What Corseting Taught Me About My Body

Most people assume corsets are all about the waist, and that’s how it started for me. But after more than a decade of wearing them, I’ve become much more aware of my body and how I perceive it.

Corsets have strengthened my mind-body connection and made me notice things I never would have otherwise—from my appetite and posture to the pace of my day.

Understanding My Hunger

When I’m not wearing my corset, I tend to eat more, be hungrier, and snack a lot more throughout the day. Sometimes I will wear my corset when I get up in the morning until I go to bed. And on those days, I don’t eat as much as I normally would.

Wearing a corset has made me more aware of my hunger. Am I really hungry, as in, is my tummy growling? Or am I bored or in my feelings?

I’ve had conversations with other corset lacers who have wondered whether wearing a corset super tight can disrupt your body’s hunger cues—like somehow your brain isn’t getting the signal that says, “Hey, we’re hungry. Feed me!”

I don’t know if there’s actually any correlation between tight corseting and feeling less hungry. It’s just a theory, so don’t quote me.

Becoming Aware of My Posture

When I’m wearing a corset and I slouch or hunch over for a long period of time, my upper back starts to hurt. The corset sort of forces me to stand or sit up straight and maintain good posture.

Wearing a corset has made me very aware of my posture, and if I don’t straighten up fast, I know I will be in pain later.

Paying Attention to My Digestion

This is a very controversial one. A lot of people say that wearing corsets has either helped their digestion or messed up their digestion, leaving them unable to use the restroom regularly.

For me, corset training has helped my digestion. When I’m wearing a corset after eating, the compression from the corset seems to help move things along. Corsets made me more aware of the noises and movements my body makes after eating. I never really paid attention to any of it until I started wearing corsets.

Because of the compression, I notice the little wiggles and waves my organs make after eating, or how some sounds are slushier and others sound like gurgling. Wearing a corset while I’m digesting my food lets me know where my food is along its journey.

It sounds really weird, but knowing and feeling the process brings me closer to my body and makes me appreciate how amazing my body truly is.

Breathing in a Corset

I’ve always been able to breathe perfectly fine with a corset on, so long as it was the right size and shape for me. In the past, I did wear more tubular, or less hourglass-shaped corsets. They did nothing for my waist and squeezed me in all the wrong places.

I’ve worn sizes that were too small, which also contributed to not being able to breathe properly. When the placement of the corset laces is not on my waist, and instead are higher near my diaphragm, breathing can hurt.

If you can’t take a full breath with your corset on, it’s either the wrong shape or wrong size for you.

Learning to Accept My Asymmetry

Now this one is a little difficult for me to talk about, because I’m a very shallow person and looks mean everything to me! 

For what it’s worth, as a content creator, I get told all the time what’s wrong with my body. So when I’m editing my videos, I take notice of everything “wrong” or start to notice the little things that I never would have noticed had I not been made aware of by strangers online.

But if it weren’t for my corset training (and deciding to share my journey online), I never would have realized my left foot goes inward when I walk, or that the left side of my waist pinches in more due to flared ribs.

These aren’t serious asymmetries that take over my life in any way; however, it’s at least interesting to take note of. If something happens in the future, I know the left side of my body is a bit unbalanced.

Calming Down My Nervous System

Wearing my corset gives me a sense of grounding, rather than staying in my head, overthinking because of social anxiety, or worrying about what I can’t control.

The corset brings me to be in the present. It’s a physical sensation that keeps me in the moment and in tune with my body.

I also have this theory (which I’ve read about in books, too) that the pressure from the corset pushing down on certain chakras leads to a more grounded or safe feeling… but that’s for another blog post!

Feeling My Emotions vs. Suppressing Them

Corsets have really influenced my overall relationship with my feelings and emotions. Somehow, wearing my corset makes me aware of what I’m going through, rather than ignoring the situation at hand.

For reference, feelings are the mental awareness of the thoughts you have, and emotions are the bodily symptoms of those thoughts. I think a lot of my feelings are intuitive, rather than just from the mind.

And that intuition comes from the gut (a gut feeling, getting butterflies) which sends signals to the brain, and we (usually) have a thought. This thought turns into an emotion that we feel in the body.

Anyways, all that to say, having a corset on does something to me internally and forces me to acknowledge my feelings and emotions, and be more in tune with my body.

Slowing Down is a Peaceful Luxury

People always ask me, “How do you get anything done in that?” or “What do you do all day, just lie around?”

And although I can do just about anything while I’m corseting, it’s a lot slower. I’m more careful when I’m in my corset. I allow myself to slow down, and I’m able to just sit with myself in peace.

And honestly, that’s a true luxury in this day & age of hustle culture!

Corset Body Awareness

Looking back, the changes I’m most grateful for aren’t the ones on the measuring tape (although those don’t hurt!).

Wearing a corset has become a daily check-in with myself and teaches me something new about my body every day. It’s made me more aware of how I move, feel, eat, breathe, and carry myself throughout the day.

♡, S