>To the extent they were
>ever real, they were the Victorian equivalent of ridiculous modern
>high-fashion outfits that aren't intended to be worn by anyone but a
>runway model.

Yeah. That is roughly what my wife says about them as she wears them for historical costuming. Excellent support if properly fitted. The caveat is the modern (and probably historic) erotic corset fetishists who do indeed build and wear very constrictive corsets ("tightlacing").

-VR
And of course, for obvious reasons, they show up in the crossdressing and trans communities.
"They copied all they could follow, but they couldn't copy my mind,
And I left 'em sweating and stealing a year and a half behind."