There are always new ways celebrities are trying to cut inches and shed pounds to maintain their fit, thin, and toned physiques. The new way female celebrities are doing this actually stems from the Victorian Era. Women are now using a contemporary version of the corset to help the engage their abdominal muscles, and help shrink waistlines down to enhance their own bodies to a more hourglass shape. Reality star Kim Kardashian took to social media outlet, Instagram, to display her curvaceous body in a “waist trainer” corset, which she used to help shed the last seven pounds of baby weight she gained while she was pregnant with her daughter North West.
Her sister Khloe Kardashian has been vocal about waist training via her Instagram account and praises the results she’s experienced. Kardashian wrote, “So in love with my @premadonna87 waist trainer! I love working out with it for that extra push. Trying to snatch my waist up #premadonna87 #waistgangssociety @pre_shop I may need to get a smaller size soon!!!” Other celebrities such as Shahs of Sunset reality star and business mogul Lilly Ghalichi who is known for her thin frame has even used the workout tool.
These celebrities seem to use “waist trainers” as a way to enhance workouts in conjunction with proper diet and exercise. However, there are people out there who are using “waist trainers” to change their physical shape to get themselves down to unhealthy bodily proportions. The question that has to be asked here is, “Are waist trainers actually effective, and can they be detrimental to one’s health if used excessively?”
Nicole Florence, MD, Co-Director of Memorial Weight Loss and Wellness Center at Memorial Medical Center, speaks on the extremities of the new diet fad with Jamie Harrison for Ebony by stating, “Some people who want a quick fix fall prey to diet trends. And it can absolutely impact your health in a negative way. Corset training can restrict any type of movement in your midsection. It can restrict your lungs, which can cause lung infections and other lung problems, as well as restrict your bowels, which can cause constipation. It can also cause bruising and rib pain.”
Fetish model Kelly Lee Dekay has been waist training for seven years, and got her waistline to morph into what most people would call extremely unhealthy and almost impossible. Dekay says in an article for Daily Mail that she got her inspiration to waist train from curvaceous comic book characters such as Jessica Rabbit. Always shy as a child, Dekay used waist training as a way to help boost her self-confidence. She states, “Growing up I just loved the exaggeration of styles and the beautiful costumes that comic book characters would wear and that led to the aesthetic that led to tight-lacing.” After waist training for seven years, she has gotten her waistline to 16 inches. Kelly Lee Dekay has received mixed reactions regarding her comic book character type body. The model states, “Some people really love it, some people really hate it, but I always did it for myself – I didn’t really do it for people’s reactions.”
There are obviously extremes that people can go to with all diet fads, and waist training just happens to be one of them. When you see celebrities praising a new product especially something fitness related it will become very popular very quick, and that is exactly what has happened with the waist trainer. Because these celebrities are using the product and using mediums social media to advertise it, consumers don’t think that there could be negative effects. However, as mentioned before, there are medical professionals just like Dr. Nicole Florence who don’t think waist training is healthy for a woman’s body. As this trend continues to gain popularity over time, we will see if this is something worth trying.
Image Credits: Instagram and E!Online