How World War I Helped Women Ditch the Corset A combination of cultural shifts and metal rationing spelled the demise of the stiff undergarment. Author: A combination of cultural shifts and metal rationing spelled the demise of the stiff undergarment. Massive cultural shifts during and after World War I helped free women from confining roles—and the confining corsets that bound them to the previous age. The evolution of the bra re-shaped the image of what a woman could be, whether she was serving in the war effort, fighting for the right to vote, or dancing in a flapper-style dress at war’s end.