An Unconventional Victorian Lady: Victorian Secrets by Sarah Chrisman

There’s a Victorian couple living in Washington state.  Yes, they wear clothes that bring to mind reenactors, but no, they’re not part of some religious group or strange community.  They simply like that turn-of-the-century era and find a lot of good sense and aesthetic appeal in that period’s practices.

After reading an article by Sarah Chrisman and learning that she wears a corset daily, uses an icebox, and enjoys the way her long skirts function like ‘cat’s whiskers’ in keeping her aware of her surroundings, I downloaded her first book to listen to, Victorian Secrets, which focuses on her early experience with wearing a corset.  She has another, more comprehensive book about Victorian living that I am even more excited about, but that one isn’t slated to be released until December.

Mind you, I am a person who prioritizes comfort above most things, but as my historical novel protagonists are often bedecked in corsets, I was extremely curious to hear from someone who appreciates the experience.  Like Sarah, I have always heard the corset upheld as one of the horrors of the age, an an oppression of women that we are well rid of.  Yet Sarah points out the the great feminists of the age argued against the men who wanted to rid them of corsets.  Sarah herself tried out her corset only begrudgingly (it had been a birthday present), but she found value in it very quickly.

I was amazed to hear that within months, Sarah’s waist shrank from 32 inches to 22 inches (and even smaller).  The corset helps her posture and supports her while restricting portion sizes.  She has an elegant hourglass figure that she never had before, and she appreciates it tremendously. 

I have to admit, I’m tempted to order a corset just to try it out, but I can’t quite imagine myself wearing one for more than a couple of hours.  I can’t even stand an underwire bra, for goodness sakes, and I question a few of her assumptions.  For one, she asserts that corsets did not break bones, but given that even coughing fits will occasionally break ribs in the frail, I have my doubts; osteoporosis undoubtedly occurred then as it does now, and old women do not lose all vanity as they age—besides, their clothing was designed for wear with a corset.  For another, she scoffs at the notion that restrictive pressures could lead to cancers—as with underwire bras, for instance.  Given that lymph flow is critical for maintaining health and that Sarah is trained as a massage therapist, I’m disappointed that she would so off-handedly dismiss such concerns.

Nevertheless, I am intrigued by her story and am not arguing against the corset.  Sarah is undoubtedly at a healthier weight now, and she has a posture that will reduce spinal degeneration.  She is protecting her skin from toxic chemicals with her Victorian clothing, which protects all of her from the sun.  She even wears thin gloves and bought sheer silk veil material for her hats in the summertime, and I am impressed that this fair blonde can go outside in the midday sun without any need to slather herself with toxic sunscreens.  There’s something to be said for common sense, isn’t there?  Except…many people don’t see it that way.  Poor Sarah has had to deal with a venomous backlash that leaves one stunned.  I can’t quite fathom what is so threatening to others about someone who is unique in a way not protected by ‘PC’ concerns.  How is being old-fashioned in a classy way antagonizing?  How is appreciating the values and common sense of our forbears such fodder for attack? 

I applaud Sarah for doing what inspires her.  She has become living history, a treasure to be valued.  She provides consultation for others on the Victorian era—on both the nitty-gritty and the ideals of the period.  What an intellect, and what an example for others.  Not necessarily to wear a corset—although I won’t rule that out—but to draw on the past. 

Complex, sophisticated civilizations have existed for thousands of years, but we are inundated with propaganda condemning them as backwards and superstitious.  We swallow ridiculous tales about them as fact, and the myths about the oppression of the corset are only one example.  Who hasn’t heard the very strange assertion that by the age of 35 one was considered old in Medieval times?  That is sheer nonsense—many thrived into their 80’s, as I’ve found out only with research.  Why are we so very willing to believe that our culture and our time must be the most correct, the most ‘advanced’?  We lose our discretion because of pride and blind faith in the propaganda that we are fed—and then so eagerly, so unwittingly pass it on ourselves. 

We’ve been flippantly tossing out deeply-rooted beliefs and traditions while embracing an increasingly consumeristic, polluting, throw-away society that jeopardizes our very futures.  Not only our distant futures, but our current health and even our IQs (reported to be much lower on average than in Victorian times).  Given that we’ve become a little slower than the Victorians were, isn’t it a little presumptuous to assume that they didn’t know what they were doing when they clothed themselves?  I’m not arguing in favor of the corset, in particular—I’m still a little hesitant about that—but I have tremendous interest and respect for the values, cultures, and traditions of the past, and I would love to present Sarah Chrisman with a medal for her contribution to this understanding.