The Shot answer is...
"No, it is
not!" Modern research has indicated that corseting and
tightlacing have been proven not to be inherently harmful to the body.
But some discussion is called for: The recent re-popularization of corseting
and tightlacing warrants a deeper look into the interaction with the
body. Anything can be made harmful, but from what we know today, corseting
or tightlacing have not been demonstrated to be harmful either short
or long term. The diseases associated with very tight corseting during
the 19th century, have now all been either attributed to other causes,
such as poor diet and hygiene, infectious diseases or environmental
issues. For example, the infamous "corset liver" or "Riedel's lobe"
turned out to be a natural occurrence and demonstrated in individuals
who never tightlaced. It occurs more frequent in tall and slender
individuals. Corsets also did not cause hysteria or scoliosis, or liver
disease. Ironically, 19th c. tuberculosis occurred more frequently
in men than women, in part because TB usually would find root in the
lower portions of the lungs, a risk which is ironically significantly
reduced by tightlacing of that region. One treatment was tight bandaging
of the lower chest, or simply tightlacing it! Regardless of personal opinion, by following the guidelines of an initial
2-4" reduction and slow progression with further reductions, there are
no health risks associated with the practice. The tens of thousands
of modern women who have returned to corseting, do so in excellent
health and with comfort. Valerie Steele, fashion historian, researched
this topic in "The
Corset: A Cultural History", but also in other titles from
her. She shows that although tight corsets can be very restrictive,
they do not damage a person's health or create long term issues. With
the help of physicians, confirmed and concluded that the infamous "corset
evils" were based on myth and limited medical knowledge of the past.
The so-called corset diseases occurred equally frequent in women and
men who did and did not wear tight corsets, rather these diseases appeared
to be the result of poor hygiene and poor nutrition.
The only health effects that have been confirmed and that are seen in
today's tightlacers, are reduced stomach capacity by 25% to 75% and
lung capacity by 10% to 30%. Neither of these are or create health risks,
and the reduction in stomach capacity is certainly a welcome aid for
anyone watching their weight and overall health! During the 1950's it
was not uncommon to verify a corset's proper fit with x-ray scans before
and after the application of the corset, to confirm repositioning and
support for the abdominal organs. Valerie Steele's study was complimented
by the CT scans of modern tightlacer Cathie
Jung with a 15" waist and it showed that even with her very
tight lacing, the effect on the position of the internal organs
was not quite as dramatic as expected, certainly
not beyond that what is seen during a pregnancy. Also, when the
corset was removed the organs returned to their conventional positions
without there being any observable change in their function.
