Fact check
It is a firm and flexible material that was even used in corsets in the past, helping not only women but also vain men to achieve a wasp waist: the so-called “whalebone”. You can find out which animal it comes from here.
Is it actually true that the material “whalebone” has nothing to do with fish?
Yes. In fact, the famous “whalebone”, which was used in the form of reinforcing corsetry in corsets, does not come from fish at all. And this material is not bones, that is, bones. Instead, the beards of certain whale species were used: feathered horn plates of the upper jaw, with which the mighty marine mammals comb their microorganism food – such as krill or plankton – out of the water.
At the time of the whaling boom in the 19th century, professional whalebearers split the solid and flexible material into fine, flexible rods that were then sewn into the cord. The fashion-conscious women owe their wasp waist, which is breathtaking in the literal sense of the word – and, by the way, many vain men too! – of all things: a whale.
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