The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Suze]

Corset design also changed during the Victorian period - up until then, the corset really only came down as far as the ribcage.  It wasn't until bustles came into fashion (and steel became available) that corsets starting being an "arrow" shape, covering the entire stomach and hip area.  They just didn't have the construction materials to make them like that before the 1850's (1860's?).  So a pregnant woman could wear a corset several months into the pregnancy without too much trouble, as long as she didn't lace it as tightly.

ummm the link I posted up-thread was a reproduction of a corset Elizabeth the first wore.

the front V comes almost down to the crotch.

[blue2000]

Ok, to expand on the rearview mirror thing, so it doesn't reflect back to the car behind you thereby letting them know they need to turn their brights off? Maybe that was always just wishful thinking on my part. But, I kinda wondered if they could tell that I'd had to "mute" their lights.

The car behind you may see the reflection if they are paying close attention.

But I have driven with someone who has *ahem* problems with manners and road rage. If he was paying attention, it was because he was trying to bother you with the lights. People like that aren't going to lower them.

[DottyG]

In the Tracy Lawrence song "Paint Me A Birmingham," what is a Birmingham? I know it's a city in Alabama, but that doesn't seem to fit the song. 

[StarDrifter]

Corset design also changed during the Victorian period - up until then, the corset really only came down as far as the ribcage.  It wasn't until bustles came into fashion (and steel became available) that corsets starting being an "arrow" shape, covering the entire stomach and hip area.  They just didn't have the construction materials to make them like that before the 1850's (1860's?).  So a pregnant woman could wear a corset several months into the pregnancy without too much trouble, as long as she didn't lace it as tightly.

ummm the link I posted up-thread was a reproduction of a corset Elizabeth the first wore.

the front V comes almost down to the crotch.

with regard to corsets - designs and fashions varied wildly from 'station to station' so to speak - Royalty and members of the Court in England would have worn vastly different corsetry to that of your everyday non-noble, and then French fashion was different again.

I may be mistaken, but I believe the reason Elizabeth I wore long-line corsets was to emphasize the fact that she wasn't pregnant - and didn't intend to produce any heirs? They were certainly available, but before steel was widely available they would be made of whalebones (read= very very expensive) and so minor nobles would have worn shorter corsetry simply because it was cheaper to buy three whalebones and have them hewn to shorter lengths to pinch in just the waist, whereas royalty would have had a half dozen sets of bone at their disposal to make long-line garments.

[Shopaholic]

There's that saying about rats leaving a sinking ship - does that say more about the ship or about the rats?

I mean, does it mean that the metaphorical "ship" is going down or that the people leaving it are rats?

Regarding menstruation:
I read that in ancient Egypt the tampon was debuted when high-class women began sticking bits of cotton inside.
There is that book "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant - the title references the tent that women were confined to during their period.
IIRC, they would sit on straw mats which were later burned.

[wyozozo]

True. But if you want to quote something earlier than what is available from the most recent replies page . . . Say that there's a 4-pg thread and you want to quote someone from Pg 2 . . . Is there a way to do this? Once you're in "reply" mode?
 
 

You mean like this?

Right above the smilies in the reply mode, there is a quote button. I just copy and paste the part of the conversation I want to quote between the code that the button puts in for me. I'm sure that's clear as mud.

[rose red]

Continuing the 'rag' questions - what is the 'belt' Margaret uses in "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret"? I'm probably showing my age here, but that's the only place I've ever heard of it.

Before the days of the pads with adhesive on the bottom to hold them to your underwear, you had to use a "belt". Basically it was similar to a garter belt except it had the strings in the middle instead of on the sides. The pads had a tail on the front and back that went through a loop on the string to hold them in place.

Example here (NSFW) http://www.mum.org/insideMUM1.htm

(Who knew there was a "Museum of Menstruation?)

I have to interrupt to say I'm disappointed the newer editions of the book changed from the belt to adhesives.  It was such an interesting glimpse of what women had available as "recent" as the 1970's.  I'm glad to have an older copy.

[Elfqueen13]

Corset design also changed during the Victorian period - up until then, the corset really only came down as far as the ribcage.  It wasn't until bustles came into fashion (and steel became available) that corsets starting being an "arrow" shape, covering the entire stomach and hip area.  They just didn't have the construction materials to make them like that before the 1850's (1860's?).  So a pregnant woman could wear a corset several months into the pregnancy without too much trouble, as long as she didn't lace it as tightly.

ummm the link I posted up-thread was a reproduction of a corset Elizabeth the first wore.

the front V comes almost down to the crotch.

Corsets changed as waistlines changed.  The earlier corsets (circa 1520) came to the natural waist because that's where the gown waist was.  Elizabethan court wear was not safe to bend in (although away from court everything was less exaggerated).  By 1610 high waists were in and the corset moved with it.  Back down over the 17th and 18th centuries, up in the early 1800s, back down starting in the 1840s and drifting lower and lower until the early 1900s when they came down sometimes over the buttocks before mostly disappearing in the 1920s.  How a corset affected pregnancy had a whole lot to do with the fashions for non-pregnant women.

[Elfqueen13]

In the Tracy Lawrence song "Paint Me A Birmingham," what is a Birmingham? I know it's a city in Alabama, but that doesn't seem to fit the song. 

I think it's a kind of architectural style but not one that's used much anymore.

[CakeBeret]

How many bath towels should a family of 4 own? 

We have 8 'nice' bath towels (2 adults, 1 baby) plus about 10 junky towels. We use the junky towels for mopping up huge messes, or if all the nice bath towels are dirty.

[marcel]

There's that saying about rats leaving a sinking ship - does that say more about the ship or about the rats?

I mean, does it mean that the metaphorical "ship" is going down or that the people leaving it are rats?

It is only saying that people are leaving the methaphorical ship, not that they are rats.

[DottyG]

Y'all are asking some great questions!  I'm learning a lot!

[DangerMouth]

There's that saying about rats leaving a sinking ship - does that say more about the ship or about the rats?

I mean, does it mean that the metaphorical "ship" is going down or that the people leaving it are rats?

It is only saying that people are leaving the methaphorical ship, not that they are rats.

I think it can be meant both ways. Rats are uninvited, they do no work for what they take, and the moment the party's over, they run off.

OTOH, everyone leaves a sinking ship, except the captain, who traditionally 'goes down with it'.

So that's my question- are captains really supposed to go down with their ship?

[blue2000]

There's that saying about rats leaving a sinking ship - does that say more about the ship or about the rats?

I mean, does it mean that the metaphorical "ship" is going down or that the people leaving it are rats?

It is only saying that people are leaving the methaphorical ship, not that they are rats.

I think it can be meant both ways. Rats are uninvited, they do no work for what they take, and the moment the party's over, they run off.

OTOH, everyone leaves a sinking ship, except the captain, who traditionally 'goes down with it'.

So that's my question- are captains really supposed to go down with their ship?

IIRC, they are supposed to be the last one off. So if that means going down with the ship, yes.

Some co-workers were discussing a recent sunken ship, and how the captain was one of the first ones off, not the last. I guess he caught heck for that.

[Pinky830]

There's that saying about rats leaving a sinking ship - does that say more about the ship or about the rats?

I mean, does it mean that the metaphorical "ship" is going down or that the people leaving it are rats?

It is only saying that people are leaving the methaphorical ship, not that they are rats.

I think it means that if everyone is fleeing (a company, etc.) it's probably because they can tell the thing they are fleeing is doomed, and you should think about fleeing too.