“ELEVATE!” my friend shouts as she pulls the laces from the back of my corset.
Each painful tug leaves me breathless, reminiscent of the struggles of Panto’s ugly sisters trying to fit into a delicate, smaller glass slipper.
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After ten minutes of some hard tugging, I manage to get into my super comfortable corset.
But if I thought the worst part was over, I was wrong.
Simple activities like walking, talking and even breathing seem like a luxury now.
After Kim Kardashian sparked controversy with her super-tight 19-inch waist at the Met Gala this week, I’m trying on a similarly sized corset to see how I’ll perform everyday tasks in it.
To create that exaggerated hourglass look, I contacted specialist corset store What Katie Did, who recommended a well-crafted £185 overbust design.
The smart suit cut my waist by SIX inches, taking me to 20 inches in minutes.
I look every inch an A-lister, but I feel anything but.
“You need to break out a corset,” explains expert Katie Thomas, 51, who founded What Katie Did and provides raunchy shows like Netflix’s Bridgerton.
“It’s a bit like buying a new pair of shoes. You need to use it a few hours a day for a few weeks before a big event.
Unfortunately, I don’t have weeks to prepare, so I’m just moving forward and waiting for bankruptcy.
As the saying goes: ‘No pain, no gain!’
It’s a rare sunny day, so I decide to mow the lawn.
Normally, I can turn around quickly, but the corset prohibits me from bending over, so it’s been quite difficult.
As I start to sweat, my nosy neighbor sticks his head over the fence and says, “How the hell do you breathe that thing? I feel pain just looking at you.
“I can’t talk,” I grumble, ending the conversation quickly. Turns out there are some bonuses to being squeezed into the heavens.
I abandon the task and take the clothes off the line.
Then my chihuahua, Coco, is barking at me, so I decide to take him for a walk.
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Although my cute little dog usually steals the spotlight, passersby are now more interested in my waist.
“Your waist looks smaller than your dog’s,” says an elderly woman, as I waddle past.
“You are brave!” says a mother pushing a stroller.
“I don’t think I could do that on one leg.”
After 20 minutes I can’t take it anymore, so I loosen the corset a little. I breathe a long sigh of relief as my organs
untangleGeorgette
Fortunately, Coco isn’t feeling too active, as I had trouble walking more than ten meters.
After skipping food all morning to squeeze into my corset, I’m hungry and decide to drive to the shops.
“You need help?” — asks a builder from his van, as I try, unsuccessfully, to get into the car.
I don’t blame him for laughing.
By some miracle, I get in.
But the pain is indescribable.
The corset is really digging into my ribs.
Katie advises not to wear a corset when you’re new, so I order a taxi instead.
After 20 minutes, I can’t take it anymore, so I loosen the corset a little.
Katie, who has been waist training for over 30 years, recommends taking regular breaks when starting out.
I breathe a long sigh of relief as my organs untangle themselves.
Almost made me faint
It’s similar to that euphoric feeling of taking off your bra after a long day – only ten times better.
When I finally get to the local store, I feel like Kim K as customers stop and stare.
“Can I get your number?” asks a guy who has been thinking since I entered the store.
I politely decline and continue scanning the hallways.
I decide I deserve a gift – and a drink.
I opt for wine, cookies and a microwave meal.
There’s no point trying to cook with it – I’ve learned this before, when the steam from hard-boiled eggs almost made me pass out.
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This particular corset is best suited for creating heat in the bedroom.
While there’s no denying that corsets are not for the faint-hearted, I love their transformative power.
They represent the elegance and romance of a bygone era and can elevate any outfit.
When Bridgerton hit our screens in 2020, corset sales soared by 50%, according to eBay.
But when Kim showed off her extremely tight waist on Monday, she looked very uncomfortable.
“Kim has lost a lot of weight recently, which will make it harder to fit comfortably into a tiny corset,” says Katie.
‘Common trick’
“You need more body fat to wear a corset without pain, as it works by crushing fat. Without it, you will just be crushing bones and muscles.”
Some critics even accused Kim of having some ribs removed, but Katie doubts that.
“She’s more likely to have sneaky padding on the sides of her hips to make her hourglass shape look more extreme,” she says.
“This is a very common trick.”
Katie also says it’s best to eat a meal before wearing the corset and to stay hydrated.
It’s important to remember that the average UK waist size for a woman is 35 inches, so a sparrow-sized waist won’t be achievable for everyone.
“How small you can go will depend on your starting size,” says Katie.
“But with a well-made corset you can shave up to six inches off your waist, and they adapt to all body shapes.”
As the day draws to a close, I’m surprised at how long I was able to last in the corset – about four hours, with occasional breaks.
I loved the killer curves it gave me, but if I had left it on any longer it would have been the death of me.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
