A waist trainer—an elastic compression band worn around the midriff—counts the corset as a distant relative. Most of the time waist trainers are made from thick elastic fabric with laces, velcro, or hooks to keep it strapped around your midsection.
No garment has generated controversy like the corset, made popular in Victorian Europe. Although fashion historians like Valerie Steele say corsets have a bad rap and that cases of organ failure and spinal deformity happened infrequently and only when corsets were tied too tightly, corsetry constricts the body’s natural movement, which some find troubling.
How do you start?
I suggest starting by finding a respectable corset maker, preferably one where you can try on corsets to find out if it’s something you’ll take pleasure in. Fit is crucial here! Once you’ve discovered a corset that you like wearing, use it often, laced to a comfy point. The more often you use it, the better your progress will be. Do not leap right into the deep end by wearing all of it day and all night in the beginning. Work up to it slowly. Pay attention to your body, as well as if you’re uncomfortable, loosen up, or eliminate the corset. It’s not a race; the journey is just as crucial as the objective.
The Purported Benefits
The idea behind waist training is that, by wearing a steel-boned corset, fat pockets along the waist and floating ribs (the two lowest ribs that aren’t connected to the breastbone) will be molded into a trimmer hourglass figure.
The truth is, this hourglass figure won’t stick around. A blog post published in the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery (ABCS) states that waist training won’t make any drastic changes to your body shape and any hourglass figure formed will be short-lived.1
Weight Loss
Waist trainers may seem like a quick fix for shaping the mid-section, however, most of the weight loss you experience is superficial. “It’s actually water loss from extra perspiration,” says Casey Palazzo, certified Lagree Instructor, at The Studio (MDR). You might think more sweat means the body is working harder, but compression from the waist trainer may have the opposite effect on your abdominal muscles (more on this later).
Waist trainers might also promote a “crash-diet” approach to fitness, which is not only superficial but harmful to overall wellness. Some women report “feeling full all the time” when they wear waist trainers, says strength and fitness coach Nicolle Harwood-Nash of The Workout Digest. “In a way, you’re committing to a fake form of diet. This isn’t a good alternative to eating a healthy diet.”
Waist training is a popular topic right now. Is that the same as corseting?
I’d say that they’re related, but not at all the same thing. Waist training is about gradually reducing one’s natural waist size through the consistent wearing of corsets. Corsets can be worn for fun, fashion, costuming, foundation, and even medical and back support
How did waist training originate?
That is a rather involved question. The first waist trainers we know anything at all about were warriors in ancient Crete. (It was apparently a sign of athletic prowess to have a significantly small waist.) Throughout history, there have been famous waist trainers — often royalty, or, like today, celebrity “royalty.” In the past, having a small waist meant that you were a lady of leisure or a gentleman with enough free time to look after your figure.
Why do you think waist training has become popular again?
Need A Massage? Learn How To Give One To Yourself And Your Loved Ones
Receiving a massage, whether it’s given by someone else or self-administered, can help loosen your muscles and establish a better connection not only with your body but also with the people you love.
