A Fashion Question

[clouded_coffee]

Hi there,

I apologize if this question is being asked in the wrong area of the forum, I have seen people ask questions related to music, so I figured it was ok to post this under the ‘Moral Theology’ section. This might be kind of strange, but I just thought about this recently and didn’t really know the answer to it for sure. Is it morally acceptable to wear a corset? I know that there are corsets out there that are specifically lingerie type items, but I’m talking about the ones that could be worn on a more regular basis. For example, I know some people who will wear a short sleeve shirt or a blouse, and then wear a corset over the top of it.

I think styles like that look pretty cool, and I’ve seen some really nice looking corsets out there, but would I be sending the wrong message by wearing one? I assumed that it would be ok to wear one in public for style purposes verses intentionally being lusty and sexual (like some people do), but is it just impossible to do that since it’s possible that many people view it as purely lingerie wear?

 

[Warandpeace]

We dress modestly to help each other not encounter sin, usually to help others not indulge in lustful thoughts, etc. So, you have to ask yourself if this might encourage someone to think about you as an object. Usually a good rule for today is to have the mid-thigh at least (for shorts), and probably just above the knee (for skirts) to above any cleavage covered, and not too tight.

Some people will encourage longer skirts, etc. I think this is somewhat dependent upon your age.

I certainly would not wear a corset to Mass, and I am not advising you to wear one.

 

[Lasting_faith]

What you wear is your message (or your parents) to the world.

However, I think we all have the right to dress as we please, but in Church I think some rules are good to keep in mind. But in the “normal” life we can dress in a way we feel OK. And it is good to keep in mind that if someone get “naughty” thoughts looking at someone who maybe are dressed in personal fashion it is not your sin and you have not, and this apply only if you don’t wear what you wear in order to give a clear message, meaning that you do not want to be a “sex-object”.

About what you wear, it was OK for a long time and nobody did think about it, in fact, not wearing a corset was wrong. So if you dress as you dress and your intention is not to “pic up men” I don’t see why not.

 

[Bonnie]

What you wear is up to you, but old folks like me would be wondering: Why does she want to wear old-fashioned underwear over her clothes?

 

[clouded_coffee]

Thanks for the answers guys! I figured it was all just dependent on my intention, but I just wanted to make sure

Bonnie- Funny how fashion works, isn’t it? At one point corsets are every day undergarments, then years later people wear them over shirts or all by themselves. But of course, it could just be a Seattle thing, Seattle-ites can be strange at times

 

[AssisiFollower]

I think it would be appropriate if you were careful to balance the outfit out; since the corset makes the lower part of your blouse much more form-fitting, my opinion would be to wear it over a loose blouse with a moderate to high neckline.

 

[underacloud]

Thanks for the answers guys! I figured it was all just dependent on my intention, but I just wanted to make sure

I don’t think that’s what people are saying and I don’t think it’s correct.

Intention is important, but you need to be aware of how your actions (in this case what you wear) impacts on others. So it’s important whether or not you *mean *to cause lust in others, but it’s also important whether or not you *are likely *to cause lust in others regardless of what you intend.

Anyway, that’s just a general principle. I don’t really have much of a clue what you describe might look like, but probably agree with others that it will depend on what else you are wearing. Many dresses, especially from previous eras, had corsets built into them and were very much the norm. I don’t think tight clothing is always wrong, but perhaps combined with a blouse that shows cleavage or a tight and short skirt, it’s probably not going to be a modest outfit.

 

[Aggies08]

I wear them as undergarments all the time- smooths things out!

If I’m thinking of the right kind (that are worn outer/shown to public), the intention is usually to push up the chest/draw attention to it, which I would think wouldn’t be proper.