How Were Crinolines a Crazy Fashion?
Introduction
CrinolinesCrinolines were a type of women's underwearunderwear with giant steel hoops that made a cage for a skirt in the 19th century. Crinoline is made of two French words - crin and lin. 'Crin' means horse hair and 'lin' means linen.
What They Looked Like
Diagram of a Crinoline
Rather than wearingwearing lots of horse hair petticoatspetticoats that were very heavy and hot, they only had to wear one skirt so it was light and their legs could be free. The cage made the skirt stick out like a teapotteapot cosy but later they made the skirt's back stick out like a pyramid.pyramid.
Problems
Punch Magazine January 1857If women wanted to wear a crinoline, someonesomeone would have to help them dress. Unless they carefullycarefully pushed it and held it down when they sat, the skirt would spring back up and show their underwear.underwear. This was long bloomers because the wind would often blow the skirt up too. They would break their favourite
| Did you know... |
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A French woman wore a crinoline that was about 5 metres wide! |
objects after their swinging crinoline brushed them as they walked past. They even had to pay more on buses because they took up so much room.
Conclusion
While you might think you look pretty and glamorousglamorous in your big, puffypuffy skirt, it ruins your family life. Even though your children would try to get close to you, they could not give you a hug. Your husband would get a handfulhandful of skirt if he wanted a kiss and a cuddle.cuddle. That's why crinolines were a crazy idea!
Women still wear crinolines for their weddings.
Glossary
| bloomers | long underpants that went down to your ankles | pyramid | a flat-bottomed shape, rising to a point |
| linen | a kind of fabric from European flax | teapot cosy | a knitted cover to keep tea hot in a teapot |
| objects | things, like ornaments in this text | underwear | the clothes you wear next to your skin |
Bibliography
Oh Yikes! History's Grossest, Wackiest Moments by Joy Masoff, published by Workman Publishing in 2006
By Ruby
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