Cinching the Waist with Corsets

A small tiny waist, flat stomach, reduced back-pain, and perfectly upright posture—these are just some of the benefits of wearing a corset. A corset is a piece of garment worn by both men and women, and is used to sculpt and shape the torso for aesthetic and medical purposes.

For women, corsets are worn to create or emphasize a curvy figure by reducing the waist, which exaggerates the bust and hip areas. In the past, corsets were worn to achieve a tubular, straight torso shape, which also involves minimizing the bust and hips. Corsets are also worn by men to slim down the figure. During the 1900s, there was a period when corsets were worn by men to achieve the hourglass figure—a small, cinched-in looking waist.

A corset works by enclosing the torso, usually from the under the arms down to the top of the hips. Some corsets can extend over the hips, and in some very rare cases, can reach the knees. A waist cincher is a shorter type of corset that covers only the waist area, which is from below the ribs to just above the hip area. Another type of corset may also include garters that can hold up stockings.

Flexible materials such as cloth or leather are usually what corsets are made from. They are stiffened with boning, also called ribs or stays that is inserted into channels inside the cloth or leather. The most common materials used for boning are ivory, wood, and cane. During the Victorian era, the favored materials were steel and whalebone. Nowadays, the most commonly used materials for making corsets are plastic, and steel for more high-quality corsets.

Almost all corsets are tied together by at the back using laces. Tightening or loosening the lacing will adjust the stiffness of the corset. Tying a back-laced corset is difficult, although not impossible.

Some of the benefits of wearing corsets are reduced back-pain and improved muscular system; comfort for big bosomed women who do not want to wear brassieres; improved figure even without dieting, slimming drugs, or undergoing any cosmetic surgery; and increased body temperature that is useful for cooler climates.

Most tops marketed nowadays as corsets are technically not corsets if compared to the traditional ones. Although modern corset tops have lacing or boning, mimicking traditional corsets, they have very little effect on the shape torso. Genuine corsets should be made by corset-makers so that they would fit properly.

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