14. Women were encouraged to make themselves alluring, with corsets and even padded bras popular ways of catching the eyes of eligible bachelors
While ladies were actively discouraged from talking about intimate relations, there was still a huge societal pressure on them to look attractive to men, especially if they were looking for a husband or were still a few years into marriage. And, just as today, there was no shortage of hints and tips for making yourself appealing to the bachelors. Make-up was, of course, essential, as was perfume, though this was largely to mask them horrible smells of the city. But alongside these, women would routinely spice up their outfits, with corsets and even push-up bras everyday essentials for young ladies.
So common were early push-up bras by the 1860s that gentlemen were warned against assuming that a potential partner really did have a heaving bosom (a sign of healthiness and desirability at the time). By the 1880s, high heels had come into fashion, allowing women to make their legs look longer and slenderer. Ball dresses became more daring too, with plunging necklines commonplace at society balls. And all the while, women were supposed to make an effort to remove all body hair and so resemble the smooth marble statues of Antiquity – all for the viewing pleasure of men, of course.
