- May 23, 2025
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The Middle Ages: When the Body Was Hidden and Controlled
In the Middle Ages, lingerie almost vanished, and the female body was seen as something to cover and control. This story explores how religion, shame, and modesty shaped undergarments into silent, functional pieces — and set the stage for future rebellion.
After the ancient era, when the body was seen as natural and beautiful, a completely different time began.
Along with new social structures and religious beliefs, the Middle Ages also brought about a radical shift in attitudes regarding women’s bodies, with penalty for physicality, fear of sin, and a desire to hide everything that was once revealed.
During this period, lingerie nearly disappeared from cultural space. The female body was placed in the shadows — both literally and metaphorically.
Lingerie That Was Hidden — and Almost Nonexistent
In the Middle Ages (approximately from the 5th to the 15th century), women’s underwear as we know it today practically didn’t exist. It was replaced with a long, gray or white shift worn beneath garments and fashioned of coarse wool or linen.
This shift had a solely sanitary purpose and was referred to as a chemise (or shift in English tradition):
- protected expensive dresses from body sweat,
- covered the skin, which was considered shameful,
- and was one of the few truly “personal” garments.
- Most women owned only one or two shifts, which were hand-washed, sun-dried, and frequently repaired.
Bathing woman some in shifts, c. 1525
Religion as the Dictator of the Body
During that period, the church had a huge impact on many facets of life, including the body.
Physicality became synonymous with sin, and any display of it — even accidental — was condemned.
The stomach, hips, and breasts of a lady had to be covered. Even mentioning lingerie or the body was considered inappropriate. This just made it forbidden, not that the body vanished.
That’s why lingerie didn’t develop as a separate fashion or erotic category — it existed quietly, with no aesthetic purpose.
What Was Worn Under Dresses?
- The primary component of the “under layer” is a lengthy shift (chemise).
- Despite the misconception that they were widely used, chastity belts were either an anomaly or a symbolic form of control.
- Sometimes added for warmth or volume are underskirts.
- Leg wraps or socks are about warmth, not style.
Importantly, most women did not have access to underwear as we know it today. Even among the wealthy, the concept of “underwear” was extremely limited.
Rich vs. Poor: Class Differences
SPoor women wore simple shifts made of coarse linen, sometimes repurposed from men’s garments. This was frequently the only thing they wore below their outer garments.
Noble ladies wore better fabrics, had many changes, and occasionally had embroidery or trimming. But even then — there was no decoration, only practicality.
Although there were still no bralettes or corsets, outside clothing (dresses, bodices) was used to shape the silhouette.
Dionysius I humiliates the women of Locri (fol. 98v) in De casibus (BNF Fr. 226), first quarter of the 15th century.
What Can We Learn From This Era?
Lingerie was not used as a means of self-expression throughout the Middle Ages.
However, a future protest would emerge specifically against this backdrop: a desire for clothing that didn’t hide the body but emphasized it.
Although it was the most subdued period in women’s lingerie history, it prepared the way for the subsequent eras of independence, the Renaissance, and corsets to seem so dramatic and potent.
🔗 We’ll discuss the Renaissance’s rapid transformation in the following installment of the series, including how women regained control over their bodies and how corsets started to govern shape.
With Love — your Moonlit team