Fashion and Fetishism : Corsets, Tight-Lacing and Other Forms of Body-Sculpture

by Kunzle, David

• ISBN13: 9780750938082
• ISBN10: 0750938080
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-11-01
• Publisher: Sutton Pub Ltd

Summary

From corsets to codpieces, stockings to stilettos and piercing to push-up bras, fashion and sex have always enjoyed a very close relationship. This new edition of David Kunzle's rich and revealing history of corsetry and body sculpture shows how this neglected phenomenon is closely bound up with sexual self-expression. Drawing on sources as diverse as medical literature and popular magazine articles, this fascinating history shows how in many ways the use of the corset rejected the role of the passive, maternal woman - so that in Victorian times it was actually seen by many as a scandalous threat to the social order. Even today fashion designers recognize its subversive powers, as a symbol of eroticism, decadence and control. Taking in other curiosities such as ancient body decoration, male corsetry, masochism and foot fetishism, this is an often racy journey into the enigma of all those who sculpt the shape of their desires onto their bodies.

Author Biography

David Kunzle is Professor of Art History at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. vi
Preface	p. xi
Postscript	p. xv
Introduction: The Special Historic and Psychological Role of Tight-lacing	p. 1
From Ancient Crete to Neoclassicism	p. 42
Revival of Tight-lacing	p. 80
The Campaign of the Humorists 1846-1900	p. 98
The Final Phase 1860-1900	p. 119
The Corset as Erotic Alchemy	p. 141
The Victorian Fetishist Experience	p. 159
Fetishism Deepening	p. 176
Unfashionable Fetishism: London Life 1923-40	p. 208
Postwar Fashion and Media Exploitation of Fetishism	p. 219
Expanding Universe	p. 234
The Corset Revival of the 1980s-90s	p. 242
The Tyranny of Slenderness	p. 253
Dreaming in Film	p. 265
Conclusion: Civilised and Primitive Body-sculpture	p. 287
Appendices
Rituals	p. 292
Statistics	p. 296
Mythology	p. 305
Case Histories	p. 309
People	p. 323
Manufacturers	p. 331
From Susanna Kubelka	p. 335
Envoi	p. 337
Notes	p. 338
Bibliography	p. 365
Index	p. 377
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