Today, it is a famously laid-back city that girdles a comely, Sydney-pattern harbour.

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The protesters who descended upon Atlantic City in 1968 to picket the Miss America pageant weren't clamoring for more comfortable girdles.

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In recent decades the accessory has been relegated to a dusty storeroom for fashion trends alongside white cotton gloves and girdles.

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We discussed the strangely tiny build of 18th century women and the discomfort of girdles, looked at centuries-old objects like sock dryers and sausage makers, and deciphered old letters, including the infamous valentine and one from George Washington himself.

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