An Anthropological Exploration of Corsetry

Abstract

For my anthropological senior project, I chose the topic of the corset, in which I studied extensively all the ways in which the corset did and still does affect culture and society. I used all of the knowledge I gained through my anthropological research of the corset as a focal point to create my choreographic piece for my dance senior project. My dance piece was centered around the broad ideas of expectations, ownership, feminism, corsetry, aristocracy, oppression, revolution, surveillance, abuse, and mob mentality. In the following pages, I will share with you what I learned in my research, quotes and images that inspired me, my own thoughts about topics surrounding the corset, details about my choreographic piece, quotes from my dancers, and materials that assisted in the creation of the choreography, all organized under broad anthropological categories as they relate to the corset.