In the 1830's, corsets were thought to be a medical necessity. This is because women were apparently fragile and needed something to hold them up. Girls wore corsets even at a very young due to this belief. Corsets were lengthened and tightened as they grew older, and women soon became unable to stand or sit for a long period of time without one. Internal organs became deformed and taking deep breathes became impossible, whether a women was wearing a corset or not. This is why it was common for Victorian women to faint often. Pregnant women who wore corsets sometimes lost their baby or it was deformed. Some other negative effects of wearing a corset are broken ribs and infertility.
Many working-class women did not wear corsets unless there was a special occasion because they needed the freedom to move around to do household chores. The weight of their clothes was less and they were also looser. Clothing was more confining for women who were of higher-class because they had servants to do their chores.
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