Shoes: Modern Day Corsetry?

This past week we discussed, at length, the concept of corsetry in the past as well as in current everyday life. Before this class, my exposure to corsetry was mainly the "training corsets" that you could see individuals such as the Kardashians wearing while they worked out. I had never really been exposed to corsets and their aesthetic appeal until completing the class readings and watching several different videos on corsetry. Corsets, historically, were used to give women a specific shape (similarly to how they are used today) under layers and layers of clothing. The nicer they were, the more expensive they became. Although incredibly uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe, they were perceived as an attractive asset to a woman's body. They accentuated a woman's waist and often pushed up and created a uniform look to her chest (which was and still is highly appealing to males). The picture below depicts the potential shift of a woman's internal organs when wearing a corset for a long duration of time to develop her body into the "most desirable" shape for the time period.

Looking at this, many would be shocked. But, honestly, we as a society have the same strange ideals and concepts of what is socially accepted appearance wise today. They are just as costly and modifying to our bodies as those found during the period of time when corsetry was prevalent. One trend that I am perplexed and amazed by is the obsession with shoes. I, like many women, love high heels. I know they are uncomfortable and that they could damage my feet, but I wear them anyway. Similar to corsets, they are seen as accentuating the body. It is observed that wearing high heels makes a woman's legs look longer, her butt look better, and her chest stick out slightly more simply due to her posture. Wearing heels makes me feel confident, just as I am sure that corsets provided the same confidence to women in the past (and still today). Not only are heels often uncomfortable or sometimes harmful, they are also often expensive. The Louis Vuitton shoes pictured below are $1,710.00, a price that I find completely outrageous for a pair of shoes.

Not only are women's shoes expensive, but so are many of the shoes made for men today. Like corsets, these shoes add a personal value to the individual who possesses them. They are not only fashion forward and appealing, but well enough off to afford irrationally priced attire. Overall, it is clear to me that the current obsession with shoes in today's society is easily comparable to the obsession with corsets throughout history (and even currently). They are both rooted in the consistent desire and hope for unattainable beauty. This trend, although complicated and irrational will continue on as long as people are consumed with appearance and the value that is placed on beauty in our society. 

The Cost of Beauty

As we have talked about in class, there is a large cost to beauty. The inner costs: self esteem, body image, genetics, surgery. And the outer costs: paying for clothing, choosing the right foods, razors etc... This week we spoke about the burning man and corsets - both cost more than we think internally and externally. 

For the purpose of this blog post, I am going to focus on corsets and high heels because, to be completely honest, I couldn't watch the burning man videos. 

In class we watched a video about how to properly dress with a corset. During this video, an abnormal (for today's standards) amount of fabric was used and it took up a lot of time to get ready. While we did mention that during the time of the corset, women were at home working to look their best and keep the house running. This made time for a dresser and client to follow the steps for a 'perfect' outfit. Today, the standards of beauty are different but just as extreme and just as costly. While we are no longer modifying our waste, we are pushing up our breasts with the Victoria Secret Bombshell Bra 

and changing our feet's structure with high heels. The bombshell bra runs at about $49-68 USD per bra and is one of the top selling its from VS for women aged 15-23. The bra is meant to add a 'natural' 2 cup sizes when wearing it. This increases the woman's curves and helps "fill out a shirt". Similar to the corset, it costs a lot of money and is very impractical in terms of working and preforming daily activities. I find the bra itself to be very heavy and uncomfortable; although I have alot of friends who love it. Similar to wearing high heels, it gives them confidence when walking into a room as they believe society dictates you need a certain cup-size to be successful in mating and to be pretty. 

The one bandwagon I have jumped on is for high heels. I love wearing heels for many reasons. The first being I have a shortened chillies tendon, and while i should not do this, the heel itself relieves pain as the tendon does not need to stretch for my foot to reach the ground. Shoes in general, both men and women, very in price and functionality. Growing up, my parents always said to never 'skimp' on shoes because happy feet is a happy person. Having two daughters, i am sure they regret this. 

Shoes as simple and unisex as converse cost about $50-100 a pair, come in hundreds of styles and colors and can even be custom designed online. 

culturally, converse are the shoe of the nerd, jock and jap. They go with every outfit and style. Similarly, heels, while not unisex, are designed to fit every personality and are popular because they enhance how the female looks in them. 

There are so many types and just as many blogs expelling what type of heel to wear when. These extreme explanations relate directly to the corset video as depending on the year, social status and event, the type of corset and dress varied. 

While corsets are out of style and now leaning towards the fetish world, shoes are slowly taking its place. It seems that no matter what the style of the time is, dysfunctional clothing will always be there for us to feel and look better because we fit in.  

Burning Man

Traditionally, burning man was created as a means of spontaneous and radical self-expression. The burning of the 40-ft wooden statue brought together a community of people that valued total inclusivity, unrestricted self-expression, and the act of ritual as a necessity. The idea of immersing one’s self  in an experience meant to return to some sort of primitive state is seems almost surreal in a time when we are commonly described as being immensely detached from the world and our surroundings.

One interesting fact about burning man and its participatns was that the primary concern was survival against the blistering desert heat and weather conditions. After having a brief conversation with my friend about this, she said that she doesn’t think she’ll ever have a burning desire (pun intended) to go to burning man. According to her it seemed too inconvenient, unsanitary, and of course, dangerous. I agree with her to an extent. I believe that returning to such a “primitive” state or act of spiritualization could be a valuable experience in discovering, rediscovering, or exploring one’s true self, however it does seem a bit extreme.

Nevertheless there is something to gain from this experience and by far my favorite aspect about burning man are the ten principles the organizers promote.

The ten principles of burning man, as stated by the Burning Man Survival Guide:

Radical Inclusion: Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.

Gifting: Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift-giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.

Decommodification: In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.

Radical Self-reliance: Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise, and rely on his or her inner resources.

Radical Self-expression: Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.

Communal Effort: Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote, and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.

Civic Responsibility: We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state, and federal laws.

Leaving No Trace: Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.

Participation: Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.

Immediacy: Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our innerselves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.

After looking at the ten principles that the organizers introduce in the Survival Guide to Burning Man it reminded me much about the ideals and principles from past and contemporary social and political philosophers regarding a just and fair social and legal system. So while I wondered why people don’t behave so idealistically, I immediately recognized that this is too idealistic and there are social circumstances that would not permit this.

Along with this I read an article, An Emotional Survival Guide to Burning Man (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chip-conley/burning-man-survival-guide_b_3769346.html) where the author talks about his experience and offers a deeper insight about the location, expectations, and offers psychological perspectives. While it is true that burning man has been reduced jokes and to what some have called a “ghetto for liberal hippies” one cannot disregard or reduce personal experiences and transformations and as the author of the article emphasizes, one has to be open and curious while at burning man (or with anything in general).  

The Beauty of Burning Man

Although I was already aware of some of the immense festivals that occur not only in the United States but all around the world, I had not heard of the Burning Man Festival before. After the discussions in class and some research, I got to learn more about this event, which is actually quite popular. Last year, the event was even sold out in just 44 minutes, which I find astonishing by the fact that over sixty thousand people attended the festival. I have attended a couple of festivals myself, like Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), and it was an incredible experience. I was able to have fun with my friends, meet new people, forget any real world issues, and just simply enjoy the moment. However, I don’t think that I had the same experience as I would if I were to attend Burning Man. EDC is mainly an event for those who enjoy electronic music and raves, thus I noticed that many people who attended this festival were somewhat very similar. On another hand, the Burning Man Festival is described as an experience in community, art, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance. Its meaning and purpose is far more deeper than any other festivals I have been to. To be honest, I believe that most music festivals, or at least EDC, are just effective money-making tools in the entertainment industry, unlike Burning Man where you go to simply get to know yourself better and bond with those around you. The tickets for Burning Man can be pricey, but from what I’ve learn so far, I consider the event to be very cheap for the values it hold and experiences you’ll have. In addition, sharing is a fundamental factor of the event, therefore it is not necessary to spend much at the festival since everyone shares with each other. The attendees, who are also known as burners, are guided by ten principles that shape the values and outcome of the event. I do not want to go into too much details about the principles and although they are all important, I find that radical self-expression, gifting, and decommodification truly makes the event a phenomenal experience. The fact that people want to create an environment that is not guided and supported by commercial sponsorship, transactions, or advertising to enrich their spiritual values (this is decommodification) along with sharing with others and truly expressing yourself sounds amazingly liberating.  

I believe Burning Man is the adequate and ideal event for modern primitives since they can express who they really are without judgement from others. Some people are be afraid of rejection because of their rituals and practices, but in an event where absolutely everyone is welcomed and people bond and share with each other at all times, it becomes easier for them to express themselves. The United States is a well developed country where many people, modern primitives, tend to engage and practice body modifications. Some body modifications can be as simple as piercing and tattoos and others can be very extreme, but we often see these practices in our culture. At Burning Man, people who are active with body modifications would want to interconnect with others who also practice it and share their reasons or desires for it. Burning Man can bring these people together and help people who normally wouldn’t feel accepted in our culture feel comfortable and like they fit in. In comparison to this culture, there is not too much body modification practices back in Colombia. I have not been back in a while, but a reason could be that people might be more judgemental and thus body modification is less acceptable. There are the simple things like tattoos and piercings, which are less common than in the U.S., but you probably would not see anything extreme. However, they do practice a lot of cosmetic surgeries, which is a form of body modification but is not really regarded in the same category as other modifications that we might not find accepting. Burning Man or any similar event where people go to show their modification and express their side that nobody usually sees probably doesn’t happen often, or at all, in Colombia. Body modifications, other than surgeries, is just not popular in that culture and its people will think that it is far out of norm. I wasn’t aware that they do not practice many body modifications until I talked to my family about it and I just find it really interesting living in different cultures can affect how you think and what you might think is acceptable.

The Irony of Burning Man

Burning Man was created as a cultural experience. In an effort to revitalize human interaction, co-founder Larry Harvey designed an experience that would take people away from restrictions of society. In the modern world, we supposedly lost the rituals and practices to be self aware. We've lost the connection with our inner self. Burning Man can help foster that connection, whether through self reflection or creatively engaging with others. Burning Man was primarily a philosophical experience.
It represented a departure from modern society, and for this reason it became very popular among counter-culture individuals. The event welcomed anyone who wanted the experience. There was no specifications that participants needed to be part of a specific group to attend. Anyone who had the means to go, was able to go. Though they didn't turn people away, Burning Man was designed only for those to have a profound and enlightening experience. But those arent the only people that go to Burning Man now. Now the event is for anyone with $390 in their bank account. College students, trust fund kids, anyone and everyone can attend Burning Man. And they do. In the beginning years when Burning Man was indeed about discovering your true inner nature, it didn't have the national recognition it does today. I, myself, heard of Burning Man now as jokes on TV shows and movies. The way TV shows explained a certain character was a real "free spirit" was by saying they went to Burning Man. By "free spirit" the shows mostly mean the character is adventurous in terms of experimenting with drugs and orgys. Burning Man has turned into a giant drug filled orgy in the desert in the eyes of the public now. There was a Funny or Die article entitled "13 Things to know about this year's Burning Man festival." These were the entries:

• Warning: There might be drugs there.
• Remember to bring Sunscreen to Burning Man! Sunscreen is the name of a dude who lives in a teepee on Redondo Beach and still needs a ride to the festival.
• Burning Man is the nation’s top destination for people to creatively express their trust funds.
• The festival culminates in the burning of a structure called The Temple, followed by the crowning of that year’s Burning Man King and Queen.
• Little known fact: The manlike effigy that’s burned each year and gives the festival its name is actually a likeness of America’s Funniest Home Videos host Tom Bergeron.
• Any child born at Burning Man shall be confiscated by the hoard, dipped in body paint, and named something like Crowbeak or Xanduth or Greg.
• Jeremy’s parents will be back on Sunday night, so everybody needs to be out by then, cool?
• For $900, the Burning Man Premium Pass gives you a complimentary pink body-morph suit, round-the-clock access to all 10 mud huts, and your own personal weirdo.
• This year, hula hooping is not allowed. Just kidding, of course hula hooping’s allowed. Spooked ya, though, huh?
• Once inside, no money is exchanged, so trade with your neighbors for food, art, and commodities futures.
• The gate to the festival is guarded by two magical statues that will incinerate anyone who shows fear. Or maybe that’s The NeverEnding Story. Honestly what’s the difference.
• The festival will conclude with extinguishing the Burning Man in the most ambitious ice bucket challenge to date.
• A business-casual dress code will be strictly enforced this year. Please plan accordingly.

While I'm sure some people still go for the original purpose, now Burning Man just seems like an excuse for anyone to do whatever they want for a week. It's lost its meaning as it has grown in popularity.

As the festival has grown in popularity, it has also disregarded one of its 10 main principles- decommodificatiom. It claims that commercial actions exploit their culture and that impedes the whole purpose of the festival. But in becoming so popular, Burning Man has commodified itself. How can an event that charges $390 for one ticket not be considered a commodity? It can be bought and sold just like any other commercial item. The irony is that Burning Man has grown to be what they originally set out to avoid. 

Beauty is Pain

The common saying "Beauty is Pain" has been demonstrated time and time again in class through different eras and throughout both mainstream and sub-cultures. This week in class we discussed the importance of the corset in female beauty culture throughout western eras. The corset, utilized to create a body figure that accentuates the bust and small waist, was a popular item used from the 16th-19th century in order to fit a certain body type that was considered beautiful at the time. Though it is often condemned now in mainstream culture to subject ones body to a corset for everyday use, the corset is important because it allows for us to see a) the lasting effects of the corset in today's culture and b) compare current beauty trends to those we often think of as "ridiculous."  

The corset, besides being sexualized and fetishized,  has been portrayed in pop culture as damaging and causing severe health effects and also as a beauty item that is time consuming. It is often condemned, and perhaps rightfully so, as a tool to control women through the limitation of mobility and its health effects. Though the health effects of corsetry may be exaggerated, it ability to limit movement  and its severe discomfort is not. However instead of just condemning the practice we need to look at what other practices we use today that have similar features. For this reason, I have made many comparisons to the high-heel/ foot-binding class we had in the beginning of the year. Because of cultural trends women, and men, often have to make sacrifices in order to fit beauty trends. Our era happens to be the existence of the high-heel that can similarly limit our mobility, and cause health effects by re-shaping our foot. I think before we are to condemn another cultural trend, we need to examine our own society and see how the same institutions haunt our own society. This way we are able to attack and deconstruct these institutions rather than the tools. 

Despite these ideas on the ridiculousness and the condemnation of the corset, it has existed in mainstream culture as being a sexual item , but also an item of elegance and beauty. The existence of the corset piercing and the popularity of dresses mimicking such a style demonstrates the prevalence of the corset in today's culture. The corset is relevant because of the images of sex, beauty and elegance it still inspires.

Corsetry Fetish: A No-Win Game for Women

     Corsetry has undergone a radical transformation from its initial conception in the 19th century to its more specific uses today.  Corsets were initially introduced as an undergarment for women.  Once women started to become a prominent part of the workforce in the World War II era, they became impractical.  Women could not effectively complete physical labor in a factory setting in a corset.  This problem demonstrated how corsetry was primarily form over function; they were made to accentuate certain aspects of the female body, and did not necessarily enable maximum movement and comfort.  This initiated a transition from corsets to bras and corsets subsequently fell out of the mainstream.

     However, corsets have not been completed eviscerated from society, as they are a part of a fairly large fetish subculture.  As mentioned, corsets, particularly tight-lacing, provide a more curvy, traditionally feminine physique to whoever is wearing it.  Many people find these modifications caused by the corset to be highly arousing, and corsetry and tight-lacing have therefore been prominent in fetish culture.  Fetishism is gaining immense sexual gratification from a particular body part, object, or in this case, item of clothing.

     There are a number of aspects to the continued use of corsets, particularly in the realm of fetish.  One part of this is power.  An important question to ask is how much power a woman could feasibly have wearing a corset as a fetish item.  It could theoretically swing both ways; corsets are a popular article of clothing amongst dominatrixes, which is a sexually dominant practice, but the restrictive nature of a corset can also be used for more submissive practices.  It has been commodified in a way that it hasn’t been before.  Lastly, some women want to tight-lace to create erotic discomfort.  By tight-lacing, more blood is forced into the pelvic region which, in turn, enhances sexual pleasure.

     What is interesting about the last point is that this has not been extensively scientifically studied.  Products for men that enhance sexual pleasure through blood flow, such as Viagra and Cialis, are studied and marketed.  However, women do not have as many resources going their way in terms of enhancing sexual pleasure, which shows that priority in sexual relations and fetishism primarily goes towards men.  This is particularly apparent in the birth and continued prevalence of high heels.  Bras did not give a lot of the same accentuation to breasts and other body parts, which led to the surge in heels in female fashion.  They are able to serve a similar purpose and the only difference is the form of clothing.

     The devolution of corsets from encouraged undergarments to fetishism does show some garnering of strength for women.  The video we watched in class of a woman spending upwards of 15 minutes just getting her corset right was clearly not done exclusively for her own enjoyment; but for the pleasure of others as well.  By rejecting the notion that this much effort needs to be put into pleasing a man, there is some feminist theory.  Even with some people embracing it in the present for feminist reasons, there are still discrepancies about corsetry and sexual life.  As the text noted, tight-lacing used to be frowned upon for being physically foolish and was likened to immorality of masturbation.  While these thoughts are a little older historically, it still shows that women are either categorized as prudes or sluts, which demonstrates the uphill battle of feminism.