They married in 2002 (left) and over time gifted each other Victorian items, such as these clothes (right)
For entertainment, Sarah reads 1890s editions of Cosmopolitan, or they go cycling on their pennyfarthings
They both see the pursuit as academic research – far more intense than any sociological study they have encountered on the subject. But it is also a lifestyle. Gabriel modeled his workout gear on Victorian cyclists
After one year of wearing a corset every day, Mrs Chrisman said her waist went from 32 inches to 22 inches
‘It’s a life that keeps us far more in touch with the natural seasons,’ Sarah writes for Vox.
‘Much of modern technology has become a collection of magic black boxes: Push a button and light happens, push another button and heat happens, and so on.
‘The systems that dominate people’s lives have become so opaque that few Americans have even the foggiest notion what makes most of the items they touch every day work — and trying to repair them would nullify the warranty.’
‘I manage hiking quite well,’ she told Daily Mail Online. ‘I modeled my outfit off a photo of Fay Fuller, the first woman known to reach the summit of Mount Rainier in 1890. She was dressed in an “immodest” climbing outfit of her own devising.’
After one year of wearing a corset every day, Mrs Chrisman said her waist went from 32 inches to 22 inches, she experienced fewer migraines and her posture improved. ‘And honestly, the corset lets me know when I’m full! I don’t have to worry about eating too much.’
Sarah insists they are the lucky ones as they do not take modern phenomena for granted
They spend time with the friends they have always had. They have been subjected to abuse from others
Friends are also supportive. ‘They are intrigued,’ explained Mrs Chrisman. ‘The wonderful thing is, our friends are friends – our interests are still the same.
But her desire to delve further into the Victorian lifestyle, and wear a corset every day, seems to have the public divided.
‘People have mixed reactions,’ she admitted. ‘Some are enthusiastic and positive. The other day an old man ran out of a restaurant to tell me I made his day, he said: “You look beautiful.”
‘But there are perfect strangers who find what I wear such a point of contention. Some women scream oppression — that I choose to wear a corset. But I focus on the positives. I don’t find it restricting at all, in fact I’d venture to say that it’s liberating to live how I want to!’
Writing for Vox, Sarah reveals some of the more aggressive reactions leveled at them:
‘We live in a world that can be terribly hostile to difference of any sort. Societies are rife with bullies who attack nonconformists of any stripe (…) We have been called “freaks,” “bizarre,” and an endless slew of far worse insults.
‘We’ve received hate mail telling us to get out of town and repeating the word “kill … kill … kill.” Every time I leave home I have to constantly be on guard against people who try to paw at and grope me.
‘Dealing with all these things and not being ground down by them, not letting other people’s hostile ignorance rob us of the joy we find in this life — that is the hard part. By comparison, wearing a Victorian corset is the easiest thing in the world.’
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