'I've Worn A Corset 23 Hours A Day Since Giving Birth, And I'll Never Stop'

It's official: corsets have made a comeback. Worn by Billie Eilish on the cover of Vogue and spotted on singers like Rihanna and Dua Lipa, the controversial garment is experiencing a revival thanks to shows like Netflix's Bridgerton and the Balmain catwalk.

However, corsets aren't just taking over the red carpet. With hashtags such as #CorsetChallenge and #9inches trending on TikTok, the comfy styles we came to love during lockdown have been replaced by heaving bosoms and tiny waists—and the pain that comes with it.

Influencers and celebs like Kim Kardashian swear by tight-lacing and waist training—the reality star has previously been criticized for "promoting" body positivity while selling waist-trainers through her SKIMS underwear brand—and not just in the name of fashion, but in the hopes of permanently altering their shape.

Can an article of clothing really do that much damage? And are the possible health issues worth it for a slimmer middle? We spoke to experts, as well as one corset fan, on the pros and cons of "training" your waist.

The Mom With An 18-Inch Waist: 'I Fell In Love With My Corset'

Corseted-lifestyle influencer DiAra, real name Diana Ringo, swears by waist training to maintain her 18-inch waist. The mom of three lives in San Diego, California, and wears her corset 23 hours a day.

Ringo had a 29-inch waist before taking up corsetry, but after having twins, she struggled to "bounce back."

"I had no curves left after the babies. I was not happy with that. So I did something about it," she told Newsweek.

However, her waist did not shrink overnight. It took Ringo years of waist training to achieve her goal.

"I took my time," she said. "I tried other things that did not work. I saw the results and fell in love with the corset."

Ringo's corset of choice uses steel bones and cords. It is usually worn under her clothes, rather than on the outside, so as to not elicit stares.

"It does what it is supposed to and makes you stand up straight, the way you are meant to stand," she said. "I feel sexy, too. Not always—I'll be honest, I am human—but I love it."

Without the corset, Ringo's waist is 20 inches. Along with daily workouts, sometimes for two to three hours, she maintains a strict no-carb diet to avoid bloating (although she does love a "cheat meal").

"Like any other beauty treatment, you have to use it in combination with other things like fashion, hair and make-up, diet, fasting—whatever works," she said. "It's a combination of things I have to do in order to be where I want to be."

Ringo said she has "no health concerns" when it comes to corsets, and doesn't care what other people think of her waist training.

"There are correct and incorrect ways to use a corset," she said. "I'm not here telling anyone else how to live their lives or how to wear anything."

Although, she does respect her husband's opinion on the topic.

"He had some concerns, which we talked about, and he said that as long as I do not go beyond 18 inches he is ok with it," she said.

She has no intention of ever going back to her original waist size, calling it a "big no."

"I like the look of 18 inches so I have no interest in going any smaller than that," she said. There is nothing wrong to have a wider waist but it's not what I want for me. I have the right to do what is right for me no matter who has what to say about it."

History Of The Corset: When Were The First Corsets Made?

Ever wondered how one garment can cause so much controversy? Corsets have a long history of transforming the female form into whatever beauty standard was popular at the time, although originally, they were unisex.

It was around the 15th century that waist-shaping attire became a real trend, with aristocratic women "stiffening" the waistline of their dresses with paste to make DIY corsets. In the 16th century, the stomach-sucking corset as we know it was born.

Now a separate garment, corsets back then were made of whalebone, wood, or an animal horn, and fitted closely around a woman's ribs and squeezed the waist to give them the coveted "V" shape figure. They could be laced at the front or the back and often included a "busk"—a stiff piece of wood, bone, or metal, to keep the front of the corset straight and the stomach looking flat.

Originally designed to give women the ideal "hourglass shape," the style of the corset changed over time to complement beauty norms. In the 1910s, a slender, straight figure (dubbed the "S shape") was considered desirable, so corsets were longer to cover the thighs.

In 2022, corsets are resurfacing in mainstream fashion, but wearing one on a night out is unlikely to cause you any harm. However, tight-lacing—pulling the laces as tight as possible to create a substantial and immediate reduction in waist size—and waist training, or shrinking your waist over a period of time using steel-boned corsets, are more questionable.

"Current waist trainers are made from latex materials with adjustable hooks that are designed to be more comfortable," Dr. Matthew R. Schulman, a plastic surgeon and a Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Newsweek. "While the construction and materials are different, the intention is the same—the squeeze and reshape," he said.

Is Wearing A Corset Dangerous?

Concerns about the effects of corsets are not a new trend. Doctors have warned against their potential side effects since the 1700s.

In 1793, German physician Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring released the best-selling book Über die Wirkungen der Schnürbrüste (On the Effects of the Corset). He argued that back-laced corsets compressed the ribs and internal organs, leading to tuberculosis, scoliosis, and even cancer. Although many of these claims have been debunked, an x-ray of a woman wearing a corset from 1908 showed the garment's negative effects on the rib cage and organs.

Schulman compares modern-day waist training to "putting your body in a vice." He said: "There has been an increase in the popularity of waist training, as women are looking for ways to appear curvier, and waist training may appear to be a non-surgical and non-invasive option. But we know that constant pressure on bones will cause some reshaping."

Schulman said that over time, the pressure applied by waist trainers can cause the organs inside the abdomen to shift, as well as narrow the lower ribcage. Our organs require a certain amount of space to function properly, but long-term use of waist trainers can cause these organs to compact, preventing them from doing their job.

"Some organs that are designed to expand during normal function," he said. "For example, after you eat, your stomach expands in size. If this cannot happen, you are likely to feel nausea after eating and likely vomit. It can also cause acidic digestive fluids to go in reverse, causing indigestion, reflux, and inflammation of your esophagus."

Other possible issues due to organ compression include urinary incontinence, constipation and diarrhea.

"Putting aside all of these potential risks, there is no doubt that waist trainers can significantly slim your waist," Schulman said. "Nevertheless, the effects are not likely to be long-term. It would take several months, or even years, to see significant slimming from waist training, and at some point, your body will return to its normal shape if the waist training is stopped."

However, Dr. Colin Natali, an orthopedic surgeon and the Director of Spine Surgery at the Schoen Clinic in London, said that compression garments are not inherently harmful—as long you don't overuse them.

He believes the only real risk of over-using corsets and waist trainers is artificial core stability.

"As spinal surgeons, we ask patients not to use corsets because they get muscle wastage and their muscles get lazy," he told Newsweek. "[If] those muscles don't know how to work, when you take it off your spine is unprotected, which may make pain more prominent."