Are ‘corsets as outerwear’ the greatest fashion sin of all time?

OUR female ancestors would roll over in their graves if they could see these outfits in the latest Witchery campaign.

Scrunch, crunch: huge corset fan, Gabi Grecko has never been shy at showing her devotion. Picture: Instagram

OPINION

I love a fashion trend as much as most. But sometimes we need to tread with caution.

Take the corset. The much-maligned wardrobe piece was essentially outlawed by feminists and women who wanted to claim back their bodies in the 60s and 70s, but as of now it’s been re-claimed by some fashion high-street stores. And straightaway that has set off alarm bells.

See, the organ-constricting, bone-crunching corset as an underwear-as-outwear look is NOT for everyone.

To me, the corset (circa 2017) is one that belongs on Kimmy K. It’s Hailey Baldwin, Rihanna, the Jenner’s and Gigi Hadid. It’s Nicole Kidman in Vogue. It’s a high-end runway and streetwear look that rocks on the bodies of svelte, gigantean models and in highly-styled, aspirational fashion editorial shoots.

It rocks. It’s cool. It’s a lust-piece.

But it’s just a bit too close for comfort and not for most of us.

Kim Kardashian and her corset curves. Picture: Instagram

I just can’t see awkwardly cinched T-shirts and oversized shirts making their way to drinks at the pub on a Friday night; a BBQ, to Saturday sport or even to the office (no matter how cool you think your office may be).

The whole reason women ditched the corset and the history that went with it — think of Gone With Wind’s Scarlett O’Hara being tugged and strapped into hers as she held onto a bed post so she could attain a perfect silhouette — was that they were just bloody painful.

A corseted Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara and her man, some guy with a moustache in 'Gone with the Wind'. Photo by Clarence Sinclair Bull/Archive Photos/Getty Images

The times I ever wore seriously corsetted dresses (a coupla Logie awards gowns spring to mind) left me feeling sick, in pain, with a bruised ribcage and just wanting to get back to my room and into a hot bath.

It was bad enough when we all discovered shapewear, in earnest, about a decade ago.

The stories about people fainting, not eating, having painful organs and just feeling like crap all night (albeit with a very smooth stomach and body line) are still an everyday occurrence.

So, with this corset revival, do we really want to/need to/intend to inflict any more pain on our bodies?

Don’t get me wrong, I still get the whole underwear-as-outerwear thing and that’s pretty much thanks to Madonna waaaay back in her Like A Virgin days and then in her Jean-Paul Gaultier -cone-bra and corset days.

Madonna in a Jean Paul Gaultier cone bra corset as part of her 1990 Blonde Ambition world tour. Photo: australscope

I mean, the underwear as outerwear thing can be great. And sexy. Who hasn’t flaunted a little lace bra and boob action under a jaunty jacket, hey?

But according to successful Aussie high street fashion store, Witchery, “this season sees the corset move into outerwear; cinching and instantly transforming the traditional silhouettes of classic winter staples.”

Like taking a chunky sweater and making it look even more cumbersome by wrapping a corset around your waist?

When a high street store embraces such a - well - acquired and sometimes painful fashion trend, chances are the term “jumped the shark” may come into play.

Sure, the Witchery styles aren’t as earth-shatteringly strapped-on as those that were from a century ago, but I’m still not convinced.

The corset trend has kicked in at Australian retailer Witchery.

It’s funny to think that the decades it has taken to rid ourselves from the structures of what was an unseen fashion item our great-great-great grandmothers used to wear has now done a turnaround, the corset now being worn on the outside.

It is as if the celebs, models and normal peeps who ARE wearing them as outerwear are giving the oppressive history of the corset the finger. Sure, they’re cool. They CAN look sensational. But it IS fashion. The corset can join other trends like patterned tights, babydoll dresses, leg warmers, MC Hammer pants, knicker-bockers, T-shirts over long sleeves and men in jumpsuits. They can have their moment and we’ll get over them.

So if you do plan to re-enact a scene from The Crown or channel your inner Marie Antoinette,

beware the possible consequences:

A fan of the corset: Gabi Grecko showing off her exploits as a ‘corset vamp’. Picture: Instagram Model Wears Corset 23 Hours A Day To Achieve 20 Inch Waist

Originally published as Are ‘corsets as outerwear’ the greatest fashion sin of all time?