10 tidbits about corsets, the alleged tiny-waist culprit in Disney's 'Cinderella'

In response to the negative attention drawn to the images of Lily James’ waist in Disney’s latest version of Cinderella, TheCelebrityCafe.com will take a look at corsets, the alleged culprit.

A corset is a stiffened tightly fitted garment that can be worn either under or over other clothing. It generally covers the length between the bust and the hips and traditionally uses lacing for the snuggest fit. Although, as you can see in this image of Lindsey Stirling from America’s Got Talent, corsets are popular accoutrements of modern fashion, years ago they were a part of a woman’s everyday clothing; a fact that is displayed in many period films, fantasies, and events.

As previously reported, there have been speculations that Disney altered James’ waist in post-production and on promotional materials using CGI, Photoshop and/or some other editing tool. Both James’ agent and sources from Disney deny any such culpability, according to Buzzfeed, claiming that the visual effect of James’ teeny tiny waist is solely the result of her wearing a corset.

Post by Cinderella.


image via Facebook from Cinderella

A corset expert, Catherine Clavering, informed Buzzfeed that, “The reality is that if someone starts with an unusually small waist measurement (by modern standards) and then wears a really well-constructed corset, you can obtain a waist measurement of 18 inches, or sometimes less, entirely by nondigital means.”

“In this case, Cinderella’s dress also has enormous volume in the bust/shoulder and in the skirt, which helps to emphasize the cinched in waist in between,” she continued. Though her comments seem to support Disney’s claim, she did add that the possibility of the corset being the only cause for James’ unnatural looking waist did not supersede the possibility that digital alterations took place.

This hasn’t stopped the flow of doubtful tweets with questions like these:

So, here are 10 tidbits we found about corsets, from other corset promoting films, and how a corset actually works.

Top image courtesy of Kristin Callahan/ACE/INFphoto.com

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Elizabeth

In this still of Cate Blanchett in costume for her role as Elizabeth I, you can see how the corset worn under the costume has had a similar effect as the one worn by Lily James. Both waists are cinched to an unimaginably small size. It is arguable, though, that the similarity could be due to digital alterations on both images rather than the simple use of a corset.



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Pirates of the Caribbean

In Pirates of the Caribbean, Kierra Knightley plays the young governor’s daughter, Elizabeth Swann. During the scenes in which she is dressed as a proper young woman of social standing, she is wearing an under corset cinched a bit tighter than in her piratey scenes.



The following Youtube clip shows a dressing scene in which Miss Swann is laced into a corset to be worn under a new dress her father has just brought her. Notice how it takes two other women to tighten it and how she complains about her lack of breath.

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Meet Me in St. Louis

In this famous scene from Meet Me in St. Louis, Judy Garland portrays a young girl getting ready for an evening out. Notice how she has to hold on to the bed post while the other woman tightens the laces of her corset. She too complains of a shortness of breath.

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House of Wax

In this scene from the 1953 classic, House of Wax, Carolyn Jones’ character demands to have her corset tightened until her friend is concerned that she won’t be able to breathe. She flippantly replies, “I don’t need much breath anyway.” Notice that she had to hold onto the door in order to achieve enough tension for the lacing to be pulled that tight.

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Gone With the Wind

Here is another scene where a young lady holds onto a bedpost so that she can be squeezed into a corset. In this scene from the classic Gone With the Wind, the character Scarlett O’Hara complains so much that her attendant tells her she can put her dress on by herself; a feat not easily done when you’re wrapped that tight!

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Roman Holiday

In this image, you can see one of the dresses designed for Audrey Hepburn to wear in the film Roman Holiday. What is significant here is the fullness of the skirt, complete with petticoat, as well as the wide off the shoulder collar. As the corset expert, Clavering, mentioned, a dress that is full both above and below the waist can accentuate the thinness of the waist.

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The Great Gatsby

Some of the defenders of the new Cinderella explain that part of the reason her waist looks so thin in their promotional still, is due to the camera angle. In the following clip, behind the scenes of The Great Gatsby, you’ll see several different women with different body types, wearing corsets. You’ll also get to see them from varying points of view, which lends credence to the argument that the point of view does affect how the size of the waist appears.

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Historical Lingerie

Most of the movie clips and images have been from either period films, or films that were produced in a different era. In the following video, you’ll see how these women dressed. The video goes through the steps of putting on each layer, but notice how the waist is cinched as the corset is applied.

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From 36 to 23 inches

Perhaps it is possible that wearing a corset is enough to cause the visual distortion of Lily James’ waist seen in the promos for Cinderella. In this video, the extent to which a waist can be cinched is revealed as this woman demonstrates how her corset shrinks her waist from a size 36 to a size 23. That’s a whopping 13 inch difference!

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Waist training

Some women wear corsets regularly as a form of “waist training.” In other words, they train their waists to curve in dramatically due to the constant pressure applied by the corset. It is also considered a method for weight loss. I suppose the more pressure applied to the abdomen, the less room there is for food.



There are many who advocate against using such methods as waist training for weight loss, calling them dangerous and unhealthy. This sentiment is echoed by those who object to the visual spectacle of Lily James’ waist in Cinderella. For them, the danger lies in the degradation of self-esteem and body image.

What do you think? Corset or CGI? Let us know your ideas in the comments section below.

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