The Story Of Lingerie (pageperfect Nook Book)

What is the social merit or purpose of all those bras and panties on perfectly sculpted bodies that we see spread across billboards and magazines? Many women indulge in lingerie to please men. Yet, ever since Antiquity, women have always kept lingerie hidden away under outer garments. Thus, lingerie must be more than erotic bait. Authors Muriel Barbier and Shazia Boucher have researched iconography to explore the relationship of lingerie to society, the economy and the corridors of intimacy. They correlate lingerie with emancipation, querying whether it asserts newfound freedoms or simply adjusts to conform to changing social values. The result is a rigorous scientific rationale spiced with a zest of humour. And the tinier lingerie gets, the more scholarly attention it deserves. Contents 5 Preface 7 ntroduction 11 Underwear and fashion 15 Lingerie, corsetry and hosiery 17 How underwear began to allow the silhouette evolve 25 From Ancient Greece to modern woman: what have they been wearing under their clothes? 43 European women in the 15th century 43 Renaissance women 44 Women in “1900” 51 Colours 77 Underwear and Society 89 Stages of life 91 Rites of passage 91 Baptism 91 First Communion 91 From childhood to adolescence 93 Marriage 93 Mourning 94 The trousseau and its reflection in Society 94 Women’s work 94 The rise and fall of the trousseau 97 Caring for linen 103 Care of raw materials 104 A Woman’s private life and clothing 109 The nightdress 109 The negligee 109 The bedroom and private life 115 Underwear according to the season and social status 125 Clothing for children 125 Contradictory arguments about trousers for women and the corset 127 Trousers or bloomers 127 The corset 127 Sports underwear 133 Horseback riding 133 Cycling 133 Swimming 139 Dancers 139 Eroticism, seduction and fetishism 141 The eroticism of women’s underwear 143 Seductive and sexy underwear 157 Fetishism and women’s underwear: from private clubs to the catwalk 185 Economics 199 Lingerie manufacturing 201 How fashion was distributed 203 The current lingerie market 207 Distribution networks 207 Motivation to purchase 219 Communication 224 Advertising goes too far 227 Marketing 228 Some current directions for lingerie 228 The youth market 228 Underwear on top 231 Technological contributions to lingerie 231 Sportswear at the beginning of the 21st century 231 Sexy lingerie 235 Conclusion 259 Glossary 260 1. TECHNICAL AND GENERAL TERMS: 260 2. TERMS SPECIFIC TO UNDERWEAR: 263 Notes 268 Bibliography 270 Acknowledgements 271 Contents......Page 5 Preface......Page 7 ntroduction......Page 11 Underwear and fashion......Page 15 Lingerie, corsetry and hosiery......Page 17 How underwear began to allow the silhouette evolve......Page 25 European women in the 15th century......Page 43 Renaissance women......Page 44 Women in “1900”......Page 51 Colours......Page 77 Underwear and Society......Page 89 First Communion......Page 91 Marriage......Page 93 Women’s work......Page 94 The rise and fall of the trousseau......Page 97 Caring for linen......Page 103 Care of raw materials......Page 104 The negligee......Page 109 The bedroom and private life......Page 115 Clothing for children......Page 125 The corset......Page 127 Cycling......Page 133 Dancers......Page 139 Eroticism, seduction and fetishism......Page 141 The eroticism of women’s underwear......Page 143 Seductive and sexy underwear......Page 157 Fetishism and women’s underwear: from private clubs to the catwalk......Page 185 Economics......Page 199 Lingerie manufacturing......Page 201 How fashion was distributed......Page 203 Distribution networks......Page 207 Motivation to purchase......Page 219 Communication......Page 224 Advertising goes too far......Page 227 The youth market......Page 228 Sportswear at the beginning of the 21st century......Page 231 Sexy lingerie......Page 235 Conclusion......Page 259 1. TECHNICAL AND GENERAL TERMS:......Page 260 2. TERMS SPECIFIC TO UNDERWEAR:......Page 263 Notes......Page 268 Bibliography......Page 270 Acknowledgements......Page 271 What do the thousands of images of bras and panties on perfectly sculpted bodies that we see spread across billboards and magazines say about our society? Many women indulge in lingerie to please men. Yet, since Antiquity, women have always kept lingerie hidden away under outer garments. Thus, lingerie must be more than erotic bait. Authors Muriel Barbier and Shazia Boucher have researched iconography to explore the relationship of lingerie to society, the economy and the corridors of intimacy. They correlate lingerie with emancipation, querying whether it asserts newfound freedoms or simply adjusts to conform to changing social values. The result is a rigorous scientific rationale spiced with a zestly humour. And the tinier lingerie gets, the more scholarly attention the authors believe it deserves. In this text, the authors chronicle the evolution of underwear with society itself. They correlate lingerie with emancipation, questioning whether it asserts new found freedoms or simply adjusts to conform to changing social values Introduction -- Underwear And Fashion -- Underware And Society -- Eroticism, Seduction And Fetishism -- Economics -- Conclusion. Muriel Barbier, Shazia Boucher. Includes Bibliographical References.