User:Ryleeproudfit/Bustle

Origin
The bustle has been linked to Sarah Bartman by scholars such as Dr. Anne Fausto-Sterling. Bartman was a South African woman was paraded around Europe as a circus attraction due to her body shape. Sarah Bartman had a condition called steatopygia which is an abundance of tissue on the thighs and buttocks. The bustle aims to achieve this look by adding padding to the back of Victorian women's dresses. Although the bustle style of dress is often attributed to be reminiscent of black women, steatopygia is not encompassing of any one group of people, but rather a wide spread, general characteristic of humans. The term started out as an observation of the human body in the early 19th century, but evolved into a "medical abnormality" by the beginning of the 20th century.

Bustle History in late 1800s and early 1900s
The bustle then survived into the 1890s and early 20th century, as a skirt support was still needed and the curve the bustle provided on the back of the body emphasized the hips. The bustle had completely disappeared by 1905, as the long corset of the early 20th century was now successful in shaping the body to protrude behind. Additionally, the bustle was also abandoned by some women for more practical dress to be able to use the newly invented bicycle.