Yeah, we’re talking about it; the obsession with having a slimmer waist. I mean, hey, if you can get it easily, cheaply, and without having to put in the extra work, who wouldn’t want it?
Waist trainers are made to gradually take in your waist to make you have a more of an ‘hour-glass’ shape. Wearing theses corset-like garments are all the rage amongst celebrities today. Many celebs are advocates for promoting them and showing off their results. People are quickly hopping on the bandwagon. However, does this mean that you should too?
Before you dial that number on that infomercial or order your own waist trainer online for the low, there are some things that you may want to know about these contraptions.
Even though waist trainers are made to change the shape of your waist, there isn’t really evidence to show that your body will be able to keep that particular shape once you’re finished wearing it. So if you are thinking about buying one, check with you health care professional to see if it is worth it.
Fatou Cisse sophomore communications major said, “It’s popular because of a lot of celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Heather Sanders, and Blac Chyna have really been broadcasting their tiny waists.”
“I know that corset training is very unhealthy because it actually pushes your rib cage and can actually alter the genetic make up of your body,” said Cisse.
This is actually true. According to “The Effects of the Corset” in the American Journal of Public Health, a physician named Von Sömmerring determined that corsets were a health hazard because of how they compressed the ribs and other organs in women, ultimately changing the natural shape of a woman’s body.
[quote]“Everyone you see on the internet has that perfect hour-glass figure and it’s kind of like ‘keeping up with the Jones.’ If you want to be cool, and you want to be hot, you have to have the nice body. They feel that waist training is the way to achieve it,” said Cisse.[/quote]
Skye Edwards freshman interior design major said, “There’s a certain Ideal and it’s projected throughout social media and I guess famous people with money promote it, so that’s what the younger generation feels is what’s needed for them to feel beautiful.
So should you waist train?
If you want a slimmer waist, there are certainly better, healthier and long lasting ways of getting the results you want without following this questionable trend.