Acting With Decorum in the Victorian Age

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Slouching was a crime. Posture and a straight back in the Victorian Age showed your up bringing and your marriage ability. You could look comfortable or as if you had an opinion. Discipline, moral fortitude, and proper breeding was shown by the straight back. Relaxing suggested laziness. Women were especially under scrutiny. A young lady had to glide into a room and float onto a chair. Tight laced corsets forced women to have a stiff posture and they could never cross their legs at the knees or ankles. Crossing your legs was considered seductive. Revealing the outline of your calves was unheard of and the glimpse of an ankle or a defined shin could send a man to the fainting couch. Women were taught to sit side saddle, even on chairs with knees together, ankles side by side, with feet angled to the side. You were to look like you weren't having any fun which meant you were doing it right. Men had to set straight, legs at a bit of an angle, with hands visible at all times. And, the man was never to set before the hostess.