China had foot binding. Burma had neck rings. And America? Well, we have corsets.
After a nearly 100-year hiatus, waist training has returned to popular culture. The thinking is that if you wear a corset all day for an extended period of time, you will eventually train your body to retain a slim, curvy figure even when you’re not wearing one.
And you have the Kardashians to thank for making a torture device from the 16th century relevant in 2014.
Inspired by sister Khloé, Kim Instagrammed a photo of herself wearing a $140 corset from whatsawaist.com back in August. She kept up with the program for the next three months, and in late October, posted a second photo of herself outfitted in a new (and smaller) corset, captioned, “I’m really obsessed with waist training!”
Last week, Kim displayed the results in a very public fashion — by plastering her curvy figure on the cover of Paper magazine’s Winter 2014 issue. Not only had she whittled her waist, but her slim midsection made her voluptuous derrière appear larger than life.
The Kardashians are hardly the first celebrities to get with the trend.
Burlesque queen Dita Von Teese wore corsets daily for more than two decades (the 42-year-old recently called it quits), while “Jersey Shore” star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi shared a photo of herself on Monday in a waist trainer in preparation for her upcoming wedding.
Former “Dancing With the Stars” host Brooke Burke-Charvet even sells a waist wrap — the Baboosh Body Unisex Sports Wrap — designed to wear during exercise.
Even lithe celebs such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Garner were rumored to have worn them in a bid to win back their pre-baby bodies — while actress Jessica Alba confessed to wearing not one but two corsets after giving birth to second daughter Haven in 2011.
I couldn’t help but wonder — if I were to wear a waist trainer, could my body break the Internet, too?
That’s how I found myself at the Orchard Corset Center (157 Orchard St., 212-674-0786) — a little mom-and-pop shop on the Lower East Side where the ancient sign makes you wonder if anyone has even been inside since corsets went out of vogue in the 1900s.
But despite its lackluster appearance, the shop has mastered the craft of efficiency: Owner Ralph Bergstein simply looks me over before handing me a corset ($79).
“More people are buying them now than ever before,” his wife, Peggy, boldly says. (The shop first opened its doors in 1968.) “Once one woman comes in, more follow.”
A shop assistant helps lace me up, and the results are immediate — and shocking.
My 29-inch waist is squeezed down to a mere 26 inches, causing my skirt to nearly fall off my hips to the floor. It also gives my girls a noticeable lift — and adds an extra inch to my hips, thanks to my now-bigger booty.
And while my inner feminist is already itching to rip it off, another part of me can’t help but think, All I have to do is wear this, and I’ll look this way all the time? Bring it on!
The excitement is short-lived, for now I must put on my shoes, which proves nearly impossible as I can’t bend over in this contraption. For the first time, I find myself jealous of the Kardashians — surely they have maids to perform such menial tasks as tying one’s shoes?
Later, as I walk through the front door of my apartment, my boyfriend pokes his head around the corner.
“Wow, you look great!” he eagerly tells me.
I see red.
How could such an innocent — flattering, even — comment irk me so? Because it validated one of my biggest fears, one that most people can relate to — that people would treat me differently now that I appear slimmer.
Typically, receiving a compliment on your appearance is a good thing. It means someone else has noticed that you’ve been hitting the gym extra hard, or you spent extra time on your hair and makeup.
But all I’d done was slap on a corset, no effort required. I felt like a fraud.
My boyfriend didn’t get lucky that night, but not because of his comment.
The corset leaves angry red marks all over your torso — similar to the ones too-tight pants leave. It took hours for them to disappear. I recommend not wearing a corset to pick someone up at the bar unless you want him or her to think you have a skin disease.
My second corset-clad day came with a bit more excitement, as I nearly fainted on the train during my morning commute.
“You are quite literally constricting your lungs, restricting your airway. Those make it difficult to breathe and get sufficient oxygen, and that’s why fainting spells are one of the major side effects of waist training,” says Dr. Christopher Ochner, assistant professor of pediatrics, adolescent medicine and psychiatry at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
That’s good news for antique dealers, who will see fainting couches make a comeback in 2015.
By the third day, I had to rid myself of the corset completely during work hours because I couldn’t do my job. It’s impossible to think, let alone craft witty phrases, when your internal organs are being squished.
Instead, I tried waist training after hours, first by wearing it to the gym.
It validated one of my biggest fears, one that most people can relate to — that people would treat me differently now that I appear slimmer.
I hopped on the elliptical and made it about seven minutes before I had to call it quits. Between the recycled air in the gym and my inability to breathe, I wasn’t getting enough oxygen to fuel my muscles.
Next, I attempted to do chores in my corset. I cursed out my cat as I rolled around the floor, trying to get back up after cleaning out his toys from underneath the couch.
As I lay there, unable to move, I couldn’t help but think, Is this how pregnant women feel?
Lastly, I tried to just watch TV while lounging on the couch. The rigidity of the corset forces its wearer to sit upright — turning what was supposed to be a relaxing hour of “Grey’s Anatomy” into an impromptu posture lesson.
By the end of the week, I was ready to check my progress. While I felt thinner, my waist had not magically retained its new figure — but that’s probably for the best.
“The conception that you can train your waist over time to be slimmer while you’re not wearing [the corset] is ridiculous,” says Ochner. “Fat is squishy . . . It’s going to go right back to where it was, no matter how long you do it for. What may not go back are your organs. Over time, you develop malformation of organs.”
However, I did see results on the scale. I’d lost 2 pounds that week, thanks to the corset. Due to its restrictive nature, I hadn’t eaten more than an apple for breakfast or lunch during my five-day experiment.
Turns out, just wearing the corset is a diet in and of itself.
I ordered Chipotle in celebration, but at least I ate it with perfect posture.
Here’s what happened when three other real women wore a corset.
CORLISS ELIZABETH WILLIAMS
34, art director, Ditmas Park
Having worn a similar garment for her wedding, Williams knew what to expect when slipping into the corset. “It’s not painful, but it’s constricting, and you’re definitely aware of it,” she admits in the moments after putting it on.
But six hours later, Williams had had enough.
“I could not bear to wear it any longer after the workday ended! My husband was working late, so I did not have any incentive to wear it home since he was not there to show it off to. It also turned itchy.”
And even though the corset added an inch to her hips, she wasn’t sure her booty needed the extra popping.
Though it’s not for her, Williams is still a fan of the fad. “Beauty does not always equal comfort, so I’d be more than willing to [wear one] on a special evening out.”
JENNY PINEDA
31, retail associate, Clifton, NJ
Despite being a longtime devotee of shapewear, this was the first steel-braced corset Pineda had ever worn — and she was immediately happy with the results.
“It held me in, it did its job!” she boasts.
She loved how the corset transformed her body into the curvy figure that has become enviable thanks to celebs such as Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian. “Skinny is not in fashion. More feminine, more curves, more real — that’s in style.”
Pineda plans to incorporate the garment into her everyday wardrobe in the hope of getting a permanent effect. “Women always want to look good. Why not wear it if it will make your clothes look better?”
SAMARA LIPSKY
35, fashion blogger, Upper West Side
Despite being slim, Lipsky still craved killer curves.
“This is the first time I’ve ever had a waistline!” she notes. Though it felt uncomfortable at first, it eventually became a second skin. “I was teaching a two-hour writing class, and I didn’t even notice that I was wearing it,” she says.
Lipsky compared the corset to the back brace she had to wear in high school to correct a mild case of scoliosis, but with a fashionable twist. “I remember hiding the bulky brace underneath baggy clothes. With the waist trainer I wore a fitted outfit and you couldn’t even tell that I was wearing it underneath!”
Though she admits she can’t imagine wearing the garment every day to train her waist into a curvier shape, she does have plans for it in the future. “I plan on wearing it for special occasions to give my waist some added definition!”
How to whittle your middle (with a corset)
SIZING: Measure an inch above your belly button and pull the measuring tape taut, but not tight, around your body. Subtract 4 to 7 inches from your waist measurement, depending on how much compression you want. Plus sizes should subtract 7 to 10 inches.
FABRIC: To smooth your midsection under a form-fitting dress, try a latex cincher. For a more dramatic effect, opt for a steel-boned corset, available in satin, cotton and leather fabrics.
BREAKING IT IN: The first few times you wear it, you want the fit to be snug, not tight. Limit initial use to no longer than two hours, then gradually increase. As soon as you can tie the laces so the corset closes completely in the back, it’s time to go down a size.