The shape of feminism
What does the return of the corset mean for feminism?
Last week, the stylists at my hairdressing salon were discussing extravagant red carpet dresses and the focus was on Kim Kardashian’s tiny waist, which was cinched in by a fearsome corset.
I’m late to the party when it comes to Kardashian’s corset, but then I never pay attention to the party of the year: the Met Gala. The stylists in the salon avidly pore over photographs of the dresses, rave about the archival pieces, gossip about who looked best and, in Kardashian’s case, criticise the mistakes. What mistake did she make? According to the wise stylists, they think that corsets set a bad example to young girls.
Was it old-fashioned, sexy glamour, or a regressive constriction of the body? Is a corset a symbol of female oppression or a symbol of female sexual empowerment?
This got me thinking about the changing female silhouette and its relationship to women’s rights. Did you know I used to identify as a feminist? It was actually in my Twitter bio for while. Such flagrant identification with a ‘tribe’ in a bio is almost as embarrassing as my brief membership of the Green Party. (Dear reader, you now know my darkest secrets.)