Wasp waist

Wasp waist is a women's fashion silhouette, produced by a style of corset and girdle, that has experienced various periods of popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Its primary feature is the abrupt transition from a natural-width rib cage to an exceedingly small waist, with the hips curving out below.

Ladies' magazines told of the side effects of tight lacing, proclaiming that "if a lady binds and girds herself in, until she be only twenty-three inches, and, in some cases, until she be only twenty-one inches, it must be done at the expense of comfort, health, and happiness.

"[1] Fashions instead created the illusion of a small waist, using proportion, stripe placement, and color.

The displacement and disfigurement of the reproductive organs greatly increased the risk of miscarriage and maternal death.