I have thoughts like this all the time. But I really want to know! It must have been a nightmare. I wish my mother were still around to ask. Not that she grew up in that era, of course, but one of our old family stories is that she was the maid of honor at her brother’s themed wedding, and had to wear a hoop skirt. When she went to sit down in the horse-drawn carriage to go to the church, her skirt flew up over her head, and the person sitting across from her had to slap it back down and hold it for the rest of the trip.
Hoop skirts, bustles, whalebone corsets, pantaloons, veils, gloves… I can’t even imagine putting up with such inconvenience. It’s just not in me. I can’t picture the women of today tolerating some sort of new fashion trend that was uncomfortable or hindered their movement. They would think this was insane.
The only antiquated custom of that sort that seems to refuse to die out is the high heel. I long for the day when that ridiculous tradition is a thing of the past. There’s nothing practical, comfortable, or healthy about it, and it slows you down. It holds you back. The only thing I can say about high heels is that they don’t make it harder to pee. But still, I will never wear a pair again.
Update: I just came across this nifty Youtube video that demonstrates exactly how women peed in hoop skirts! Very informative!
The View from a Drawbridge 