Tight-lacing.
The most plausible advocate for tightlacing, or rather for its results, that has yet been found is a certain eminent surgeon, who argues in effect that the magnitude of a woman’s intellect is in inverse proportion to the size of her Waist. This is hardly borne out by the experiences of everyday life, but the argument is that, as the necessity for hard exertion and excessive manual labour Jhas been removed by advancing culture, the muscles of women have become smaller and less flexible. Hence, talent has been especially favoured in this direction, and is producing a race of graceful women whose hereditary influences are decidedly intellectual. This is plausible, but unsound, and, as intellectual activity among women is nowadays very generally allied with a taste for ‘ hard exertion ’ rather than with physical helplessness, the hereditary influences are likely to tend in the opposite direction ; thus Mr Nunn’s contention falls to the ground.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZMAIL18901128.2.5.3
Bibliographic details
New Zealand Mail, Issue 978, 28 November 1890, Page 4
Word Count
154Tight-lacing. New Zealand Mail, Issue 978, 28 November 1890, Page 4
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