We all love our lingerie. It can be sexy, it can be cute, it can be pretty damn comfortable (most of the time, anyway), and gives a real boost of confidence like nothing else. But did you ever stop and think about its origins? Our world wasn’t always this open about sexuality and our bodies- in fact, it was swayed between uber liberal and frighteningly conservative. So when did lingerie become a thing, and why? Thanks to an exhibition at the Museum at FIT titled “Exposed: A History of Lingerie” by Colleen Hill, we were offered a glimpse into the history behind lingerie and some of its first designs.
In the beginning half of the 20th century, women wore underwear to alter their silhouette (by way of a girdle), for hygiene, or for modesty. However, most underwear was too constricting or bulky and uncomfortable, and so towards the later half of the 20th century, women began creating smaller corsets and girdles. Shortly thereafter, the brassiere was patented by Mary Phelps Jacob. And get this: when World War 1 began, women who found themselves filling in for the men in the workplace demanded more practical undergarments, and slowly, lingerie began to evolve. Talk about total badasses! Today, lingerie is used for a variety of reasons, but it is amazing to see how far it has come. Check out some of the old designs below, and be thankful it has evolved a bit since then!
1770
1878
1924
1949
1950
