breathing was overrated?

It means breathing was not as worthwhile as someone believed it to be. I don't know why anyone would say this, but that is what the phrase means.

You've got to learn to provide us more context. Just throwing a phrase out therre is not really good enough. At least provide the entire sentence in which it appears, and preferably one or more sentences leading up to it. Very likely, this is some author trying to be funny or clever--but how the hell can we know when you don't provide context. You've been asked before to provide context.

Luce felt what every other girl going to that ball that night must have felt: Breathing was overrated in a dress as amazing as this.


THis is the orginal sentence.
Luce was to attend a royal banquet and just put on a very very beautiful and luxurious dress. She was standing in front a thress-way mirror, appreciating her reflection.

Does this help you make more sense?

Luce felt what every other girl going to that ball that night must have felt: Breathing was overrated in a dress as amazing as this.


THis is the orginal sentence.
Luce was to attend a royal banquet and just put on a very very beautiful and luxurious dress. She was standing in front a thress-way mirror, appreciating her reflection.

Does this help you make more sense?

Yes. Women in several eras in the past have worn tight-fitting garments called corsets under their clothing to make them appear to be very slim. A tight-fitting corset can make it difficult to breathe comforably. So "breathing was overrated" is ironic hypebole--the author is exaggerating to emphasize how the young women were willing to suffer in order to wear what they considered very stylish clothing.

See--providing context makes all the difference in the world.