Waist

“ At first I thought a waist that tapered from the arm pits would be an added beauty, if only these ladies would be taught how to acquire it. But I lived long enough among them to look upon a tapering waist as a disgusting deformity. They considered a large waist a mark of beauty, as it gave a greater capacity of lung power; and they laid the greatest stress upon the size and health of the lungs. One little lady, not above five feet in height, I saw draw into her lungs two hundred and twenty-five cubic inches of air, and smile proudly when she accomplished it. ”

“ To begin with, the waist is not a circle at all, but an oval; nor can there be any greater error than to imagine that an unnaturally small waist gives an air of grace, or even of slightness; to the whole figure. Its effect, as a rule, is simply to exaggerate the width of the shoulders and the hips; and those whose figures possess that stateliness which is called stoutness by the vulgar, convert what is a quality into a defect by yielding to the silly edicts of Fashion on the subject of tight-lacing. ”

“ It has been already observed, that a small waist is beautiful only when it is accompanied by a slender and small figure; but, as the part of the trunk, immediately beneath the arms, is filled with powerful muscles, these, when developed by exercise, impart a breadth to this part of the figure which, by comparison, causes the waist to appear small. ”

“ The second part, or middle one, extends from the hip to the thorax, and is destined to confine the region of the abdomen, which contains those moveable organs that, from their nature, may be compressed without much inconvenience, for the purpose of producing the slender waist so much sought for fashion's sake, and which so many ladies will obtain at any price. ”

“ The fashionable English waist, also, is not merely far too small, and consequently quite out of proportion to the rest of the figure, but it is worn far too low down. I use the expression “worn” advisedly, for a waist nowadays seems to be regarded as an article of apparel to be put on when and where one likes. A long waist always implies shortness of the lower limbs, and, from the artistic point of view, has the effect of diminishing the height; and I am glad to see that many of the most charming women in Paris are returning to the idea of the Directoire style of dress. ”

“ The weight of clothing should hang as little as possible from the waist. Many women believe that it is better that it should come from the hips than from the shoulders, but the testimony of all medical men is clear and indisputable on this subject. ”

“ Then the short-waisted woman came into fashion—or rather, fashions fashioned themselves for her benefit—and her long-waisted sister had to struggle to make her waist look to be where really her ribs were. Only a few weeks back a woman's waist and bust and hips had all to be definitely defined. Nowadays they bundle them all, as it were, into clothes cut in a sack-line, and are the very last letter of the very latest word in fashion. I can well imagine that a few years hence women will be as severely corseted as they were a short time ago. ”

“ If we take a sheet of stiff paper we can fit it over the back and chest, and from arm to arm, all the way down to the hollow of the waist in the back, and to the turning points or pit of the stomach in front, with scarcely any break or wrinkle in the paper, which shows that the center of the back or front must be fitted on straight lines, and that all reduction, as shown in Dia. II, or all additions, as shown in Dia. I, at the waist must be made sidewise or nearly so. The reduction of the back of the waist depends entirely upon the position in which we choose to place the different parts. ”

“ The heights of the garments above the waist aid in defining the waist line and give a trim, pleasing effect. The design comfortably conforms to the figure over the hip bones, snugs the abdomen, and gives a smooth, attractive back line. The Basic Design carries clasp fastening. ”

“ The waist was too small for a grown person, and could only have been made so by tight-lacing. The child had been taught that dresses, corsets, coats, vests, bands, or anything fastened tightly around the waist, press upon the ribs and crowd them out of place, preventing the heart, lungs, and other inside organs from working as they should, causing headache, dyspepsia, shortness of breath, and often ending in some incurable disease, so she knew that tight clothing means trouble to the wearer. ”

“ After several more sodas, concoctions which up till recently I have despised as injurious, I guess I will have filled out to my usual dimensions around the waist line, but when I consider the long days of womanhood stretched out before me in the future I will admit it is with a sinking not only of the waist, but also of the heart. ”

“ This was undoubtedly contrived for wise purposes; yet fashion, with its usual caprice, has interfered with nature, and by promulgating the pernicious error that a rounded form of the waist is more beautiful than the flattened form adopted by nature, has endeavored to effect this change by means of the stays, which force the lower ribs closer together, and so produce the desired form. Nothing can be more ungraceful than the sudden diminution in the size of the waist occasioned by the compression of the ribs, as compared with the gently undulating line of nature ”

“ Now, it must not be supposed, that when a waist grows larger in proportion, that it grows, or spreads very much forward of that line. Whenever the waist grows larger, the body becomes more erect, in order to keep in balance, and the relation between the front of such a waist, and the line running parallel to the front of the leg, change very little, and Dia. XX may be considered to be large enough at that point for almost any form. On the other hand, we find large-waisted forms which do not carry their fronts of waists in front of that line at all, though their abdomen may curve outside of it. ”

“ One observer of beauty-giving effects has not unadvisedly called the waist-line "the danger-line." A stout sister, above all others, should not accentuate the waist-line. She should conceal it as much as possible. ”

“ They take the place of stockings and drawers, and are brought up over the hips and fastened with soft but strong tape above the waist and even over the corset. The whole body up to the bosom is gloved in them. If nicely adjusted, and not too often worn, their own elasticity keeps them from wrinkling. ”

“ To Test Yourself
¶ If you are a man and have difficulty in getting ready-made coats long enough for you this is certain proof that you have decided thoracic tendencies. If you are a woman who has to forego many a pretty gown because it is not long enough in the waist, the same is true of you.
In women this long waist and high chest give the appearance of small hips and of shoulders a little broader than the average; in men it gives that straight, soldier-like bearing which makes this type of man admired and gazed after as he strides down the street. ”

“ The above conditions cause a relief below the waist-line of the body, and with such conditions prevailing the space across the front of the body at the waist-line to the pelvis-bones becomes empty naturally re­ducing the size around the entire abdomen at such point without or any- uncomfortable pressure from without or any inconvenience from within. ”

“ I clasp thy waist, I feel thy bosom's beat—
O kiss me into faintness sweet and dim! ”

“ Now, in 1842 it must have been a very eccentric lady indeed who formed her waist round her chest, and as to the twenty-two-inch waistband, we cannot help thinking that the majority of our readers would seek one of considerably smaller size as an indication of the practice of tight-lacing in the owner. ”

“ Should you decide to give curved lines with the small waist
effect, draw the lacers in at the waist. Draw up the lacer at the
hip enough to control the flesh, producing the amount of curve
desired. ”

“ Within the circle of the waist line are vital organs which need every deep breath you can take, every ounce of freely flowing blood you can bring to them, every particle of room to grow you can give them. The Chinese woman who cramps her feet sins less than we who cramp our waists. ”

“ In persons above the common stature, there is almost half a [Pg 204] face more in the part of the body which is between the mammæ and the bifurcation of the trunk.
The abdomen, placed below the chest, has more projection and roundness in woman than in man: but it has little fulness in a figure capable of serving as a model; and the slightest alteration in its outlines or its polish is injurious.
The waist, which is most distinctly marked in the back and loins, owes all its advantages to its elegance, softness, and flexibility. ”

“ The waist for the rich [68] and poor alike is of one pattern, the only variation being in the quality. It has a plain piece loose at the waist line for the body, a round hole for the rather low neck, the sleeves straight and extending to the wrist, about three-fourths of a yard wide. These sleeves are gathered on the shoulder to fit the individual. ”

“ It is reserved to our own time to demonstrate that corsets and tight lacing do not necessarily go hand in hand. Distortion and feebleness are not beauty. A proper proportion should exist between the size of the waist and the breadth of the shoulders and hips, and if the waist is diminished below this proportion, it suggests disproportion and invalidism rather than grace and beauty.
8. The perfect corset is one which possesses just that degree of rigidity which will prevent it from wrinkling, but will at the same time allow freedom in the bending and twisting of the body. ”

“ You will observe, as your remark just now indicated that you had observed, that the tendency was to a spindling and inadequate development above the waist and an excessive development below. The figure seemed a little as if it had softened and run down like a sugar cast in warm weather. See, the front breadth flat measurement of the hips is actually greater than across the shoulders, whereas it ought to be an inch or two less, and the bulbous effect must have been exaggerated by the bulging mass of draperies your women accumulated about the waist. ”

“ The skirt-section B ex­tends around the body from the waist-line downward, covering the hips and the lower part of the abdomen, and is suitably shaped to such portions of the body of the person, while the upper or body section A of the de­vice is shaped to that portion of the wearer above the waist-line and is carried entirely around the body, extending from said waist-line to about a point just below the breast in front and to about an equal height at the back. ”

“ A cloak, my good fellow, has a most annoying habit of hiding the curve of the waist. And I really do think that even my most bitter detractors must own that my waist curve is entirely and absolutely right. Now how are we, eh? Has the most criticising valet in the world got anything to remedy, anything to suggest? ”

“ Yes; it is very hurtful for girls to wear their dresses even a little tight, for the bones are soft and easily pressed out of place. We should wear warm, loose clothing on all parts of the body, and never, never squeeze the feet, waist, or any other part out of shape. Your arm would be very painful with a tight band around it, but that [Pg 39] would not do as much harm as tight shoes or tight bands around the waist. It is better to be healthy than to be in fashion.
You remember that the blood flows through the bones to feed and make them grow. Good blood will make them strong and healthy. ”

“ Amongst the works of art discovered there is a bas-relief representing a female figure, which, in addition to a profusion of massive ornaments, wears a complicated and elaborate waist-bandage, which, by a system of circular and transverse folding and looping, confines the waist from just below the ribs to the hips as firmly and compactly as the most unyielding corset of the present day. ”

“ Around the waist, secured by a belt or cestus, is wrapped a piece of blue cloth, the sides of which meet, or come nearly in contact on the outside of the right thigh, and the whole extends downward as far as the knee, or to the mid-leg; around the left shoulder is a similar piece of cloth, which is attached, by two of the corners, at the axilla of the right arm, and extends downward as far as the waist. ”

“ When collar-facings are used, great care must be used to avoid soiling them, a caution which is very necessary, seeing so many of them are of a very light colour. We have not yet referred to the finish at the waist, but it should be borne in mind that the waist is to be made to fit closely. It is customary to put a waist-belt and clasp on the inside, the colour harmonising with the lining. ”

“ Fashion has indulged in some strange freaks regarding the length and position of the waist, as a reference to many of the illustrations will show, but its true position can be laid down so clearly that no doubt need remain on the matter. ”

“ Finding that I made no attempt to withdraw my lips from his thrilling pressure, his arm which was around my neck he removed to my waist, thus drawing me more strongly to his bosom; his right arm became closely confined between his body and mine, my hand being placed and held firmly between his thighs. ”

“ One of the peculiarities, which, in our European eyes, chiefly contribute to bodily beauty, is the width of the chest, of the waist, and of the hips. A body of a uniform breadth we consider ungraceful. It is a feature which is met with among several yellow and American races. ”