Our Retro Government

Fig. 1: Textbook drawing from 1892 – Comparison of a normal female ribcage (left) with one deformed by years of lacing (right). The corset stays and tight lacing could, over time, lead to such deformities.

We're used to speech bubbles and empty phrases from our overwhelmed politicians. While we've previously been entertained with "bazooka," "double boom," and "turning point," our new government is now also talking itself into the ground without restraint.

Our new Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) wants to install corset bars on Deutsche Bahn [1] .

Hmmm, what are these words trying to tell us? Probably nothing concrete. Apparently, someone's temper is blown in a media-friendly way, and they're banging their fists on the table like a pub tavern—whoosh! Oh no, that word's already been used, sorry.

I'm not sure whether all the people this vague message is intended to reach are actually familiar with the term "corset bar" and its political connotations. So I did a little research.

The corset stay is an essential, load-bearing part of the "corset," a kind of straitjacket designed to give the female body a shape it doesn't naturally have. Fashion from the 17th to the 20th centuries was significantly influenced by the corset. From 1865 onwards, it was considered elegant to cinch the waist down to around 50 cm. The fainting spells of young women when things got exciting, which are only known from old films, were not staged, but often the result of forced shortness of breath. A curious side note: During the Biedermeier era, there were also a few vain gentlemen who had their pot bellies pressed into an acceptable shape using a corset.

From a modern perspective, the corset appears to be an unhealthy physical restraint, but even then, its health benefits were at least controversial. While wearing a corset was initially a privilege and status symbol for those who did not have to work physically, with the rise of the women's rights movement, it not surprisingly increasingly became a controversial symbol of female oppression. This clearly negative connotation has persisted to this day. The rebellion against the corset went hand in hand with demands for women's educational and voting rights.

With the disappearance of the corset from everyday fashion, it became all the more pervasive as a metaphor. In many languages, the word "corset" symbolizes constraint, restriction, and rigid order. More than 100 years after its virtual disappearance from fashion, it has resurfaced in everyday language whenever structure and constraint, form and discipline, are contemplated. The word may sound old-fashioned, but this is precisely what gives it a certain poignancy in politics. It suggests, in keeping with the current retro trend, tradition and strictness, which certainly appeals to a certain (conservative, order-oriented) electorate.

In the context of modern corporate management, which tends to emphasize flexibility and innovation, this image seems rather anachronistic. This is likely also the conservative intention behind the problematic use of this historically charged phrase: "Forward, people. It's going back – to the good old days." After all, a corset isn't exactly a symbol of agility – it stands for the opposite: rigid form at any price. However, Deutsche Bahn has more than its fair share of rigid structures.

The implicit gender aspect is interesting: Deutsche Bahn, a somewhat dusty, traditionally male-dominated technology company, is metaphorically forced into a garment with feminine connotations. So, is Deutsche Bahn a relatively well-preserved mature lady who's just gotten a bit "chubby" and now has to fake things? Hopefully, she doesn't faint in the process.

Oh, oh, who have we got as transport minister? Can this end well?

But the verbally ferocious Schnieder isn't even alone in his brutal, retro style. The new Minister of Construction, Hubertz, also wants to take a "crowbar" approach to the Building Code [2] . The complex web of regulations contained therein may have proliferated over the years. However, the term "crowbar" evokes rather unsavory, neoliberal associations with Milei's chainsaw [3] and its spiritual sibling, Elon Musk's DOGE vandals [4] .

The government statement [5] could have started off quite reasonably by CDU standards. When DER SPIEGEL (temporarily) called Merz's speech "as exciting as a tax return," it was probably meant disrespectfully. In truth, this predictability is more of a compliment, as we have explained elsewhere [6] .

While I haven't expected much from this makeshift government so far, these rude retro remarks make me fear further damage.

For further reading

1. Steele, V. (2001). The Corset: A Cultural History . New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. – A comprehensive cultural history of the corset, demonstrating that corsets were understood not only as an instrument of oppression but also as a symbol of status, self-discipline, and beauty.


2. Summers, L. (2001). Bound to Please: A History of the Victorian Corset . Oxford/New York: Berg Publishers. – A detailed examination of the Victorian corset and its significance, particularly in the context of fashion, morality, and women's rights in the 19th century.


3. Schillig, A. (2015). Loved and Outlawed: The Corset – The Discourse History of a Garment . Published on Zenodo (doi:10.5281/zenodo.46229). – An analysis of the changing discourses on the corset from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, with a focus on the controversial evaluations (from desirable to demonized) and the social debates surrounding them.


4. Kiupel, B. (2024, January 18). Out of the Corset . Digital German Women's Archive (online article). – A historical overview of the women's movement in the German Empire, which saw the corset metaphorically as a symbol of the narrow limitations against which women fought. It illuminates how the "corset" continues to resonate in language and thought as a symbol of restriction to this day.


5. Budras, C. (2025, May 23). Transport Minister: "Corset stays" are being withdrawn from the railway. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . – Newspaper report reproducing Patrick Schnieder's controversial statement in the context of the railway structural reform. Serves as an example of the current use of the corset metaphor in political communication.


6. Hess, L. (2020, April 18). The Story Behind Madonna's Iconic Jean Paul Gaultier Cone Bra . Vogue. – A magazine article about Madonna's famous corset stage outfit (Gaultier's cone bra) and its changing meaning: From a historical instrument of coercion to a pop cultural symbol of female strength and sexual self-determination. The article shows how the corset was reinterpreted as an act of self-empowerment in the 1990s.

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[1] Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. (nd). Transport Minister Schnieder takes action against Deutsche Bahn . Retrieved on May 27, 2025, from https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/auto-verkehr/verkehrsminister-schnieder-greift-bei-der-deutschen-bahn-durch-110496269.html

• This source deals with the measures taken by Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) at Deutsche Bahn, including in particular his symbolic use of the term “corset bars” to illustrate structural reforms and stabilisation measures.

[2] Tagesschau. (nd). Housing construction and rents: Hubertz calls for swift action . Retrieved on May 27, 2025, from https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/wohnungsbau-mieten-hubertz-100.html

• The article reports on the political demands of SPD politician Verena Hubertz regarding swift action to combat the housing shortage and rising rents in Germany. Key statements revolve around political pressure for action and socio-political challenges.

[3] Associated Press. (2025, February 21). Musk waves a chainsaw and charms conservatives at CPAC . AP News. https://apnews.com/article/musk-chainsaw-trump-doge-6568e9e0cfc42ad6cdcfd58a409eb312

• This article describes how Argentine President Javier Milei presented a chainsaw to Elon Musk during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in the United States. The chainsaw, engraved with the slogan "Viva la libertad, carajo," symbolizes Milei's radical reform agenda to reduce government bureaucracy. The gesture underscores Milei's use of the chainsaw as a metaphor for sweeping government cuts.

[4] Axios. (2025, May 1). Elon Musk opens up: Admits DOGE has fallen short of expectations .  https://www.axios.com/2025/05/01/elon-musk-doge-interview

• In this interview, Elon Musk discusses the challenges and criticisms surrounding his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He acknowledges that the initiative hasn't lived up to expectations and discusses the protests and acts of vandalism directed at Tesla dealers. The article offers insights into the public reaction to Musk's role in DOGE and the associated political tensions.

[5]  Spiegel. (nd). Government statement: This is what Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced . Retrieved on May 27, 2025, from https://www.spiegel.de/politik/regierungserklaerung-das-hat-bundeskanzler-friedrich-merz-angekuendigt-a-0f58caf0-bd36-4433-96f2-8cf4055af643

• In this article, Der Spiegel summarizes the key government statement by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in particular his political plans and strategic priorities, including aspects of foreign policy and Germany's role in Europe.

[6] Europeans for the Planet. (2024, November 29). Doing Politics Differently . Retrieved May 27, 2025, from https://eufp.de/2024/11/29/politik-anders-betreiben/

• This contribution on the "Europeans for the Planet" website outlines new approaches to political practice in Europe, particularly with regard to sustainable policymaking and citizen participation. The document advocates for a shift in political culture and strategies to better respond to global challenges.