Trapped inside my Pantie-girdle

 

 

A woman hurried into the restaurant at Selfridge’s in a waft of powder, perfume and parcels. As she joined her friends for coffee, she gushed in a voice audible several tables away, “I’m so sorry to be late. I was trapped inside my panty-girdle!”  

 

I feel we can assume, like so many of her sisters, that she had tried on a panty-girdle in a size, say 34, when she knew that her waist was approaching 40. 

 

This may sound like an odd title for a serious dissertation on the diverse aspects of corsetry, however, this page arose from an experience exactly as described above. We have mentioned the occasion in corsetiere's anecdotes (also described below), however, it started my husband and I considering some of the more powerful pantie-girdles that we have encountered, or about which we have heard stories. We even published the following short paragraph, however, it elicited such a response (such are the delights of creating a web site) that we felt obliged to research further.

 

The story above has prompted several readers to ask how can you get trapped in such a flimsy undergarment as a panty-girdle. Well, in the 1960's, they were far from flimsy (the anecdote comes from the early 1970's). Regard the products that the Dutch matron might have been wearing in those days, and that were also available in Britain and America. By far the most complex panty-girdle is the one illustrated to the right. Outwardly conventional, and obviously from the 1960's, it has a double laced underbelt!! 

Especially designed for post-pregnancy and the drastic return of the figure to normality, it is hardly likely that the lady in question was in such a delicate condition. 

This amazing garment comes from the auctions of Trishypoo

The pantie-girdle above, is an extreme example of its genre. It was, I believe, a device for the woman who, almost immediately after pregnancy, desired an immediate return to a conventional shape. Traditionally, this could be achieved by wearing a corset, and, to be honest, this garment is close to that description. The danger, as every mother informs her daughters, is that the girdle is returning the figure to normal, not the body's own muscles. Reliance on this device after pregnancy will inevitably lead to reliance on a girdle or corset for evermore. Remember Playtex's exhortations to the 30-year-olds of the 1960's, "Holds you in like firm young muscles". Of course it does, but it doesn't replace firm young muscles, nor does it encourage them either!!

 

Such girdles are still around today (2005), but they seem to have become the preserve of the Latin countries, that is Italy, Spain and Latin America. The example on the right is currently available from Latin America and sold in various American outlets. It is specifically designed to flatten the post-pregnancy tummy, and judging by the description, "six straps secure a light, but rigid panel", it will do so very effectively.

 

It is interesting to note that post-War liberation, whilst freeing woman from her corsets, forced her into equally uncompromising garments. I've kept the newspaper cutting "I scream cones" for years; I simply adored the comment. Look at the engineering below. Howard Hughes would have been impressed!
The charming picture on the left has been taken from the book "And All was Revealed" by Doreen Caldwell (1981). She states "It was curious that girls who appeared to us all as fearless Dianas, even Amazons, should have crushed themselves into such constricting garments".

 

Returning to the theme of entrapment, I know of only a few genuine cases where a wearer has actually become stuck in her foundations. The case of the unyielding corset buckles has, I'm sure, defeated more wearers than the vain elderly woman of my correspondent's tale. Certainly, I know of several women wearing zippered girdles who have managed to jam the zip on the little satin tag attached thereto. Infinite patience is required to set oneself free, or an expensive mistake will occur.

We collected some images of pantie-girdles, that apart from their potential to snare the unwary, are remarkable examples of how a simple garment can end up as a fiendishly complex garment. In these modern times, when the knowledge of proper corsetry is virtually unknown, we have so often encountered women referring to a corset, when in fact they mean a pantie-girdle. Whether this is levity, or simple ignorance of the subject is sometimes unclear, however, I could forgive these women for describing the garment exhibited below as corsets, even if they are technically incorrect.

Every unnecessary complication exists, from the double-lace underbelt (above), to twin zippers, waist cincher and, of course, Camp just had to add its 'adjustaband' control!

The twin-zippered girdle (below) tells its own story. Dating from the early 1960's, this garment is fresh, unused and with its original tags. The creases indicate a long period stored in its box or in a drawer. It was simply too complex, or too uncomfortable to wear!

The 'Playtex Ice' (left) describes less its appearance, than its horrid clammy coldness in the mornings. Indeed, this is a girdle that was even harder to remove than to don, and, oh how some women wanted to remove them!

At least, the young women pictured above and below look happy in their decidedly substantial foundation wear. One is tempted to think that these 1960's pantie-girdles were surely aimed at the more mature figure, and indeed, they became (in the USA at least) almost standard underwear for most women in the 1970's. But when these pictures were taken, many young women would have had such garments in their possession.

Even pantie-girdles can provide back support for the woman fed up with her bulky corsets, or perhaps simply new to the failing post-pregnancy back. Were they, however, as effective as their laced cousins? I suspect not.

Panty-girdles in the 1950's and 1960's from Charis (left - 1953) and Spencer USA (1963).

In many respects, these formidable foundation garments (by today's standards) do not need adornments and complexities. I like my underwear to give me a good shape, yet to come off easily when required.

The garments below and right, for which I do confess a fondness, are standard Smoothies' Long Stride, with zipper, and the traditional satin panels at the front, back and sides.

The Smoothie (above), to my mind, represents the zenith of the American panty-girdle. The British equivalent from Marks and Spencer on the left, tries to copy its trans-Atlantic cousin, yet somehow fails.