Alluring, practical, and continuously fashionable, the corset has been a fashion mainstay since its birth in ancient Greece. The Minoan people of Crete were the first to appreciate the many benefits of wearing a corset. Both men and women wore form-fitting belts and vests with strapping that cinched the waist.

You may have noticed that modern corsets are becoming more and more on-trend. Made from a strong yet soft and flexible material such as satin, cotton, or leather they are comfortable to wear for longer periods. Using steel boning to cinch the waist, they have the ability to dramatically enhance your figure in a few moments.

17 Benefits of Wearing a Corset

Here are 17 interesting benefits of wearing a corset, where we cover everything from the all important slimming properties, improved posture, pain relief, emotional well-being, and not forgetting fashion consciousness.

1. Corsets Make You Look Slimmer

The slimming effect is of course the main benefits of wearing a corset. Most women are familiar with girdles, shapewear, and tummy shaper panties. Corsets work similarly but their added support of boning will smooth those curves and keep them in place better than any other shapewear.

Other body shapers are more flexible and offer compression, but they don’t hold the hourglass shape. Because of the boning, corsets streamline your midsection to make you appear slimmer.

2. Corsets Give You an Hourglass Figure

For an enhanced figure, any professional will recommend modifying diet and increasing exercise. Physical activity should include some type of abdominal toning. Of course, this is practical advice. Anything that improves health along with your figure is wise.

Adding a corset to that regimen will aid in achieving the classic hourglass shape. Some of us are not genetically programmed for that look without the added support of a waist-shaping corset.

Also, some health conditions that affect our hormones can further impede efforts to trim your waist. Again, a corset can help considerably in this area if used correctly.

3. Improve Your Overall Body Posture

Due to the rigidity of corsets, they assist in correcting your posture. You’ve probably heard of posture bras for women and similar bindings for men. Wearing a corset forces you to adjust your posture with more firmness than a posture bra.

Once wearing a corset, you must stand and sit with your back straight. For balance, you will automatically push back your shoulders and raise your chin to compensate. Over time, you’ll find that your body is adapting to this posture, strengthening the required muscles as well.

4. Empower Yourself to Wear More Fitted Clothes

Tailored clothing looks smart, sexy, and professional. Men, as well as women, often like the look of tailored styles over loose-fitting ones. They may desire the look for fashion purposes only. Other times, the goal is to look more professional in the workplace.

Regardless of the reason, not everyone has the body type for fitted styles. Wearing a corset underneath streamlines the figure and opens the door for more tailored clothing options in any size.

5. Boost Your Self Esteem

Poor posture can negatively impact body image and self-esteem. Adults often suggest to children that they “stand up straight” or “put your chin up” because looking confident often leads to self-confidence within.

Adults can boost their self-image in the same manner. If correct posture is physically difficult, then a corset can help. Poor posture may be due to a physical limitation, or it may be a residual effect of a past negative emotional experience. Correcting posture through the use of a corset may also help correct the emotional imbalance within.

Corsets can be a valuable tool women struggling with their feminine identity. Corsets reshape and thus feminize the figure. They also create the appearance of a more extended waistline, which makes the hips look fuller.

6. Feel More Attractive

Quite simply, when we look better, we feel better. So far, we have discussed how corsets correct posture and streamline the figure, making the waist appear smaller. For women, this makes the hips appear fuller in contrast.

We all strive to accept the beauty within. Though, we still like to dress in flattering styles, wear makeup that complements our complexion, and don jewelry to feel a little fancier. In short, men and women alike add to their wardrobes items to make themselves feel more attractive. Consider the corset to be one of those accessories.

7. Have Your Own Style and Stand Out from the Crowd

You can wear corsets over your clothes as part of a fashionable ensemble. Over-bust corsets cover the breasts and can function as tank tops or shells under a jacket. Custom designs abound to complement any style, from punk to retro to cosplay.

If you’ve got your own unique style, then designer corsets just may be for you. If you’re accustomed to standing apart from the crowd, then you probably see no reason to hide your corset under your clothes.

8. Increase Your Feeling of Positivity

Sometimes, looking better leads to more positive thinking. Whether you wear a corset to shape your waist, improve posture, or simply jazz up your wardrobe, you are making a move towards more a positive self-image. That’s always a smart move.

That, in turn, quickly leads to more positive thinking and a fresh outlook on life. True, a corset isn’t a magic garment. Though, it is a small thing you can do for yourself that is one small pebble in the pond of positive thinking.

9. Feel More Confident

As you improve your appearance, posture, and positive outlook, you can’t help but feel more confident. As we mentioned earlier, nutrition and exercise is a huge component to health and state of mind. And, a corset complements those efforts well, enhancing the attractive effects of all those positive lifestyle changes. The happy result is more confidence in your self-image.

10. Improve Your Love Life

Positive attracts positive. As your self-image improves, you may just find yourself attracting like-minded, potential partners. If you already have a significant other, you may find yourself rekindling that old spark as your confidence grows.

And, let’s also state the obvious. Fashionable corsets are rather sexy. Not exactly lingerie, but they do transform the figure into a more alluring one, especially when they are detailed with trimmings like lace and beads. Your partner may be as interested in helping you unlace your corset as he or she is in seeing you wear it. If that’s the case, run with it.

11. Corsets Are Very Much in Fashion

Corsets have remained in fashion throughout the centuries in one culture or another. In contemporary society, you see corsets used for stage performances, cosplay, or steampunk fashion. They remain popular as undergarments as well for waist training.

Have you also noticed that celebrities like Shikara, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga wear corsets on-stage? Kim Kardashian also wears them as waist trainers. All these women are fashion icons, giving corsets a prominent place in today’s fashion. In fact, superstar designers like Alexander and Jean Paul Gaultier design corsets for their signature collections.

12. Relieve Back and Joint Pain

So far, we have concentrated on the social and emotional aspects of wearing a corset. They do have health benefits as well beyond the pain associated with poor posture.

The corset correct posture and redistributes your weight evenly, which translates to relief for your feet. For example, the correct corset can help alleviate back pain from an injury or slipped disc. You can find similar relief from arthritic knee pain because the corset forces you to keep your hips level.

Finally, it has been suggested that corsets can also relieve pain associated with other conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome. Pain relief occurs because the corset related the trigger points in the back that cause the pain.

13. Helps with Period Pain

This is one of the lesser-known benefits of wearing a corset. They can actually reduce menstrual cramps, otherwise known as dysmenorrhea. Most people relieve dysmenorrhea pain by lying in the fetal position. This puts pressure on the peritoneal organs, which reduces the uterine contractions that cause the pain.

Corsets mimic the fetal position because they exert pressure in the same places and reduce those contractions in the same way. The added benefit of the corset is that it works as long as you have it on. So, you don’t have to lay curled up all day.

14. Possibly Sooth a Headache

Proper posture can also provide relief to chronic headache sufferers. A corset can reduce the intensity of reoccurring headaches and migraines. Better posture takes the pressure off the neck and shoulders. While it’s not a prescribed treatment, it can undoubtedly augment whatever medical regimen migraine sufferers already follow. Several migraine sufferers have reported ongoing relief by using a corset.

15. Support for Larger Breasts

Corsets support the bustline, especially the over-bust styles. Women with large breasts often have neck and back strain. There is even a condition called Neurogenic Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. It causes the brachial nerve plexus to become inflamed. The added weight of the breasts either causes or exacerbates the condition. A corset supports the breasts and thus relieves the pressure on the back and associated nerves.

16. Encourages Weight Loss

Corsets act as an aid to weight loss due to their restrictive nature. While you’re wearing one, you’ve basically got a gastric band to help you control your appetite. A properly fitting corset inhibits the expansion of your stomach, in turn helping you control your appetite and eat smaller portions.

Wearing the corset also allows you to envision a smaller version of yourself. It can be a powerful motivator towards reaching your weight loss goals.

17. Waist Training Corsets Give Longer-Lasting Results

Corsets can change your figure in a more permanent way by changing the morphology of your muscles and fat pads. That’s why female athletes wear corsets to trim their waists. Female bodybuilders wear them as well, to gain a competitive edge during competitions.

A lesser-known fact is that retired professional swimmers have used corsets to reverse the effect of what’s called a “barrel chest.” It helps them restore the smaller ribcage they had before beginning their swimming career.

Conclusion

Misconceptions about corsets are abundant, primarily due to women’s misuse of them over the years. In reality, the benefits of wearing a corset outweigh the negative connotations.

Related Post: Corset Facts: A Complete Guide To Corsets

Certainly, extreme cinching can be harmful. However, wearing a corset as intended offers multiple health and emotional benefits. A corset shouldn’t cause pain. Rather if used correctly, the slight compression should improve posture and help with pain relief.

The critical thing to remember is that your corset should be quality-made and should fit correctly. More importantly, you should not over-tighten your corset.

Corsets can and should be fun and fashionable. If you haven’t already, why not take your shapewear or waist trainer up a notch? Get a little flirty with a well-made corset.

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