From the book:

The idea for this corset-inspired belt came while I was thinking about a few different clothing items from the history of fashion: the knotted fiber fertility skirts worn by the Paleolithic women of ancient Europe; the Victorian corset and other devices of the era that accentuated the female midsection; and low-waisted, earthy fashions of the 1970s. All three are about the beauty of the belly, and they inspired me to want to make a fun an frilly ruffled belt the accentuates the positive, pretty part of the female form.