▁separate ▁sh aped ▁pieces ▁of ▁fabric . ▁To ▁increase ▁rig id ity , ▁they ▁were ▁rein for ced ▁with ▁many ▁stri ps ▁of ▁wh ale bone , ▁c ording , ▁or ▁pieces ▁of ▁le ather . ▁As ▁well ▁as ▁making ▁cor sets ▁more ▁con str ict ing , ▁this ▁heavy ▁structure ▁helped ▁prevent ▁them ▁from ▁r iding ▁up , ▁or ▁from ▁wr ink ling ▁at ▁the ▁wa ist . ▁Ste am - m old ing ▁also ▁helped ▁create ▁a ▁curv ace ous ▁cont our . ▁Develop ed ▁by ▁Ed win ▁Iz od ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 8 6 0 s , ▁the ▁procedure ▁involved ▁placing ▁a ▁cor set , ▁wet ▁with ▁st arch , ▁on ▁a ▁steam ▁he ated ▁co pper ▁tor so ▁form ▁until ▁it ▁d ried ▁into ▁shape . ▁While ▁tight ▁la cing ▁continued ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁hot ly ▁deb ated ▁topic ▁among ▁moral ists ▁and ▁phys icians , ▁most ▁extreme ▁descri ptions ▁came ▁from ▁male ▁sexual ▁fant as ies . ▁ ▁The ▁cr in oline ▁or ▁ho oped ▁p ett ico at ▁had ▁grown ▁to ▁its ▁maximum ▁dimensions ▁by ▁ 1 8 6 0 . ▁As ▁huge ▁sk ir ts ▁began ▁to ▁fall ▁from ▁favor , ▁around ▁ 1 8 6 4 , ▁the ▁shape ▁of ▁the ▁cr in oline ▁began ▁to ▁change . ▁R ather ▁than ▁being ▁d ome - sh aped , ▁the ▁front ▁and ▁sides ▁began ▁to ▁contract , ▁leaving ▁volume ▁only ▁at ▁the ▁back . ▁The ▁" American " ▁c age , ▁a ▁ho oped