Here are my top reasons why I still wear my corset even when I’m bloated. And you can take “booked” however you like—appointments, busyness—but you are booked and you are bloated, so let’s get into it.
1. RELIEF & RELEASE: Nobody in their right mind likes any type of discomfort. I think it’s human nature. We like comfortability, we like familiarity. And being bloated is not one of those freaking things, right? When I get bloated, it’s usually because I’m talking way too fast (swallowing too much air), I’ve drank something fizzy, I’ve mixed foods or fruit… Like the other day, I had grapes with berries. Who knew that would bloat the heck out of me?! I was also made aware that there are different types of bloating: fruit fermentation bloating is not the same as, say, PMS bloating. When I am bloated on my period, I can easily put my corset on and feel almost immediate comfort. But after that fruit…Nope! My body said, ‘OH HELL NO!’ The fermentation from the fruit caused such an intense bloated pain, I could not wear my corset. Paying attention to my body and how certain foods, including fruits, affect it, has helped me understand whether or not putting on my corset will help me, or make me suffer even more. It’s definitely a trial and error thing. When I’m bloated due to air or gas, the corset pressure on my stomach gives such a relief/release! And it seriously flattens out my tummy like nothing else can. You know when you’re in pain and you push down on your belly, or kind of hold or hug your tummy? You’re giving it a bit of compression because for some reason it’s soothing? Yeah, that’s what a corset does.
2. LYMPH MASSAGE: Corsets act as a slight belly massage or lymphatic drainage. So, I learned this pretty recently, actually. The pressure of the corset pushes down on our abdominal lymph nodes, organs, fat, muscle, nerves, etc., which can feel like a light lymphatic massage. They say that the stomach area is the “second brain” because there’s so much going on in there; if your gut is unhealthy, your mind is unhealthy (or something along those lines). So when I wear my corset, it gives a sense of an ever so slight massage, by gently pushing down on my insides. Have you ever put on your corset and all of a sudden you start burping, or passing gas, or have a sudden need to use the restroom? Well next time you’re bloated and you need a belly massage but don’t feel like paying for one, put on your corset and pay attention to what happens.
3. OUTFITS & PHOTOS: Corset training makes every outfit look and feel 10x better. When I’m bloated and I know I have somewhere that I need to be, putting on my corset before I get into my outfit (so like while I’m doing my hair and makeup), really snatches me up and gets rid of any lingering or last-minute gas build up in my belly. I think we can all agree that getting into an outfit you were really excited to wear, and then realizing you have some gas bubbles dancing around in your belly and causing a slight pooch is so foul, it makes you not even want to go! If I’m going to be wearing a bodycon dress or a crop top, I will tighten up my corset as much as possible, even if it’s more than what I’m used to. Doing this for an hour or so while I’m getting glam, lowkey hypes me up because I know I’m going to look extra delicious and snackable, while my corset is getting rid of any and all unwanted gas bubbles in my tummy. Putting on your corset will also guarantee photo-ready angles. Sometimes I feel like I look better straight on, especially if I’m bloated, and I do not want to take a picture when I’m bloated. But again, wearing a corset before you get ready, or before your IG photoshoot with the girls, or in the car on your way to take some new website shots, will definitely guarantee photo-ready angles from the side. Even if it’s for like 5, 10 minutes of super tight compression.
4. MIND-BODY CONNECTION: When I’m bloated and I know I’m just staying home for the day/night, there are times where I will fight with myself. Sometimes the corset lover in me wins, and sometimes I decide I just want to rot in peace. But that corset lover in me loves to make those tiny little remarks in my head: “You said you were going to wear it today, liar.” or “What happened to becoming That Girl?” or “Okay, another excuse for the books, noted.” Sometimes I give in and put on my corset, and other times I turn up the TV volume. Being bloated whilst vegging on the couch without my corset on, and knowing that if I were to put my corset on would help the bloat, really messes with a girl’s head. When I do end up putting my corset on, my tummy starts making noises due to the bloat. And it never occurred to me to look up any of these noises or sensations until recently while I had my corset on bloated AF. This made me become more aware of my body, and how corsets help me with my bloating and digestion, too. If I put on my corset, and all of a sudden I start to hear a slushing noise, or I feel movement coming from my lower left belly area, I’ll look it up. So wearing a corset really pushed me, forced me, and made me realize that I was not aware of my body until I started wearing my corset, especially while I was bloated.
5. BRINGS BACK CONFIDENCE: Corsets tighten the silhouette and remind you who the F you are! When you’re bloated and you feel big and bulky, that’s the best time to stop fighting with yourself and to just put on your corset, and remember who the F you are. Tighten up your silhouette, get it back into snatched mode, and go! Go be booked. Go be busy. Don’t let bloating or being bloated stop you from living your life as a booked bitch. Remember how hot and gorgeous and delicious you are! Remember how amazing your body is, everything it does for you, keeps you alive and so forth, and in return you keep it looking fabulous. Whenever I’m bloated, I always feel bigger than I really am. And I forget who the F I am. I forget how amazing I am and how beautiful I am, and all of those things that I know I am deep down inside. But when you’re not feeling your best, you’re all bloated and you feel like a beached whale, those memories of you knowing who you are can wash away and go out the window. So put your corset back on, check yourself out in the mirror, and remember who you are!
6. CALMS THE NERVOUS SYSTEM: Corsets ground my nervous system from sensory overload. Oh my god, this is a huge one for me. I feel like sometimes when I have overeaten, or I am just doing too many things at once—I am extremely booked, extremely busy—I have put way too much on my plate to handle, and there’s so much going on, corsets are the one thing that can stabilize me. Sometimes my nervous system can’t handle so much at once, even though I always think it can. Putting on my corset when I feel that way, really grounds me, and brings me out of my head and back into my body; I have something physical to put my attention towards, something that I cannot ignore. And again, tying this back into when you’re bloated: you’re bloated and your nervous system is skyrocketing because you feel like crap and it’s trying to get rid of the extra gas in your belly. So you put your corset back on and you just start to feel more calm. At least for me, I start to feel more calm, more grounded, more like I can handle this. It’s not too much. It’s the tight hug that the corset gives, that nice little compression—not pain, just compression. And it’s saying to you, “I’ve got you. You’ve got this. We’ve got each other. Your body is going to be okay. You’re going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay. ” Just take that deep breath, and let your corset do its magic.
The next time you’re bloated and booked, don’t cancel your plans. Put on your corset, let it snatch you up, and go live your life!
Until next time,
♡, S