Why authors like to bring period fashion into their stories WITHOUT RESEARCHING FIRST? I m...

koneka January 22, 2021 3:17 pm

Why authors like to bring period fashion into their stories WITHOUT RESEARCHING FIRST? I mean, it is not hard to read some articles or even see some yt videos about the topic before writing it down. If you are just bringing the clothes without approaching the fashion and the designs I can turn a blind eye, because it is not important to the storie, but when people write plots and approach fashion and not even research first it makes me so angry!!! CORSETS WEREN'T MEANT TO BE TIGHTEN, THEY WERE THERE FOR SUPPORT PURPOSES AND TO MAKE THE APROPRIATE SILHOUETTE!!!

Responses
    Carmel January 22, 2021 3:53 pm

    Not everything has to be real tbh I’m sure the authors can do whatever they want since it’s their story and all but who cares personally I won’t search historic fashion trends simply cuz they were in one story a biss is too lazy for that and that would have been wasted effort on the authors part....

    Kimi January 22, 2021 4:36 pm

    Because this is a fictional piece, not a historical piece, so authors have every liberty to take information from different pieces across history to create their own unique dresses and fashion that can be a combination of rococo and victorian, for instance. Furthermore, that information is not as readily available in Korean.

    Kimi January 22, 2021 4:43 pm

    Furthermore, believe it or not, corsets were actually uncomfortable because the silhouette required tightening. It wasn't impossible to move, or even to do sports and physical activity, but it absolutely was uncomfortable, especially if it was a new corset you were getting fitted to.

    Kimi January 22, 2021 5:27 pm
    This reply will be showed after approved! Iphis

    yeah right XD a western historical piece, rather than a fantasy story based off of western aesthetics by an eastern author

    koneka January 22, 2021 8:13 pm
    Not everything has to be real tbh I’m sure the authors can do whatever they want since it’s their story and all but who cares personally I won’t search historic fashion trends simply cuz they were in one ... Carmel

    For sure they can do whatever they want, I'm just annoyed because it is not something hard to discover, the myth about corsets I mean. I don't expect things to be historical accurate, but the author is trying to tell us he based this dresses in actual period dresses from our world, so they should at least know this much. It's like if I go and write a storie and the MC design a new kimono she based on real kimonos from our world and the kimono is made out of muslin.

    koneka January 22, 2021 8:30 pm
    Furthermore, believe it or not, corsets were actually uncomfortable because the silhouette required tightening. It wasn't impossible to move, or even to do sports and physical activity, but it absolutely was un... Kimi

    No, they weren't. Women climbed mountains in corsets, literally. This is not something you could do if you run out of breath just by walking like many stories portraite. Of course it is not as confortable as being naked, but depending on the person it would be even more confortable then wearing a modern bra since it sustain the bust distribuing the weight all over the torso instead of just in a couple stripes over your shoulders. They weren't tighten, they were made to fit the body perfectly (for noble ladies at least). But my point is that they brought the 'this is something of my previous world', they even try to explain the 'marie antoinette' aesthetic, so the least they could do is try to research what they are trying to bring into the storie. Am I annoying? Absolutely, but since this is my area of expertise, it kind of botthers me more than the avarege person, especially since this is such a common mistake.

    Kimi January 22, 2021 8:59 pm
    No, they weren't. Women climbed mountains in corsets, literally. This is not something you could do if you run out of breath just by walking like many stories portraite. Of course it is not as confortable as be... koneka

    This is my area of expertise as well. Im majoring in anthropology. But you have to understand that corsets *were* uncomfortable. I'm not saying they inherently harmed the body, or made it impossible to work, but as someone who has worn actual Victorian clothing and traditional corsets, it is uncomfortable. Not painful, but uncomfortable, especially when breaking it in for the first time. It forces your posture in a way most people aren't used to, and the inability to slouch is, believe it or not, uncomfortable. Having something that wrapped around your body that makes you sweaty is, believe it or not, uncomfortable.
    You also have to understand that this information is not as readily available in Eastern countries as it is in Western countries because, guess what, the East has its own fashion history that didn't involve history, and acting as if it's necessary for Eastern people or even as possible as it is for us in the West to learn about European history and the clothing throughout all of the many countries and all of the different decades is a very... well it's a take.
    In the story, when she was writing the novel, she's a Korean kid who likes western history and is inspired by some historical figures, or at least the images of those figures she's been presented with. If you were complaining about a western author I suppose I would be more empathetic, but the author is Korean. A country that until quite recently, wasn't as affected by the West and mainly had to worry about being enslaved by Japan, or fighting wars between itself before it became one unified country.
    Furthermore, this is a fantasy story. The author, both the actual author and our main character, have no need to be accurate with the fashion styles and trends they have taken inspiration from. Save your energy for Western historical pieces, not Eastern fantasy pieces simply inspired by Western aesthetics.

    Kimi January 23, 2021 1:21 am
    This reply will be showed after approved! Iphis

    I say it's valid to want historical accuracy in western historical films, but crying for historical accuracy in fantasy settings merely inspired by western aesthetic is just.. applying the passions you have to things that ultimately remain unaffected by what you're passionate about.

    koneka January 23, 2021 2:32 am
    This is my area of expertise as well. Im majoring in anthropology. But you have to understand that corsets *were* uncomfortable. I'm not saying they inherently harmed the body, or made it impossible to work, bu... Kimi

    As someone who use a corset at a daily basis (mostly because of my scoliosis) and make them myself from patterns originated from different eras I can say that after sometime using it, for me it was about 1 week, almost all the disconfort is gone, the remaining is better then when I have to use a bra. "It forces your posture in a way most people aren't used to" but people were used to it, so this is not a valid argumment in my opinion. "You also have to understand that this information is not as readily available in Eastern countries as it is in Western countries" I totally agree with you about this not being a common knowledge, but the author decide to make the storie in the western so a little bit of research is need it. Like I said before, I'm not saying that I wish the storie was historicly accurate, but the problem in saying that corsets were painfull and stuff is that it end up being an excuse for the women not being able of doing a lot of thing, they put them like someone who needs to loose their corsets to eat well, or to breathe properly, and if she wants to be strong she need to stop wearing corsets and that is not the case. Women are not delicate flowers and corsets are not some torture instrument. And you say they don't need to know, but if I writed a novel telling people that people used to fainted because their tightened their obi to much it would be the same thing. We have google, so it is not so difficult to research something you WANT to putt in your writing. There is a lot of mistakes if we talk about actually historical accuracy, but I'm not botther by it (since it is something that wouldn't affect the plot), I'm annoyed because of all the context envolving corsets being painfull and stuff, and writers (westerns and easterns) using it as a tool to make women frail and submissive in some way. (And this is not just in this one, I read it to many stories who utilize this and that's why it annoy me enough to make me leave a comment)

    P.S.: I have a major degree in Arts and I'm doing my master degree in period fashion (I'm from Brazil, so in terms of books and other sources, the majority is not even in my first language)

    koneka January 23, 2021 3:15 am
    This reply will be showed after approved! Iphis

    Did you read what I writed to the end? I'm not doing a critic about the dresses choices or the period the author are taking inspiration of. I'm not even talking about the dresses and the fashion itself but the corset being portraited as some tool of torture. Like I said in almost all of my replys I DO NOT CARE if they mix different period times or if they do some design choices because it is not a historical story, it is set in an fiction world. BUT the author CHOOSE to use and she even told us a little about the design. And another thing that I already talk about, if the fashion is there just to exist, ok, it doesn't matter, but if it is part of the plot and if is something that is saying stuff why wouldn't I pointed out what I think about? FOR ME it is something annoying, if it isn't for you great. My comment was made not just because of this manga but because of all the stories I readed thar portraites corsets as some kind of evil instruments. It is my opinion about them researching a little more if they want to TALK about it. If it was just the western aesthetic you could just look at pictures and described, but the author decided to aproach this theme, not me.

    Katzy January 23, 2021 6:14 am

    THANK
    YOU

    Kimi January 23, 2021 8:16 am
    As someone who use a corset at a daily basis (mostly because of my scoliosis) and make them myself from patterns originated from different eras I can say that after sometime using it, for me it was about 1 week... koneka

    First, never once did I say corsets were painful. I simply said they were uncomfortable, especially when breaking in. Our main character hasn't worn a corset before, even if the body she's in has, so it's valid that she's uncomfortable.
    Second, Brasil has a history with western culture because of Portuguese Colonialism. Korea does not. Koreas main browser is not Google, it is NAVER. So the same resources you have available, even in countries such as Brasil, are not available in Korea.
    Eastern countries did not have corsets. It is understandable that they have misinformation about it. Especially the character, who as a high schooler, probably wouldn't have had access to academic books about corsets, so would have written them to be uncomfortable in the fictional story she reincarnated into.
    Just please understand that Eastern authors will not have the same information that you do and fantasy stories, especially ones where a character is teleported to a novel or video game, do not owe historical accuracy in regards to clothing or to corsets.
    In fact, it makes sense that the corsets in the story she teleported into are uncomfortable because she wrote it as a teenager when she didn't know anything.