Sound Advice to Mothers and Governesses
Regarding Corset Discipline for Lads and Young Men
An important goal of the discipline of young males is to rid them of their natural aggressive and domineering tendencies.  Extensive petticoating is the discipline of choice, as it has been found to be quite effective in encouraging the development of the desired respectful, considerate, effeminate and submissive characteristics.  In particularly difficult cases, where the decision has been made to require a lad to live as a girl full time for months or years, corsetting should be included as a valuable component of the training.  One caution should be given however.  It has been often been found that when strict corset training is maintained for more than two or three years, particularly if those are years of growth and development, the figure-modification effects are not likely to reverse when the training period comes to an end, resulting in a young man whose figure characteristics may require that he live as a female for the remainder of his life. In almost all of these cases, this outcome is exactly the one desired by those in charge of the young man's discipline, and it is equally likely that the young man himself will by that time have fully accepted the inevitability of continuing life as female.
 EVERY CAREFUL MOTHER OR GOVERNESS should take her child or charge to one of the well known corsetières who makes a speciality of designing corsets for training and feminizing the youthful male figure. Any one of them will be able to advise you and to carry out the latest, most scientific ideas in designing the best type of constrictive wear for the youthful trainee. Some mothers and governesses in an excess of zeal make the mistake of strapping up their young lads into a veritable suit of armor, and lace them into a degree far beyond the fundamental requisite tightness necessary for the first corset. By forcing the boy of 12 or 13 into a training apparatus much more severe than required, he is prejudiced against the whole process of shaping and disciplining his figure and may never get over this first impression. Furthermore, if the first corset is too heavy, too rigid, too severely shaped and too tightly laced to start with, the health of the trainee may well be adversely affected. So, generally, the careful mother or governess should abide by the advice of the trained corsetière. he will design for your charge a corset as easy and comfortable as it is possible to make and still fulfil the requisites of confining, directing and shaping the growing figure.

This first corset should be long enough to restrict and control all bodily movement from the shoulders to the knees. It should be rigid enough to compel an erect, proper posture, sitting, standing, walking, or reclining. The corset should be made with two heavy, preformed shaping steels on either side of the back lacing. These shaping steels formed and tempered into a S-curve are designed to enforce the proudly arched back line and, in conjunction with the broad, rigid, busk in front , help to enforce proper carriage of the whole body, with the hips well back, the torso inclined forward from the hips, bust and chest held up high and shoulders, neck and head, back. The boning supplementary to the busk and shaping steels should be heavy enough to insure proper fitting of the corset when it is laced close. Normally, ten bones or steels on each side are sufficient if properly placed. The best material for facing and lining the corset is strong, high-quality kid leather. It does not stretch and is gentle to tender young skin, preventing rubbing, gouging and other common skin irritations. It does not slip or slide readily on the skin. It imparts its own supplementary rigidity to the corset and may be quickly and easily cleaned by using a damp sponge. According to all authorities the corset should be firmly anchored at top and bottom so that it cannot move up and down on the figure so that the corseted lad cannot move independently of his corset. At the top this may be best accomplished with the use of wide, padded leather shoulder straps sewn in at the fixed ends to the back of the corset The straps should be crossed behind the wearers back and go over the opposite shoulder, with the strap attached to the right side of the corset being drawn over the left shoulder and the one on the left side over the right shoulder. The straps are then drawn under the armpits through a leather loop and attached to each other by a regular buckle and strap-hole arrangement. When the straps are properly adjusted and buckled they anchor the top of the corset and prevent downward movement of the garment on the wearers body. They enforce proper carriage of the shoulders, preventing slumping or rounding and at the same time force the shoulders down and back. They draw the wearers back into the back of the corset raising the rib cage, lengthening the waist and further arching the back in the process. Careful, precise adjustment of the shoulder straps is most important. They should not be drawn up too tightly. If the corset-wearers shoulder blades are drawn back firmly together, the requisite degree of adjustment will be attained. The subject should be examined from time to time to see that chafing or irritation of the arm-pit does not occur. Careful padding of the straps at this point and the daily application of talcum powder will largely eliminate such irritations.

The best means to anchor the corset at the bottom, firmly and securely, is by means of boot straps. Six strong leather straps should be sewn and riveted to the bottom of corset two in front, two on the sides and two in back. These straps should be drawn through buckles sewn and riveted to thigh-length kid corset-boots. The buckles should be attached to the boots about six inches above the knees. The boot straps should be drawn up tightly enough to prevent upwards movement of the corset on the figure The corset-boots which must be most carefully fitted, should be lightly boned to prevent wrinkling. Five light flexible bones reaching from the shoe part of the boot to the boot top are sufficient for this purpose. The boots should be very long, fitted up to the line where the upper thigh joins the torso. The shoe of the boot should be designed with a short vamp, high arch, and high heel, a two-inch Louis heel is high enough for the beginner. The interior of the shoe should be carefully padded to prevent foot irritations and should fit the foot very closely. Such a fitting will tend to inhibit growth of the feet. When the shoe portion of the boot is properly fitted and laced, the wearer should not be able to move his toes or any part of his foot within the shoe. The boot above the shoe must be closely laced to shape and confine the ankle calf, knee and thigh. The midpoint of the thigh between knee and torso should measure one inch smaller with a tight tape over the laced boots than without them.

Physical Effects of the Corset
Since the corset is primarily a mechanical device to enforce certain desired physical changes on the wearer, let us examine the new trainee, now laced and strapped into his training apparatus to see what the exact results are. If he has been correctly corseted his thighs are drawn closely together, regulating and restraining his stride to the ladylike length of twelve to fourteen inches. his hips and posterior are closely confined but not tightly laced. he should measure at least one inch smaller over the buttocks with the corset laced on than without it. This has the effect of drawing the lower portion of the front busk closely into the abdomen, compressing it and holding the lower internal organs securely in position. The now tightened portion of the corset between hip-bones and the rib-cage forces this section of the torso forward and at the same time exerts upward pressure. Particular pressure has been placed on the muscles of the small of the back at the waistline. The pressure of the laced corset in this general area largely inhibits abdominal breathing and confines the muscles of the stomach. It holds the floating ribs in an almost static position, restricts movement of the diaphragm, and aids the busk and front stays in forcing the rib-cage up and out. The compression at the waist necessary to bring about these changes should be at least two inches and never more than four inches for the beginner. In other words, using a tight tape, the waist should measure at least two inches smaller with the corset laced on than without it. The corset above the point of the breast bone should fit easily, permitting the wearer to raise and lower the upper chest in high costal breathing. As time goes on and the corset is further tightened, diaphragmatic breathing will be completely eliminated. The upper chest will expand and grow, so that with the aid of exercises the well-trained boy or young man actually will have a larger chest and greater lung capacity than his uncorseted contemporaries, as well as a higher fuller bust.

Reactions of the Trainee to Figure Discipline Mothers and governesses who are confirmed corset-wearers are sometimes unsympathetic toward the newly corseted boy. They should remember their own early training and adopt an attitude of sympathetic firmness. To do this they should have a clear idea of his physical and mental troubles and discomforts. First, it should be noted that he is not unbearably uncomfortable. Her boots and corset are not severely laced and while he certainly is not at ease, he is definitely not in serious pain. he will not like his tight-fitting boots. he may have been used to easing his feet by wiggling her toes or perhaps removing his shoes at his own volition. This he can no longer do since his feet are confined in two closely fitting molds. She has not been accustomed to high heels and high arches and his feet and legs will ache a bit from the unnatural strain. The legs and thighs of his boots are closely laced and he is of course unaccustomed to this general pressure from toe-tip to torso. The corset itself will be an unpleasant surprise to the new trainee no matter how strongly it has been advocated and its purposes and benefits explained. The close-fitting corset apron and the compression in the thigh-hip area confine and restrict his normal stride, prevent his from indulging in such tomboyish activities as running and jumping, scurrying up and down stairs or galloping about like an ungainly colt. he can move only in a restrained, dignified and ladylike manner. Constriction of the central portion of the body will be particularly irksome at first The neophyte will find that he can no longer bend readily from the waist and must learn to bend from the hips and knees only. The pressure on the small of the back necessary to enforce the proudly arched back line will be particularly onerous he will have a stifled feeling because of confinement of his diaphragm which can be quickly eliminated by training to breathe by raising and lowering the upper chest. he will become very tired of having his shoulders strapped back into a practically immovable position. It might be mentioned at this point that the seated posture is more severe for the trainee than any other. In this position the tension over the posterior is increased, it draws the lower portion of the back into the abdomen, forcing the chest and bust up and arching the back more extremely, It will be literally impossible for him to sit in low, easy chairs but if he sits well forward in straight-backed chairs of the proper height sitting will not be intolerable. Even so the new corset-wearer will try to avoid sitting, and it is advisable to urge his to spend several hours a day seated so that he may accustom hisself to that position. Speaking more generally about the trainees reactions, he will have a general sense of tension and strain. he will also feel unbalanced in his new posture. She can no longer relax but must maintain a proper erect posture sitting, standing walking or lying down. he can no longer move except within the confines of his restrictive apparatus and he will instinctively resent this loss of freedom. As one trainee aptly said, "I feel as if I had been laced and strapped up into a heavy steel and leather portable prison from which there is no escape."

Constant Wear No single factor is more important in setting up a training regime than early establishment of the principle of constant wear. The trainee must be made to understand from the outset that his corset and boots will never be loosened day or night except for sanitary requirements. This is a hard and fast rule. he should be told why constant wear is so important, and why the rule that the wearer can have absolutely no control over the laces buckles and straps which adjust his training garments, is absolutely necessary. It should be explained to him that by wearing his corset and boots constantly day and night, he will become both mentally and physically adjusted much sooner than if he wore them during his waking hours only. Furthermore, this method is much better for his health, because his whole body and particularly his internal organs have a real chance to adapt themselves to the corseted position and are not subjected to a nightly change from a confined to an unconfined condition. It should be mentioned that when the corset is removed the figure spreads and it is therefore impossible to make steady progress in "fining" down the figure. By keeping the figure under corset compressing for all but an hour a week (the time necessary for ablutions), it will submit to the dictates of the corset much more readily, and be easier for the trainee in the long run. In order to attain the desired dimensions of the smart, well-trained figure – a waist of eighteen inches or less with bust and hips in proportion – constant wear is the only method to follow as far as health and happiness are concerned. This is a scientific fact. Many women will testify to its benefits, and research has confirmed their testimony. A word of caution is in order in regard to constant wear. Most mothers and governesses will find that the average trainee will not accommodate herself readily to this rule. And that soon after he has been harnessed up he will beg you to loosen this strap or that lace "just a little for just a few minutes" You must be firm on the subject and at the same time explain to your charge that it is in his own interest that you forbid him any easement. he may resort to crying spells or even hysterics to appeal to your sympathy. Calmly resist these appeals and make it known that you will continue to resist them and in a relatively short time these emotional upsets will cease. The average trainee will particularly not like wearing her corset at night. At first, under this discipline, he will unquestionably be restless, uncomfortable and unhappy. In bed he has probably been wont to relax free from restraint and now he finds hisself closely confined and compelled to maintain the same strained posture at all hours, day and night. The temptation to release hisself to tamper with his laces and straps will be almost overpowering at night when the rest of the household is asleep and he is free from supervision. For this reason it is advisable to restrict the movement of the hands while the trainee is in bed. The best method to accomplish this restriction is to attach wide, carefully padded leather cuffs to both sides of his bed in a position where his wrists would naturally fall if he were lying in bed on his back. When the trainee is ready for bed have him lie down on his back. Fasten the cuffs firmly and securely about each wrist so that he cannot slip them over his hands. With the cuffs buckled on in this fashion the boy will be unable to reach any of the fastenings of his garments. he will also have to sleep on his back which is the preferred position because it allows full upper chest expansion in breathing. The new corsettee may not like the restraining cuffs but he will rest more tranquilly with them on because he will not be faced with the temptation to tamper with his clothing. During the first nights of bed-corseting, the young lad will be very restless and will not be able to sleep well but within a surprisingly short time nature will take its course and he will be able to sleep as well as he ever did. It might be added that it is a good practice to ease out a little the shoulder straps at night. This will help relax the subject while still not permitting him to round his shoulders. There is no necessity for any extra restraining devices during the daytime. Proper supervision and back-fastening under and outer clothing will effectually prevent the new corset-wearer from tampering with the adjustments of his restrictive garments. he should not, however, be left alone for long periods.