Talk:Metal corset/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: FunkMonk (talk · contribs) 23:00, 29 February 2016 (UTC)

Hi, I'll review this article. FunkMonk (talk) 23:00, 29 February 2016 (UTC)

• "introduced them to fashionable France from Italy." Fashionable France seems a bit too loaded.
• How could de' Medici have invented this if she supposedly just imported it form elsewhere?
• Approximate date for then it was introduced? I see you have it in the intro, but should be in the article as well.
• "with fetishistic writers" What is that exactly? Link? Especially since the term is used many times throughout the article.
• "Steele has stated that some of these are more recent fakes" How recent?
• "At least one early scholar claimed" How early?
• "the excessive regularity of the garment's structure" What is meant by regularity?
• "David Kunzle, in Fashion and Fetishism, has also noted that there is no literary evidence to indicate that metal corsets were worn.[10] He has suggested that such garments might have served the same purpose as the deliberately uncomfortable, tortuous hair shirt, combining a fashionable silhouette with either penance, or for masochistic gratification, and might have been worn in convents.[10]" I'm not sure if this is a contradiction, but is he implying that they were never worn, and then that they were?
• "the early 21st-century tight-lacer Cathie Jung had a silver corset-cover" 20th it would seem?
• "noted that this mythical royal connection captured public imagination" When, if no contemporary writers seem to mention them?
• "that there is no literary evidence to indicate that metal corsets were worn" You should perhaps specify worn as fashion, since it seems they were clearly worn for medical purposes?
• It seems the scope covers two separate subjects (dubious fashion corsets/actual medical corsets), but this could be reflected better in the section names. For example "history" seems to only be about fashion corsets, so perhaps it should be renamed accordingly?
• Perhaps the Kahlo painting could be shown here?
• The York corset is supposedly a fashion item, or what?
• "although this is now considered a myth." Only the intro states it this securely, not the article body.
• When did medical corsets stop being used?
• "Metal medical corsets were still being made in the early twentieth century." If Kahlo got one as late as 1944, it would seem it was in use later than the early twentieth century?
• "Some of the more decorative and extreme examples" You don't use these words to describe the corsets in the article body.
• You there, Mabalu? FunkMonk (talk) 18:58, 10 March 2016 (UTC)

Response

Firstly - not sure why I only got notified of this 3 days later... strange.

• "introduced them to fashionable France from Italy." Fashionable France seems a bit too loaded.

Took out the word "fashionable."

• How could de' Medici have invented this if she supposedly just imported it form elsewhere?
• Adjusted wording
• Approximate date for then it was introduced? I see you have it in the intro, but should be in the article as well.

Fixed

• "with fetishistic writers" What is that exactly? Link? Especially since the term is used many times throughout the article.

Rewrote sentence

• "Steele has stated that some of these are more recent fakes" How recent?

Date added

• "At least one early scholar claimed" How early?

1938, have rewritten sentence

• "the excessive regularity of the garment's structure" What is meant by regularity?

The mechanical nature of the garment.

• "David Kunzle, in Fashion and Fetishism, has also noted that there is no literary evidence to indicate that metal corsets were worn.[10] He has suggested that such garments might have served the same purpose as the deliberately uncomfortable, tortuous hair shirt, combining a fashionable silhouette with either penance, or for masochistic gratification, and might have been worn in convents.[10]" I'm not sure if this is a contradiction, but is he implying that they were never worn, and then that they were

Kunzle is very speculative. He admits to the lack of contemporary evidence, and THEN makes it clear that he is participating in "pure speculation," something I make explicit in the following sentence.

• "the early 21st-century tight-lacer Cathie Jung had a silver corset-cover" 20th it would seem?

Both 20th and 21st century, so have clarified. She's still going.

• "noted that this mythical royal connection captured public imagination" When, if no contemporary writers seem to mention them?

Because the myths were made up by later writers, and THEN captured public imagination. Rearranged sentence to clarify.

• "that there is no literary evidence to indicate that metal corsets were worn" You should perhaps specify worn as fashion, since it seems they were clearly worn for medical purposes?

Fixed

• It seems the scope covers two separate subjects (dubious fashion corsets/actual medical corsets), but this could be reflected better in the section names. For example "history" seems to only be about fashion corsets, so perhaps it should be renamed accordingly?

I have merged the sections, which actually seems to work better and more cohesively.

• Perhaps the Kahlo painting could be shown here?

I want to, but was hesistant as I wasn't sure if it could be rock-solid justified as fair-use.

• The York corset is supposedly a fashion item, or what?

The Museum do not say explicitly either way. I suspect medical/support, but that would be my own OR/speculation. It is presented here without comment as an illustrative example of a surviving historic metal bodice, and is the only such decent modern image to be available with Commons clearances

• "although this is now considered a myth." Only the intro states it this securely, not the article body.

Not addressed yet. FunkMonk (talk) 16:49, 11 March 2016 (UTC)

• When did medical corsets stop being used?

I genuinely have no idea, for all I know they are still in use in certain circumstances, but could not find anything to clarify this.

• "Metal medical corsets were still being made in the early twentieth century." If Kahlo got one as late as 1944, it would seem it was in use later than the early twentieth century?

Agreed, 1944 is still first half of 20th century, but agree it is more mid-20th.

• "Some of the more decorative and extreme examples" You don't use these words to describe the corsets in the article body.

Fixed

I do hope that these edits work, please let me know what else you think. I am somewhat surprised that it took three days for me to get notified that I had been mentioned as the sub-page didn't show up on my watchlist. Mabalu (talk) 11:51, 11 March 2016 (UTC)

Nice, there is one unaddressed comment I have marked above. Other than that, it is much clearer now with the new structure. FunkMonk (talk) 16:49, 11 March 2016 (UTC)

The unaddressed comment does seem to be dealt with in the Origins section, where it is explained that the de Medici story is mythical and why it is considered mythical. I can look for extra sources for this if required. Mabalu (talk) 00:18, 12 March 2016 (UTC)

I guess that would be where you say "this mythical royal connection". That's fine with me, so I'll now pass the article. FunkMonk (talk) 13:16, 12 March 2016 (UTC)