Local author gives the skinny on waist training

Summer is here and as people are unpacking those swimming suits and bikinis, West Philadelphia’s own Vanna B is releasing her book “Waist Training 101” to help those seeking to improve heir figures.
Corset’s, once popular during Victorian Times, are back in vogue and “Waist Training 101” is written for those who use them in their effort to slim those waist lines.
“‘Waist training 101’ is an instructional manual on waist training and it just tells women how to go about it,” said Vanna B.
“A lot of people think it is as simple as going out, getting a corset, putting it on and tying it as tight as you could possibly get it, and they think they are just going to see results in a matter of days — just like that,” she said. “But that’s not how it really works.”
The first step to properly wearing a corset for waist training is what Vanna B has called, “seasoning it [the corset].”
“Over a two-week period you start wearing the corset very loosely on you for about 2 hours a day,” she said. “Then, little by little, you begin to slowly tighten it.”
In fact Vanna B said there is no point during waist training with a corset that you should wear it so tight that breathing becomes difficult.
“All of the negative flack that people get in the media is because people are going about it wrong. Of course if you go about it like that you are going to run the risk of injuring yourself.”
“If it’s ever to the point where it’s hurting, you can’t breathe, definitely you’re going numb — then it’s definitely too tight and you need to either take it off or loosen it a little,” said Vanna B.
Corsets should be worn regularly, said Vanna B and therefore, tightening one to the point where it becomes uncomfortable prohibits frequent use and therefore defeats the purpose.
Despite the warnings and some information circulating in the media, Vanna B said there is no record of anyone ever being seriously injured by wearing a corset even among those who make a practice of wearing them very tightly for long periods of time.
“They are called ‘tight lacers’ and they’ll have it tight like that and will still wear it 24 – 7, taking it off just to shower; they sleep in it and everything,” she said. “There are people who have been doing it for years and years and years, and they’re perfectly fine and healthy.”
This is because the body’s organs are malleable. However, she still recommends easing in to use over a 9 month period.
“When I started wearing it I immediately noticed how my posture changed and [how it relieved] back pain that I had,” said Vanna B, who began wearing Corset’s after developing a condition known as Diastases Recti, also referred to as abdominal separation, which she experienced after a pregnancy.
It was then that she began researching the topic of waist training.
In her book Waist training 101, Vanna B discusses not only the use of waist training but also other methods of waist training.
“Don’t just rely one hundred percent on Corset training ... I have different illustrations of abdominal exercises that you could do and just some basic chapters about dieting, cutting calories and measuring your body mass index,” said Vanna B.

Rihanna transforms in revealing corset as she rides in vintage car for 1950s shoot in Cuba

Rihanna turned back time in her latest photoshoot as she transformed for a Cuban 1950s-themed modelling campaign.
The singer swapped her out-there jackets and see-through tops from the 21st Century for a statement red corset-style outfit as she channelled her inner 50s babe in front of the cameras.
From posing against vintage cars, to sat at old bars in sky0high stilettos, the beauty got it spot on as she showed off her fierce side.
The red corset was teamed with matching tight trousers and heels, and RiRi's red hair co-ordinated perfectly.

  Rihanna turned back time in her latest photoshoot as she transformed for a Cuban 1950s-themed modelling campaign.
The singer swapped her out-there jackets and see-through tops from the 21st Century for a statement red corset-style outfit as she channelled her inner 50s babe in front of the cameras.
From posing against vintage cars, to sat at old bars in sky0high stilettos, the beauty got it spot on as she showed off her fierce side.
The red corset was teamed with matching tight trousers and heels, and RiRi's red hair co-ordinated perfectly.
She then swapped into a simple black strapless dress and showed off her huge curls as she posed seductively on the street side.
This time Ri swapped her heels for some chunky flat sandals which simply wouldn't work on anyone but her.

Fans quickly cottoned on to her being there, after the star toured from New York, to London, to Miami and then to Cuba in just three days.
Swarms of people gathered outside to catch a glimpse of the flame-haired singer as she took a ride in the old car.

 RiRi was a total knockout in black

It was a shock to see her in so little after she left London in a huge baggy coat and jeans just days before.
With her long red tresses styled in waves the pop princess was keeping her cool as she made her way to board the plane.
Ri Ri's shoes matched her newly-red locks and the singer went for comfort in the pointed flats.
Without any hand luggage in sight it looked as though Rihanna was travelling lightly.
Related Red Corset: 

Sexy Gothic Hot Red Faux Leather Burlesque Li...

$28.56
Save: 26% off

Sexy Vintage Victorian Lace Up Red Waist Trai...

$21.48
Save: 32% off

Ladies Sweetheart Lace Up Back Red Spandex Ro...

$14.56
Save: 41% off

‘Teen Mom OG’ Star Catelynn Lowell Hopeful Waist Training Will Aid In Pre-Wedding Weight Loss

After giving birth to her daughter Novalee Reign more than 4 months ago, Catelynn Lowell is ready to get serious about shedding the baby weight. The “Teen Mom OG” star struggled with her nearly 60 pound weight gain on the MTV reality series.
With her August wedding date creeping closer and closer, Catelynn is trying new methods to whip her body back into pre-baby shape. The reality star shared an Instagram photo Monday of her wearing a black waist trainer. The 23-year-old said she was “thinking about” trying the popular weight loss method.
Catelynn struggled with her weight throughout much of this season of “Teen Mom OG.” In a recent episode, which aired May 18, she revealed that she had lost 20 pounds. Unfortunately for her she still needed to drop four dress sizes before she was truly wedding-ready. Her fiancé Tyler Baltierra tried several times to interject, suggesting that she diet or hit the gym, but Catelynn found his advice more hurtful than helpful. Lowell told her future hubby his constant criticism made her “not want to” diet or exercise even more.
He and Catelynn butted heads on the matter several times throughout the season, but worked through it. Tyler has since taken to Twitter to clear up any and all misconceptions about his suggestions. He claimed his “intention is never to hurt” his fiancée.

Waist-training devices

FOX 5 News (WNYW) -- The next evolution of corseting is trending all over social media. Waist training promises to shrink unwanted belly fat permanently.
These waist-training devices claim to give you a slimmer midsection for around $100. Celebrity endorsements are giving the corseting craze a major boost. But critics in medicine and fitness say this trend is probably too good to be true.
Miami native Nakeitha Felder is better known as Premadonna, the creator of beelike.com and the Kardashian sisters' favorite waist shapers. She says she eats what she wants and doesn't exercise but the waist trainer keeps her stomach toned and flat.
Many doctors are skeptical of corseting's mystifying results. Lenox hill internist Dr. Len Horowitz says that a corset only appears to make your waist smaller. He also warns that extended use can be unhealthy because compression can interfere with digestion.
But Premadonna rejects any such criticism from the medical community.
Dr. Horowitz says to lose weight you have to eat a healthy diet and work out and strengthen your core.
For that we turn to Culture Gym founder Larry Twohig, who showed us several core exercises.

Fetish model wears steel corsets to get world's smallest waist: 'I can feel my ribs bend'

AN EXTREME corseter, who has a minuscule 18inch waist, squeezes herself into the rib-crushing contraptions for six hours a day.

Romanie Smith's ambition for the ultimate hourglass figure has become an obsession,
And in a bid to achieve the world’s thinest torso, the 20-year-old fetish model undergoes hours of waist training.
The blonde bombshell, needs to lose another three inches to achieve the work record of a 15in waist.
And the feisty model, who has shrunk her natural waist from 25 to 22 inches in the past eighteen months, is determined to achieve her goal.
Romanie wears a corset for up to six hours four times a week, but hopes to increase this – despite sometimes experiencing pain when the garment crushes into her ribs.

Rather than following the likes of the Kardashians, who are well-known fans of waist-training, Romanie is inspired by pins ups from the 40s and 50s and aims to recreate their "classy" hourglass stature.
She said: “I would love to shrink my waist to a 17 maybe a 16 maybe a 15 - I don’t really know just go with it and see what happens.
“I have quite a big rib cage so it sticks out further and I can feel my ribs bending a little bit - but other than that the corsets are really comfortable.
“Back in the day everyone wore them, everyone had a womanly figure all jeans were high waisted - so the women’s waists back then were smaller.”
The size 6 model, from Essex, uses the tight corsets to create a sexy hourglass figure.
And for Romanie, corseting is all about creating a vintage pin-up look.
She said: “Women in this era don’t have that shape any more.
“I love the look of Marilyn Monroe and I often get told I look like her.
“I know Kim Kardashian is waist training now and a lot of people are copying her but I’m not really into that look.”

Romanie currently owns seven corsets made of steel, leather and latex - which she uses to cinch in her waist to 18-inches.
But she admits the curvaceous shape comes with a price – as she can often feel uncomfortable in her tight corset.
“Sometimes, if you are out and about it is kind of like getting a stomach ache," she said.
“You don’t want to be there, you want to go home, but you power on through it in a way because you made a decision to wear the corset so you go through with it - it’s what you have got to do.”

Romanie is fully aware of how damaging the cinching technique can be and is determined to limit her corseting to what she feels is safe.
Romanie said: “Wearing a corset 24-hours a day all the time does tend to damage your ribs, it can bring them in, it can snap ribs, cause bruising and damage the bottom of your lungs.
“They are the problems that you can find if you are corseting to extremes and doing it too much - it is not advised that you do it like that."
Romanie’s friends and family are supportive of her decision to go into fetish modelling and mum, Susannah Smith, 45, often helps out with the blonde model’s hair on shoots.
Susannah, a web-designer, said: “I am very proud of her. It’s enabled her to come out of her shell and give her a lot of life experience.
“Most people on the whole are really positive about Romanie’s look and her work.
“There have been the occasional times where people have been negative, it’s been people saying ‘oh that’s not natural or she looks too thin’.
“It is mad, years ago they used to do it and it wasn’t natural then but it’s just a look and it’s a look that she carries well and one that she has to do for her career.”

Romanie has also experienced criticism online.
She said: “I guess because you don’t see many people wearing corsets anymore so people are kind of shocked when you are wearing one.
“I have had a few people criticise me on social media sites where people can hide behind a computer.
“I have had a few people say, ‘oh that’s disgusting, it’s unnatural’.Someone even said I must be starving myself.
“They say that I look anorexic or I look weird but I am a small person I am not big so it doesn’t make any difference.
"I just am small – and I eat like a horse.
“This is my body and I don’t care what anybody else has to say.”

 

 

Ladies Sexy Lace up Back Zipper Front Spandex... $31.32  $21.32 Save: 32% off

Ladies Sexy Lace up Back Zipper Front Spandex... $31.32  $21.32 Save: 32% off

Sexy Black Lace Trim Bowknots Zipper Side Pin... $32.99  $22.99 Save: 30% off

Sexy Mini Skirt Black Bowknot Zipper Side Lac... $32.99  $22.99 Save: 30% off

 

Si-a dorit sa aiba o talie de viespe si a purtat CORSET timp de 17 zile!

Si-a dorit sa aiba o talie de viespe si a purtat CORSET timp de 17 zile! Niciodata nu s-ar fi asteptat la asa ceva, dar s-a intamplat

Oricine isi doreste sa aiba o silueta de invidiat si o talie de viespe, motiv pentru care atunci cand nu sunt multumite de modul in care arata, numeroase tinere apeleaza la trucuri care mai de care mai inedite.

Inspirata de celebritati precum Kim Kardashian si de Dita Von Teese, adolescenta din imaginile de mai jos a acceptat provocarea lansata de Vanna B., autoarea cartii Waist Training 101: A Guide to Using Corsets to Slim Your Waistline, de a purta un corset timp de 17 zile pentru a ajunge la dimensiunile dorite.

Daca in prima zi a purtat piesa vestimentara doar doua ore si a simtit ca nu mai poate sa respire, in perioada urmatoare, timpul a crescut, iar efectele secundare au fost mai mici.
Totusi, la finalul celor 17 zile, aceasta a marturisit ca un corset nu este vreo pilula de slabit care topeste pur si simplu grasimea. Ea a recunoscut ca a pierdut 1,5 centimentri in talie, insa a pus acest rezultat si pe urmarea unui regim strict.

When Chennai went Shalala-lala

Comeback concerts can be quite tricky, especially if the group in question enjoyed massive success a decade or two ago. On Saturday night, Chennai played host to the Vengaboys; when people found out about the performance, the question most frequently asked was, “They’re alive?” After all, they are the group that has defined the sound of dance-pop, more than any other, since the glorious 1990s.

At the Phoenix MarketCity courtyard, the crowd in the front row was packed tight. So tight, that everyone struggled to Instagram with one hand, while swaying to the music with the other — but they managed, nevertheless. To the right of the stage, a small VIP arena was lifeless for a dance music concert; most people preferred to sit than stand. Which is why my friend and I decided to make our way to the crowd — who sits at a music concert, let alone a Vengaboys one? The aim was to dance all night, till 8.30 p.m., of course. As this was a 90s nostalgia concert, it was like a school reunion. We met friends and classmates and people we didn’t really talk to then and were forced to greet now.

Hours before the concert, the four sat down for a media interaction with a few journalists (some of whom were admittedly star-struck, a thought they unabashedly voiced, while some of us played it cool) and they were dressed to kill. Kim Sasabone, arguably the most recognised face of the group, was armed with pistols — one was a pendant and the other, a huge ring; both dazzlingly gold. Denise Post-Van Rijswijk was dolled up, and I say that because she looked like a Barbie doll come to life. The men, Donny Latupeirissa and Robin Pors, opted for black and blue. They talked about how life had changed for them: the fans who used to write long-winded, heartfelt letters, Kim said, had now been reduced to selfie-taking, tweeting ones. The group also promised to bring “sexiness to the stage” with their costumes and they were true to their word. There was some iconic clothing from the era on display: leotard, Madonna-like corset, snakeskin, and leather jackets.

Amidst the crowd, we settled for a place to the far left and the Vengaboys had already started belting out numbers (‘Ibiza’ is what they started with) and we soon realised that the Vengaboys fans in us were outnumbered. Apart from the usual families with children, ‘single’ middle-aged men and couples who danced uncomfortably close in public, the venue was filled with 20 and 30-somethings regularly yelling, “I love you Vengaboys”. After a while, we didn’t know what was more unsettling — these proclamations or the people falling all over each other. More surprisingly, during the set’s peak — ‘Boom Boom Boom Boom’, ‘The Vengabus is Coming’, ‘Up & Down’ — a guy was seen tapping his feet and politely nodding while the rest of us in the audience collectively lost our minds, reliving our 90s nostalgia.

Before we knew it, we were all dancing, paying no heed to personal space, in the little 6 square cm area that we could occupy. There was sweat all over, glistening on our bodies and faces, but no one was bothered. Boisterous boys took turns hoisting each other on their shoulders, and showing off their dappankuthu moves, while some women turned around to pose for a photo with the Vengaboys, who were thrusting their energy into the crowd, in the background.

Donny played the Pitbull of the group, encouraging the crowd to make some noise, while Robin yelled out the band name at regular intervals. They made sure the audience interacted with them, by making them chant Vengaboys in various permutations and combinations, “When I say Benga, you say boys. Benga - Boys, Benga - Boys!” The name, they explained, takes its root from the Spanish word ‘venga/benga’ — a word roadside romeos use to call out to beautiful women.

And although dance-pop is their mainstay, they tried their hand at a ballad, ‘Forever as One’, which received thunderous applause from the audience; an irony, considering it made the members rethink their decision when it was initially released.

But a fleetingly short hour later, the party came to a close. The crowd cheered happily, while catching their collective breath — we got our nostalgia fix. The toughest part remained — recreating the experience on paper. How does one look back longingly on the not-so-distant past only to be interrupted by the adult life’s job of writing about it?

Here’s hoping the Backstreet Boys plan a concert next.

Google as fashion arbiter: search data shows what's hot and what's not

Tulle skirts are in. Jogger pants are hot. But high-waisted shorts? You don't want to go there.
In its first fashion trends report, Google analysed billions of searches dating back to 2009 to provide a detailed analysis of what's hot and what's not.
For example, queries for tulle skirts jumped 34 per cent between January 2014 and 2015, according to the report.
"Who says you need to be a ballerina to wear a tulle skirt?" asked a blog post released on Sunday on the report by Google brand strategist Yarden Horwitz and fashion data scientist Olivier Zimmer.
"Originating on the west coast, the tulle skirt trend is making its way across the US," according to Google searches. "Consumers are seeking this skirt in all colours of the rainbow, but the most popular colours are the classics: black and white."
Google, by crunching the numbers on fashion searches and correlating them with location, offers insights into how the trends have been moving.
For example, the midi skirt - "not quite a maxi skirt, and definitely not a mini skirt" - made a comeback in the British market in 2013. The skirt "has seen nine times growth in searches over the past three years - and is still in its early stages of growth within the US market," the blog said.
Jogger pants are among the hotter fashion trends, for just about everyone.
According to the blog: "We're seeing top searches for jogger pants for men, women, boys, girls and even toddlers, indicating mass appeal for this apparel item."
People seemed interested in all kinds of jogger pants, Google found, but the most-searched item was for those decorated with emojis.

Overall searches for jogger pants rose 165 per cent in the year to 2014, according to the search giant, while the jump in searches for emoji pants was an astonishing 58,000 per cent.
The report also found that high-waisted shorts were on the downswing, off 42 per cent in Google searches through 2014.
Other items showing a "sustained decline" included vintage clothing, string bikinis and peplum-embellished dresses.
In denim, searches were up for biker jeans, boyfriend jeans, ripped jeans and bell-bottom jeans, but lower for high-waisted jeans and "raw denim".
Some of the trends are linked to seasons: Google said the rising seasonal trends for spring include white lace dresses, high waisted bikinis, rompers, shift dresses and white jumpsuits.
Seasonal declines were noted for skinny jeans, custom T-shirts and corset dresses.
The "falling stars", or one-time fads that are losing steam in fashion include "normcore" (unisex fashion), '90s jeans, zoo jeans and the scarf vest, Google said.

Frida Kahlo's iconic wardrobe on display in striking photo series

Frida Kahlo was known for her striking self portraits, but it is through her most intimate possessions that we can see the artist as she truly was.
Shortly after the Mexican artist's death in 1954, her husband, fellow artist Diego Rivera, locked away most of her prized possessions in a bathroom in their famous "Blue House" in Mexico City. It wasn't until 2004, 47 years after Rivera's death, that Kahlo's items were allowed to be unlocked.
Museo Frida Kahlo, which also catalogued more than 300 of the Kahlo's personal items, commissioned artist Ishiuchi Miyako to photograph some of the most iconic relics that were found at the Blue House for her series, Frida.

See also: Creative 'Twin Peaks' fans make a damn fine art show

Ishiuchi noted on Michael Hoppen Gallery website that she knew very little about Kahlo before she went to Mexico. "She came to know her through her photographs, obsessing over the traces that Kahlo as a woman left on her belongings," it says on the series overview.
Kahlo is well known as a style icon mostly due to her striking self-portraits. Her colorful flower crowns and unibrow were a signature of the artist. She also wore bright, flowing dresses that hid her prosthetic leg and thick, corrective corset she wore every day due to a severe injury she sustained in her mid-twenties.
Ishiuchi's photographs also serve as a portrait of the artist herself, not just objects she owned, "because they are so much like a photograph…They are visible events recorded in the past," she says on the series website.
Miyako's photographs will be on display at the Michael Hoppen Gallery in London from May 14 until July 12. More information about the exhibition can be found on the gallery's website.

A dress with a red bottom and a green top.

A red skirt with corset top with a large hole in it.

 

The shape of corset mania

Corsets have been around for ages. In Victorian times, women would not leave the house without first strapping themselves into one. They were regarded as the ultimate fashion accessory in achieving the perfect hourglass figure. As time progressed, the corset lost its allure as a beauty-enhancement accessory.
But it appears the current generation has brought back this outdated trend, thanks to the famous Kardashian sisters: Kim, Khloé and Kourtney.
The Kardashians flaunt waist trainers, as they refer to the steel-boned corsets, as the secret to their hourglass shapes. They often post pictures of themselves on Twitter wearing waist trainers during gym sessions, claiming that they wear them for hours every day.
Women worldwide have followed suit and some are taking this trend to extremes by wearing corsets for up to 12 hours a day, while others claim to sleep in them.
However, doctors have warned that wearing a corset for long periods could pose serious health risks.
Dr Suzanne Joubert, a private physician based in Johannesburg, explains that when a person is wearing a corset, their diaphragm is pushed up, squeezing their intestines, stomach, liver and kidneys – which may affect the functioning of these vital organs.
She notes that restrictions caused by excessive corset use increase the chance of heartburn, as the stomach moves beyond the diaphragm, causing acid to flow back into the food pipe. Bowel movement is also restricted, resulting in severe constipation.
But those are not the only health hazards.
According to Professor Guy Richards, pulmonologist and head of critical care at the faculty of health sciences at Wits University, waist trainers interfere with the respiratory system too.
“They reduce chest movement and restrict the ability to cough. The risk would be that this might inhibit the normal protective mechanisms limiting chest infections,” says Richards.
Joubert echoes these sentiments. “Wearing corsets for hours daily increases the risk of lung infection, including pneumonia. Lungs help us to breath with ease. When they are compressed, they cannot inflate fully, which may result in their partial collapse, making us more susceptible to infection,” she notes.
This restriction, adds Joubert, also affects the return of blood flow to the heart.
Despite these warnings, users of waist trainers seem unfazed. Zanele Ntanzi (32) from Durban says she would rather suffer for beauty than allow her stomach to balloon.
“I have been waist-training for about two months now and have not experienced any health challenges.
“I understand doctors’ concerns, but I am not going to stop now because the results so far are excellent and I believe that very soon I will achieve my desired waist size,” she explains.
Richards and Joubert say that it is sad that women are prepared to go to such extremes to shape their bodies. They note that there’s no clinical evidence to suggest that corsets help women lose inches around the waist.
Joubert points out that when waist trainers are no longer used, “your body will return to its usual shape”.
Richard adds: “It is a pity that women are going back to Victorian times in the quest for beauty.”

Baby Corsets and Other Contraptions: How Europe and America Shaped Its Bodies

The striking thing about an 18th-century corset complete with an articulated pannier is that it begs the question, “Would any woman have been comfortable in such a contraption?” It’s hard to answer in the affirmative. Whether we like it or not, the notion of bodily comfort is going to be lurking in our minds when we observe such pieces of apparel through our modern frames of judgment. But it is obvious that for a long period of human civilization, the idea of status and the amount of physical space one occupied were inextricably connected.
Fashioning the Body: An Intimate History of the Silhouette, an exhibition that is currently on display at Bard Graduate Center in New York City, goes beyond simply exhibiting accoutrements of intimate apparel from centuries past—though there are plenty of such pieces too. The exhibition also features mannequins wearing mechanized reconstructions of panniers, crinolines, and bustles in order to show how the undergarments were used to alter natural body forms.

An Intimate History

According to Associate Curator Ann Tartsinis, people are excited to see the different contraptions that women and men have endured in the name of fashion. Certain objects are more surprising than others, for example the so called “nursing stay”—a kind of corset with little flaps that open to supposedly allow the mother to breastfeed. Sounds plausible in writing until one sees the actual object because the little openings are rectangular, hence rather different to a woman’s anatomy. Enough said. Then there are babies corsets—yes, infants of both genders were molded into shape from a very early age under the belief that if they didn’t wear corsets they would grow up to be deformed.

Is 'Waist Training' Safe?

Is 'Waist Training' Safe? Here's What Kim Kardashian's Favourite Fitness Trend Could Really Do To Your Body
If you've not yet come across "waist training", then we can only deduce you've been living under a rock for the past couple of months (and maybe that's for the best).
Made popular by the likes of Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian, the fitness phenomenon involves using an elasticated shaping belt (similar in appearance to a corset) to constrict the waist.
The aim is to make the waist slimmer to create an emphasised hourglass physique.
But while it might sound too good to be true. Is it actually safe?

First things first, it's important to set the record straight: waist training is completely different to corset training.
Dr Galyna Selezneva, an aesthetic medical doctor practising at the Dr Rita Rakus clinic in London, explains to HuffPost UK Lifestyle: "Formal corset training takes year of dedication and is not a quick fix to achieve a small waist. People such as Dita Von Teese have spent years training their body and waist through proper use of corsets."
"The latex waist trainers that are culturally popular at the moment will not realistically create drastic changes to the body. So don’t believe the waist training gym selfies."
Premadonna, the woman behind Kim Kardashian's waist training obsession, claims that her 'Waistgangsociety Waistshaper' can reduce waist size by 3-4 inches.
"It also flattens the midsection and reduces excess belly fat," she says.
Slimming results vary depending on the individual: "There isn't any specific time frame. It could simply happen overnight or it could take up to three weeks."
But to see the full benefits, users are expected to wear it for a minimum of 3-4 hours a day.

SEE ALSO:
Kim Kardashian Reveals The Secret To Her Hourglass Figure With Waist Trainer Selfie
Woman Shrinks Waist To 20 Inches By Wearing Corset For 23 Hours A Day
'Is It Weird I Can't Feel My Knees Right Now?': Watch The Hilarious Moment Men Try Waist-Training Corsets

Now to answer the question on everybody's lips: is crushing your midriff for long periods of time really safe?
While Premadonna says that there are "no dangerous side effects", there are many who beg to differ and personal trainer, Joshua Silverman, is one of them.
"The waist trainers made so popular by the likes of Kim Kardashian should be avoided at all costs, for more than one reason," he warns.
"Waist trainers work by constricting the abdominal walls, which is where important muscle and adipose tissue sits to protect your internal organs. When you constrict this area, it stops blood flow getting to this tissue, and therefore to those organs."
He continues: "Not only this, but when constricting, your body cannot release fat from that area. This means it actually could even start gathering fat there, due to the fact that it can't free up any fatty acids.
"So rather than reducing your waist size, you could actually do the opposite in the longer term."
Story continues below...

Dr Selezneva adds that waist training can also damage your ribs and bones.
"In order to achieve a tiny waist, the ribcage must be minimised which is achieved by reshaping the cartilage that connects the ribs to the breastbone."

"The upper seven pair of ribs are unaffected by waist training as their cartilage attaches directly to the sternum and cannot be reshaped," she reveals.
"However, the eighth, ninth and tenth pair of ribs, known as the ‘false ribs’ are not directly connected to the sternum and therefore can be reshaped through the waist training. Over many years, these ribs are slowly pushed closer together."
Waist training is particularly dangerous, explains Dr Selezneva, because there's a risk that young people will easily be influenced by what they see on social media.
"The pictures that these celebrities put up on Instagram endorsing the waist training will influence their followers into believing they can achieve their figures by doing the same, without highlighting the risks they present to their bodies," she says.

"With younger people, their bodies and muscles are still developing so any damage done is more likely to be permanent."

The History of the Corset

When we think of historical corsets today, what comes to mind is the extreme hourglass shape fashionable during the Victorian period. But when did corsets really begin?

The first instances of corsets, or ‘stays’, being used under a bodice can be traced back to the end of 17th century. These were stiffened conical shapes which lifted the bust and shaped the waist. However they were not the restrictive garments we imagine today – women at the time would stitch their stays by hand, and there were no metal eyelets for lacing, so stays could not be laced very tightly or the laboriously stitched together garment would break. 

During the 18th century, stays were laced either at the back or at the front under or over an embroidered stomacher (a stiff panel which attached to the bodice) in a zig-zag shape. In her portrait to the left, Madame de Pompadour wears a stomacher decorated with a line of bows; a look she popularised.

Towards the end of the 18th century, the fashionable waistline moves upwards (think Keira Knightley in Pride and Prejudice), so corsets also change - dresses are looser so the body no longer needs shaping in the same way. The emphasis in this period is on the bust, so cups are built into the corset for the first time, and stiff wooden busks are used to keeps the breasts apart. Below is an example of a corset from 1790.

 

With the advent of the Victorian period, the waist moves back down and more recognisable corsets come into use. These make use of new inventions – metal eyelets and metal busks which use hooks to allow the corset to be fastened at the front, as well as laced at the back. Criss-cross lacing is introduced, and remains in use today. It is during this period that tight-lacing becomes popular, along with the hourglass figure. Below is an example of a corset from 1864. 

 

 Corsets largely fell out of fashion during the 1920s, as a new "boyish" shape was desired by flappers. They began to come back into popularity in the 1950s in the form of bustiers and girdles like the ones to the right.

Modern designers like Jean Paul Gaultier have revisited the corset in haute couture, and the resurgence of burlesque has ensured that corsets are once again  fashionable and desirable items of lingerie!

Ready to try out corsets for yourself? Our corsets and waspies are designed for the boudoir or as outerwear (rather than waist training corsets, which need to be specially made to safely reduce your waist-line)!

HELLOwaist: Carli and Ally on their second week of waist-training

Week two of Kim Kardashian-style waist-training led to some shocking discoveries. 1) Sugar can be a waist-trainer’s best friends... and heady addiction. 2) Wearing your corset upside down can really slow your progress. Keep up-to-date on our journey by following the #HELLOwaist hashtag on Beelike.com.

Carli Whitwell, Senior Writer, @carliwhitwell:

I have a confession to make… and it’s an embarrassing one. Turns out, I was wearing my waist trainer upside down for the first 10 days of this challenge.
Here’s how I found out. It was about 3:30 pm on a Friday and we were eating cake at the Hello! Canada offices. (Sadly, this isn’t a regular occurrence; it was senior editor Michael Killingsworth’s birthday.) I had completed my eight-hour stretch of training, so took off my corset and was demonstrating to a friend how to button it up.
That’s when Ally noticed my mistake. “That’s how you’ve been wearing it? That’s upside down!”
I’m left-handed, so the only explanation I can think of is that I found it easier to clasp the hooks on the corset when it was upside down. Also, for some reason I thought the tag should be at the bottom. (To my credit, I was in a sinus cold-induced haze at the time.) Thanks to my waist-training partner-in-crime Ally for pointing out my gaffe and only teasing me about it a little. :)

Now that I’m waist training the right way, I’m noticing a huge difference. There are two settings on every corset and this past weekend I cinched it to the tighter setting. And, just yesterday, Ally and I decided we are going to go down to a size smaller for the second half of this month-long experiment. (Scarlett O’Hara, he we come!)
I’ve been keeping up my four-days-a-week fitness regimen but, to be honest, have yet to wear my corset during my sweatfests. I’m a little nervous that I may pass out. So, I’m going to keep it on for my weekly “Muscle Up” class this Thursday and will keep you posted.
The good news is, even without wearing it during exercise, I can say that my waist trainer has upped my abs game, which has always been the Jan Brady of my fitness routine. Instead of lying on the couch watching Bloodline after work, I’ve been pulling out my yoga mat and doing crunches and sit-ups… while watching Bloodline after work!

It’s been said it takes 21 days to break a habit, but maybe it takes 21 days to make one, too. I think my body is slowly becoming used to wearing a corset. I know this because previously – and perhaps because it was upside-down – I used to watch the clock until I could unbutton my waist trainer.
Today, I just realized it’s about half-an-hour past the time I’m “allowed” to remove it and I feel like I can keep going. And that, my friends, is progress!

Ally Dean, Fashion & Beauty Editor, @allyedean:

Here is the thing about waist training: overall you’re less hungry. But, I’ve found myself eating much more bad-for-you food than I would without my midsection on lockdown. You know the kind of food that get’s a “Stop” sign on the poster at your dentist’s office (think cakes, cookies, chips and candy). It seems my corset creates a mental free pass to indulge – a dangerous past time when you work in an office inundated with treats. Forget a sizeable kale and quinoa salad, I’ve no room for that. But a handful of leftover Easter chocolates? Yes please. I shall eat one fist full ever hour, on the hour.
This high-calorie reward system is my version of the mental ‘pat on the back’ athletes give themselves after a sweat session. Some may honour an hour on a Pilates reformer with a carb-laden dinner but, for me, I applaud my 8+ hours of being strapped into my waist-trainer by elbowing colleagues away from a plate of homemade brownies stuffed with Cadbury cream egg. (Yes, that was a real delicacy crafted by our Editorial Assistant, Nicole Carrington).

The takeaway is that my corset is turning me into a sugar-wired, nutrition-deficient monster. My focus now isn’t just on strapping into my corset, but on strapping into my corset and veering away from all sweets, treats and generally unhealthy food options (after I polish off this delivery of macarons, naturally).
Despite my newfound sugar addiction, the waist trainer still seems to shrink my waistline. In fact, as this week comes to an end I had to call up my friends at Hourglass Angel and ask them to send another, smaller corset!
With a sugar ban and smaller cincher on the horizon, here’s hoping I don’t fall into a sugar-deficient, perma-bad mood next week.

Why You Might Not Want to Jump Onto That Waist Training Bandwagon—Experts Weigh In

One of the biggest celeb trends this season has nothing to do with flirty fruits, must-have prints or punchy spring pumps—it's actually all about the hourglass (body shape, that is).
Waist training has become the go-to fitness hack for celebrities who want to trim their middles in time for what we're sure will be a body envy-inducing bikini season. Kim Kardashian, sisters Kourtney Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan and Kim Zolciak have all purportedly used the waist training method to enhance (or exaggerate, really) their hourglass figures.
But is jumping back a few centuries for the corset training trend really worth it? We had to find out, which is why we asked experts in the field tell us whether sucking it in corset-style can actually lead to a slimmer figure—or if it's all really smoke and selifies mirrors. And you might be surprised what they reveal!
PHOTOS: Celebs dish on their diet and fitness secrets

Pouya Shafipour, M.D., of Wellesley Medical in Los Angeles believes that waist training has more to with feeling confident than actually losing fat from the waistline. (His view may explain why women like Jessica Alba have reportedly used corsets after pregnancy.)
"[Waist training] is not so much about medical results. It makes you feel more confident. It makes you want to exercise more," he explained.
Dr. Shafipour does however use a similar device for obese patients—corset-tight clothing that helps shape excess fat after weight loss: "For people that are heavier, these physically give them a lot more mobility. And psychologically it provides a feel-good effect, makes them stand straight. A lot of the benefits involve just feeling better, feeling slimmer and feeling taller," he said. "It gives them a lot of confidence to do things that they probably normally wouldn't."
PHOTOS: Best celeb healthies

Some celebs have worn corsets for work instead of weight loss, like Cinderella's Lily James, who was made to take on a liquid diet of sorts when sporting her ultra-tight corset in the film.
"When [the corset] was on we would be on continuous days so we wouldn't stop for lunch or a lovely tea like this—you'd be sort of eating on the move," James told E! News in March. "In that case, I couldn't untie the corset. So if you ate food it didn't really digest properly and I'd be burping all afternoon in [Richard Madden]'s face, and it was just really sort of unpleasant. I'd have soup so that I could still eat but it wouldn't get stuck."

Beyond being forced to eat less (or liquid-only) while wearing the corset, there may be some internal risks involved: Dr. Paul Nassif, of E!'s own Botched reality series, has concerns about the severe compression involved with wearing increasingly smaller corsets.
"I'm worried about is what effect it has on the lower intestines with pushing the contents into the pelvic region," he said. "That is a [concern], in addition to compressing the diaphragm, which causes pulmonary problems. Basically, there is potential for internal organ compression causing kidney, gastrointestinal and lung issues."
Beyond internal organ damage, risks include skin infection if the corset is worn too tight, as well as scarring for the same reason. Another problem could be the obsession factor—especially for naturally-thin individuals who choose this as a daily tummy-tightening routine.

Further, Dr. Nassif suggests that there are no real long-term effects of wearing a waist training device: "They will visibly streamline the appearance of the body, but do not have any permanent slimming effects," he said. "The results are not 'real' based on the fact that the individuals who wear the waist trainer have the same body fat percentage as they did prior to putting the device on. Diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle are by far the best guidelines to follow for individuals who want to stay fit and pride themselves in looking their best."
Well, there you have it! And sorry waist training addicts: It may be better to wear these corsets with caution, if it all.

Teen Mom 2's Jenelle Evans starts waist training after admitting she has gotten down to 108 pounds from cutting out carbs

She has gotten down to 108 pounds thanks to heavy exercise and a carb-free diet.

But now Jenelle Evans is taking after Kim and Khloe Kardashian by waist training.

On Tuesday the 23-year-old Teen Mom 2 star showed off her new system with a picture of her corseted waist.

Scroll down for video... 

Trim and tanned: Jenelle Evans announced on Tuesday that she is waist training. This comes after she shared that she has dieted her way down to 108lbs; here she is pictured at Buca di Beppo in NYC on Thursday

 About to go do cardio!! Finally decided to start waist training. Thanks @waistedbykeke �� I'm loving it so far!' the reality standout wrote in her caption.

She wore the black corset over a green and pink workout number.

The beauty also had on her hand an engagement ring, which is interesting considering she had a big fight with her fiance last month.

 

On March 4, Nathan Griffith, 27,  was arrested in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

She said that he pinned her 'against a toilet and forcibly removed an engagement ring from her finger' after they got into an argument. She complained part of her finger was cut.

She said she had been staying in a hotel and went back to their home to get some belongings.  

Griffith said he never touched her and it was Jenelle who was violent. He added she had been violent in the past.  

Jenelle welcomed their baby Kaiser only eight months ago.

On Tuesday RadarOnline reported that the couple have been contacting each other on Facebook.

He recently changed his status to 'single' which upset her. 

As far as her diet, Evans has said that she has been laying off the pasta and soda and instead been enjoying leaner foods.

'I don't drink protein shakes.. low carb diet, only water to drink, chicken/steak, veggies, cardio, and home workouts. Shredz supplements , Niacin, Biotin,' she told a fan on Twitter. 

On Thursday, however, she was seen enjoying a plate of pasta at Buca di Beppo in New York City.

The North Carolina native is only 5ft 1in tall.