The Grecian Bend was a dance move

Dance move

Dance moves or dance steps are the building blocks of many dances.More complex dance moves are called dance patterns, dance figures or dance variations....

 introduced to polite society in America just before the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. The "Bend" was considered very daring at the time.

The stoop or the silhouette created by the fashion in women's dress for corset

Corset

A corset is a garment worn to hold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes...

s, crinolettes and bustle

Bustle

A bustle is a type of framework used to expand the fullness or support the drapery of the back of a woman's dress, occurring predominantly in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles were worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. Heavy fabric tended to...

s by 1869 was also called The Grecian Bend. Contemporary illustrations often show a woman with a large bustle

Bustle

A bustle is a type of framework used to expand the fullness or support the drapery of the back of a woman's dress, occurring predominantly in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles were worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. Heavy fabric tended to...

 and a very small parasol, bending forward.

The term was also given to those who suffered from decompression sickness

Decompression sickness

Decompression sickness describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurization...

, or "the bends", due to working in caissons

Caisson (engineering)

In geotechnical engineering, a caisson is a retaining, watertight structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier, for the construction of a concrete dam, or for the repair of ships. These are constructed such that the water can be pumped out, keeping the working...

 during the building of the Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...

 in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. The name was given because afflicted individuals characteristically arched their backs in the same manner as the then popular "Grecian Bend" fashion.

Appearance in popular music

There were many songs published with "Grecian Bend" in their titles. The term 'Grecian bend' appears in the song 'The Garden Where The Praties Grow' by
Johnny Patterson

Johnny Patterson

John Francis Patterson was an Irish singer, song writer and circus entertainer.He was born in Kilbarron, Feakle, County Clare. Both his parents had died by the time he was three years old and so he was raised by an uncle in Ennis. At the age of 14 he enlisted in the 63rd Regiment of Foot which...

:

Have you ever been in love my boys

Or have you felt the pain?

I'd sooner be in jail myself

Than be in love again

For the girl I loved was beautiful

I'd have you all to know

And I met her in the garden

Where the praties grow


She was just the sort of creature boys

That Nature did intend

To walk right through the world my boys

Without the Grecian bend

Nor did she wear a chignon

I'd have you all to know

And I met her in the garden

Where the praties grow