The Truth About Fainting Rooms

Ahh, fainting rooms! So many people believe that they were a private room in the Victorian era where women could go and repose themselves in a comfortable recline when they felt their overly tightened corsets were giving them trouble with their breathing, causing them to become lightheaded.
And some still believe today that this was the one and only purpose for the fainting room.
Whereas we're not going to blatantly deny that this is one of the uses for a fainting room, it is important to consider the flaw in this theory. Mainly that there are loads of images out their featuring women from the time tightly laced and participating in vigorous activities such as horseback riding, tennis, etc without any signs of decreased mobility, blood flow or difficulty breathing.
A second theory is that fainting rooms were intended to provide women with treatment for anxiety. Won't spell out what that "treatment" was, but if you wikipedia it, you'll understand why they would require privacy.
So overall, I think the original intended use of a fainting room is debatable at best.
And as always, we cannot stress enough the importance of listening to your body when you're in your corset. If it feels too snug, go ahead and either loosen your laces or take it off and put it back on later in the day, or the next day. And for those of you interested in waist training, be sure to check with a health professional before beginning.
Happy lacing!