History of the Corsets

The corsets were originally designed for medical use. It was believed that a woman was very fragile, and needed assistance from some form of stay to hold her up. Even the young girls were laced up into bodice but in a good motivation.
Gradually these garments were lengthened and tightened. By the time they were in their 15 years old, the girls were unable to sit or stand for any length of time without the aid of a heavy canvas corset reinforced with the hard material such like steel. The corset deformed the internal organs making it impossible to draw deep breath, in or out of a corset. Because of this, Victorian women were always fainting and getting the vapors.

Fashion Waist Training Victorian Overbust Corset

White Waist Training Bridal Overbust Corset

In the old times, women were thought weaker than men, even included their minds and bodies. So the corset was deemed morally and medically necessary. Tight lacing was considered virtuous - a loose corset was probably a sign of a loose woman.
When concerning the corsets, I can not neglect the period from 1820 to about 1910. But the corset is much older than that. In Europe, it has been in general use as an undergarment since the middle ages, but it probably dates several thousands of years back. The corset has at all times been used for shaping the body, most often for compressing the waist, but sometimes for raising the bust.
And now in our era, women still wear corsets but not always. It becomes more loose and serves as accessory to women just for looking differently.