Corsets and the War
In America and Britain, reference to the War effort was a good selling point, and Spirella subtly accused the poorly corsetted woman of being a virtual traitor. Like Spencer, the lack of proper corsetry was associated with slovenliness and goodness knows what else. If that didn't work, then the necessity of the corset to support the potential customer during her heavy war-time duties would. Don't think that a world shortage of rubber was a problem either; the corsetry business was established long before rubber became freely available and they had any number of alternatives, however, that didn't stop the advertisers drumming home the point. Munsingwear (USA - below) in particular pushed their new spun elastics. It seems that in 1944, Munsingwear had a powerful contract with the military.
In the 1940's Spirella concentrated on how the un-corsetted woman might not only lose her husband's affection, but possibly the entire War as well.
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1942 I caught my husband talking to a strange woman ! I sent Bob off to the party alone … Is this what it’s like to lose your husband’s love So I sat and took it from the ‘sitter’ To think I was Dreading his Furlough (leave - Ivy) ! 1943 I’ve got the biggest, loudest welcome mat in town - quoted the town's Spirella corsetiere. You can look attractive and feel fit in Wartime Don’t worry about rubber for corsets ! What British Women discovered about Active War Work ! There was a slight division of interests here, where Spirella wanted all women to look their best, yet rubber was being diverted for the war effort and corset steels (literally) were being turned into tanks and planes. |
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Whist still on the theme of war, we all remember the slogans (particularly if, like my husband, you enjoy the British comedy series from the 1970's, "Dad's Army") "Your country needs you" and "Loose talk costs lives". I doubt, however, if any advertisement before or since has encouraged one to "join the services and get a girdle".
Join the services and get a girdle!
Kayser (above) went to considerable lengths to reassure women that their slips would not take material from the war effort. After the war, Spirella used an excess of parachute silk to make a series of ladies pyjamas!
| Even Spencer used the war to jog
women's' consciences by insisting that only proper corsetry (in this case
during pregnancy) would allow a woman to continue her duties (in this case
the word useful is underlined). In the male chauvinistic world
of the 1940's, a women's duties were to her husband, home and country and
often corsets were the only barrier between a happy life and moral (not to
mention abdominal) collapse!
Both Spirella and Spencer put much emphasis on moral strength and attention to duty and chores. Frankly, in this day and age, I admire the sentiments. |
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Just to complete the association of corsetry and the war, Spirella, using their superb construction principles, made parachutes during the war, and G-suits for pilots after the war. The excess of parachute silk after the war was used for a limited range of ladies' nighties and pyjamas, and one of the MD's of Spirella after the war was none other than Oliver Philpott, the famous escapee of Stalag Luft III who was the third, and last, man through the 'Wooden Horse' tunnel.
