A Brief History of Sexy Lingerie

Stays—otherwise known as whalebone corsets—were everyday wardrobe staples for “proper” women of the eighteenth century. Yes, these undergarments don’t look like the sexy bustier-corsets of today, but they were essential in molding the ideal body form: a tiny waist and pushed-up breasts. As Colleen Hill notes in Exposed: A History of Lingerie, the French ceremonial ritual of the toilette, a morning routine of undressing and dressing in front of the court, involved putting on a stay. Women performing the toilette would linger on the undergarments, hinting at the sexual intimacy and voyeurism involved.

Corset (Stays)/Silk, Silk Ribbon, Whalebone, ca.1770, Possibly Europe

Share and Enjoy