DRESS ANOTHER SOURCE OP DEFORMITY. 289 



effects of which, are in a great number of instances ap- 

 parent, and will remain so during the present genera- 

 tion. This is the recent fashion of dressing so wide 

 across the neck as to leave one, or perhaps both the 

 acromion processes, or shoulder tips, in a state of entire 

 nudity. 



The young lady, it is true, had the power, by muscu- 

 lar action, of hiding a part of one shoulder at a time, but 

 the dress, if in good fashion, could never be made to cov- 

 er both these processes, except alternately, though it was 

 quite easy to leave both uncovered. The consequence 

 of this fashion was, that, judging from the perpetual mo- 

 tion of these parts, the wearer constantly felt as though 

 her dress was in danger of slipping down, and which she 

 made as constant efforts to prevent, or to ascertain by 

 feeling with the shoulder whether this was the case, or 

 not, until these motions became habitual, and therefore 

 insensible. As the dress was designed to cover only 

 one shoulder at the same time, this partiality, (for which 

 shoulder it was intended, we know not,) was always ex- 

 tended to the same one, because habit made it most nat- 

 ural and comfortable ; consequently the pressure on the 

 two sides became unequal, and the wearer to counter- 

 act this, or from the unnatural, or uneasy feeling conse- 

 quent upon confining one side, while its antagonist re- 

 mained free, constantly, and habitually elevated one 

 shoulder while the other remained stationary, until the 

 former became permanently higher than the latter. 



Although this (without using any other epithet,) per- 

 nicious fashion, we believe, is chiefly done away, at 

 least among the fashionables, its consequences still re- 

 main, as many a monument of its existence can testify ; 

 and therefore, we hope it will not be considered imper- 

 tinent, or improper to record its history and consequen- 

 ces, that mothers may be aware of both, when its turn, 

 in the never ending cycle of costumal changes, shall 

 again come round. 



Fashionable Deformity. The vast number of instan- 

 ces, in which the causes, already mentioned, or those 

 which we shall hereafter notice, have occasioned female 

 deformity, most of which might have been prevented, is 



25 



