Victorian decor and the history behind it 🕯️🕰️ 

But you will have to admit, a couch was quite handy for "fainting" and considered ladylike and much more sophisticated than ranting. So there is that.

Yes, I have been informed of this being a myth. I think it was one of the first comments on this video. I read many blogs which unfortunately contained this misinformation. It was not my intention to share incorrect history of an item.

@@justlanchen Bernadette Banner and Abby Cox have many great videos about that and other myths from 18th-19th centuries :)

Oh yay! I’m so happy because this literally took days to research and I’m not sure I’ll do this type of video again 😅 Thank you for sharing all that information about the fainting couch! I actually didn’t read anything about that but definitely going to look it up now. That may be even crazier of a reason than fainting from corsets 😂 Also a lap desk is officially on my must haves now too. Thanks for watching Kiki 🥰🥰🥰

You're right that the fainting was not caused by the corsets specifically, but it wasn't the emotional outlet either -- it was because of the rise of gaslamp lighting in that era. Gaslamps had bigger, brighter flames than candles, which meant that you didn't need as many of them to light a room, but it also meant that the flames were eating up OXYGEN in the room at an astonishingly fast rate. Especially in rooms packed with people (who are also consuming the oxygen by breathing), this would have resulted in an excess of carbon dioxide, which causes dizziness and eventually fainting. It was probably more common in teenage girls and petite women, not because they were more delicate than others, but because carbon dioxide is heavier than air, which means that shorter people would have felt the effects sooner. It was probably also more common in people with personalities prone to slightly more elevated levels of excitement for the simple reason that high emotions cause you to breathe faster due to increased oxygen demand... resulting in fainting if you're in stuffy, poorly-ventilated rooms lit by gaslamps. Now back to the corsets -- I've worn them too, and I have never noticed them restricting my breathing or making me feel faint. Even for women who were wearing their corsets more snugly laced, that really isn't going to noticeably affect the breathing in NORMAL CONDITIONS. However... it is perhaps poooossible that that very slight restriction in breathing, which wouldn't otherwise be noticeable in normal conditions, could be another secondary contributing factor to fainting in rooms with gaslamp lighting where the air quality is already abnormal. But yes, it would be a secondary factor -- a shorter-statured, more emotionally-inclined woman wearing a snug corset in a gaslamp-lit room that has other people in it is going to feel dizzy and faint a lot faster than a taller woman with a looser corset who is literally just chilling. Which is how you get stereotypes. Finally, what do you do with a woman who has fainted? Whisk her into another room to recover and fan air at her face -- a less crowded room has less of a buildup of carbon dioxide, so lo and behold she recovers. What do we still say when we're at a party and needing a break? "I'm just going to step outside for some fresh air." :) In conclusion: Not the corsets, not the repression -- the gaslamps!

Oh no way! It’s funny you say that because They were much longer but I cut it down because I felt like most people have such short attention spans and might get bored. I love hearing that you prefer it longer though because there’s a lot more I could’ve gone into. Thank you for your honest feedback and I’m glad you liked this type of video!

Eu entendo bem, mas eu já gostei mais.

That is so amazing. I hope to do the same one day!

Yaya so happy to hear this!!

Happy you enjoyed it love 🥰🤎 those items you mentioned I’ve been on the look out for too. I was lucky to find the mirror but it was marked sold already 😭 also I had the singer treadle sewing machine in my house growing up too and had no idea the history behind it. I wish my mom still had it 😭

Oh yay I’m so happy to hear that!!!

Yes! If I do a part 2 I was going to put that in it :)

Oh I could definitely see that

Thank you!!!🥰🥰

@@justlanchen of course!! So inspirational!!

Oh yes I love her videos!!

Yes I’m aware it’s a funny myth. I did the best research I could at the time, I unfortunately can’t fix what’s already uploaded

@@justlanchen no worries, you're good, I'm just trying to help dispel the myth that Victorian corsets were evil torture devices causing women to faint.

Are you suggesting that the reference photos are inaccurate or that all the information is incorrect? I did conduct thorough research, including reading blogs and various websites discussing the items listed here. Additionally, I utilized images from 1st Dibs, a website known for authenticating vintage items. Unfortunately, misinformation can sometimes be propagated despite diligent research efforts, such as Dark Academia interiors being described as something other than what it is because many websites have said so. I appreciate you clarifying the correct information to help address this issue in the future because its never my intention to spread the wrong information. Could you please share your list of references so I can learn more about the accurate history of these items?

Do you think it might be possible for me to email you? I see that you have victorian antiques on your channel! I would love to learn more about accurate Victorian history and decor. It would be nice to learn from someone who knows