School life in Paris by Anonymous

Author:Anonymous [Anonymous]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

LETTER V

My dear Ethel,

Since my last letter we have had our halfterm " exam," which is a short holiday lasting from Saturday morning to Tuesday evening. To my-great delight Edith very kindly got her aunt, the Countess, to write to Madame, asking if I might be allowed to spend the holidays with her; an invitation which was most readily accepted, as Madame assured me that the Countess was a leader of the very best Parisian Society.

Alter what Edith had told me, I rather smiled at this, but I nevertheless departed joyfully on the Saturday morning with Edith, having first of all carefully packed up the smartest of my new dresses and hats to wear on Sunday, as well as two very low-necked evening dresses to wear at dinner.

The Countess, who is marvellously young-looking for her age, received us most kindly, though with very much the air of a " grande dame." Edith declares that her youthful appearance is entirely due to "make-up," but if so, her maids must be most marvellously skilful, or she would easily pass for eight-and-thirty, while her exquisitely corsetted figure looks really quite girlish. Talking of figures by the way, it is very curious to notice how very differently shaped French women's figures are from English, The two chief points of difference are that the breasts, which English girls wear almost in their natural position, are always forced upwards by the French corsets, so as to stand out quite straight from the body, without hanging down in the least. This has a very suggestive appearance, especially in eveningdresses, which thus expose to view far more of the "tiddies," even if they are cut no lower than an English gown.

It is most amusing to see the way the men will keep their eyes fixed on a wellfilled decollete corsage, watching for the moment when some forward movement of the wearer shall expose the naughty little breast-points to their eager gaze. I have now learnt how to expose them or to hide them just as I please, with such slight and imperceptible motions as to give a man the idea that I am all the time perfectly un^ conscious of what he is so anxiously looking out for.

The other point of difference in the French and English women's figures is that in England women always try to keep the "'stomach " in as much as possible, and have their corsets made so as to force it in, out of sight, it they can.

In Paris however a prominent ventre is as much admired as a big "behind," and just as we used to wear "bustles " to make the latter look unnaturally Urge, so som^ French women actually wear a small "cushion " in front, if their ventre is too flat by nature.

I am even amused to notice how much the shape of my own figure has changed, for the extra pressure at the waist caused by my thirteen-and-a-half-inch stays, has of course caused the flesh to expand below

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