Swinging 60s were a terrible period for the underwear industry because of rising women’s empowerment movements. Women burned their brassieres, and many lingerie manufacturers were forced to shut down. But Lycra was only coming into existence, and women began to wear leggings that were tight fitting.
The most recognizable fashion accessory at the time was the sexiest mini-skirt and the need to wear bikini briefs. The topless swimsuits and dress-ups were all the fashion for a brief period. Unfortunately for most males and, fortunately for the fashion industry, they were just a flash-in-the-pan.”
In the 1980s, the wire-reinforced bra became the most popular item. Although they are popular, the bra with a push-up strap is the most popular. Statisticians show that the typical American woman has six brassieres. One being a strapless one and one that is different than white.
Concluding Words
The shape of modern women is different and isn’t as vulnerable to fashion trends as it was in earlier times. However, the gorgeous female form will always look pretty in the sexiest and slinkiest of sexy lingerie! That’s why Greece gave us bras instead of corsets.
Sexually attractive lingerie has been in fashion for a long time, and there are numerous styles and designs that you can pick from. You can find something to do at work, out, or to spice up your life. Don’t waste time. Put on your sexy underwear right away to start!