作者：张子岳
　　【Abstract】Corset is a part of women costume in western society from about 16th century to 19th century. But corsets were occasionally worn by upper class female in 20th century. Corset was a symbol of decency of leisure class； however， it was unhealthy and caused many aliments. Corsets and other tight costumes used to shape body were not always popular. It was advocated only for some certain periods of time， and its impetus behind need to be analyzed.
　　【Key words】Corset； upper class female； body-shaping； impetus
　　【作者簡介】张子岳，河北农业大学外国语学院。
　　Elizabeth Swann， daughter of Governor Weatherby Swann，， was wearing a corset in the day of Captain Norrington’s promotion ceremony. Governor Swann told her the suit was “the latest fashion of London”， but Miss Swann said， struggling to put on her new suit with the help of housemaids， “well， women in London must have learnt not to breathe. ” This is a scene of the famous series Pirates of the Caribbean which tells a story of pirates in 18th century.
　　18th century is a period when Britain， Spain and Holland were fighting for control of overseas colonies and the sea transportation. The governments of western maritime countries including British and France legally allowed privateers to attack vessels of other countries to weaken their rivals.
　　At that time upper class women like Elizabeth Swann wore this kind of “the latest fashion” corset in formal occasions. Miss Swann， in the film， was standing on a platform of fortress with the newly promoted Commodore Norrington. Her corset was so tight on her breasts so that when Norrington tried to make a proposal， she said， “I can’t breathe”， （Mr. Norrington mistook it for “I feel so nervous about your proposal”） and fell off the fortress.
　　I. Western Costume Traditions
　　Western values not doubt came from classical values， namely the classical Greek traditions. Classical Greek arts concerned with expressing external true ideals. They express in the subject of their art the ideal of reason， moderation， balance and harmony in all things. Famous examples are the classical Greece sculptures， the favorite subject of which are male nude exhibited in relaxed gestures. “Sculptors sought to achieve not realism but a standard of ideal beauty”. （Spielvogel， 2006） So in classical period of West and during the Renaissance period when people wanted “a rebirth of antiquity or Greco-Roman civilization” （Spielvogel， 2006），shaping women body with the costumes like corset， making their waist slimmer could not be acceptable.