Lingerie Through The Decades: How Lingerie Has Evolved

When it comes to shopping for the perfect lingerie, there are so many pieces to choose from. Lingerie has become a big part of the fashion industry and the days of plain, boring underwear are long gone. With so much variety, it’s hard to believe that women of previous decades didn’t have the same options. In fact underwear of the 1800s was very restricting for women, to the point that their internal organs would suffer from being compressed in order to achieve a desirable silhouette – just from wearing a corset! Thankfully over time, lingerie has evolved quite a lot meaning that this is no longer the case. While we still have underwear that helps to enhance our figures in the form of Spanx, women’s comfort seems to be at the forefront of many brands today.

Lingerie has transformed almost simultaneously with cultural changes. Once designed to preserve the modesty of women, lingerie can and has been used as a way to empower women. From the days of petticoats and pantaloons which were a more reserved choice of undergarment, times and trends have changed and passing decades saw the introduction of the bra, briefs and thongs. Women were no longer limited to wearing heavy, bulky and pain-inducing underwear. To put it simply, less became more. When we think of underwear now, we think playful, sexy and luxurious and it’s only when we look back over time that we realise how far lingerie has actually progressed.

The great thing about lingerie now is that there is something for every shape and size. Brands cater for all body types and try to take everyone’s idea of comfort into consideration. So while some women may prefer a padded bra, others may prefer a sports bra instead and that is completely fine. Whatever your style of underwear may be, you want to look good and feel even better!

We’ve created this infographic that shows the evolution of lingerie through the decades; from trends gone by to ones we still wear and love today. Which one is your favourite? Let us know by tagging @bellelingerie on Twitter or by using the hashtag #DecadesOfLingerie