French maid

Later history

Erotic fantasies revolving around young French women later led to the appearance of French maids as desirable and stereotypical soubrette characters in burlesque dramas and bedroom farces. This stock character was a flirtatious, cheeky, and saucy figure.

The term French maid is now often applied to an eroticised and strongly modified style of servant's dress that evolved from typical housemaid's black-and-white afternoon uniforms of 19th-century France, despite a housemaid being junior to a lady's maid. Some styles are conservative while others are revealing. The French maid costume is often used in cosplay, sexual roleplaying, and uniform fetishism. Depending on design details, some forms can be classified as lingerie.

In the anime and manga fandom, and especially among ja, maid outfits are considered to be ja. In the 21st century, restaurants known as "maid cafés" have been opened in Japan and other countries to appeal to the aforementioned moe aesthetic.

Costume details

Though not strict to historically accurate uniforms, the French maid outfit has an easily recognizable pattern and black-and white theme that remains the template for other forms of the costume.

The typical French maid costume includes:

• A black dress with white trim, with a full skirt at or above knee length
• White half-apron, usually with ruffle or lace
• A ruffled or lace headpiece or a bonnet
• Tights or stockings
• High heels, usually black
• A feather duster
• White or black lace garter

Optional accessories depend on design and context:

• Choker necklace
• Other cleaning equipment

References

References

1. (2007). "Edith Wharton". Pimlico.
2. "The Europeans".
3. Azuma, Hiroki. (2009). "Otaku: Japan's Database Animals". University of Minnesota Press.
4. "Maid Cafe".