Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Okay. So I want a decent figure, I mean, a little more shape than just being a stick.

I've been watching some youtube videos on where to start, but I was wondering if any of you have done any waist training/corsetry in order to get a more hourglass shape to your body--I suppose this method is only semi-permanent, and I suppose the alternative would be surgery, but any others I'd like to know about as well.

Also, any experience, positive or negative would be helpful--or if you know of any real good resources/places to buy corsets or to explore other methods, I'd be very interested :)

Thanks :3

Audree

They work to change your body, just go slow & not too tight. I had lipo & tummy tuck surgery this past summer then wore a corset for 2 months afterwards, 24/7 really. My wasit is so so much smaller & looks very nice. Good luck.

Quote from: FrancisAnn on January 19, 2016, 05:29:29 AM
They work to change your body, just go slow & not too tight. I had lipo & tummy tuck surgery this past summer then wore a corset for 2 months afterwards, 24/7 really. My wasit is so so much smaller & looks very nice. Good luck.

Oh thank you! Would you recommend any brand in particular, or some other tips for a beginner??

<3
Audree

Quote from: audreelyn on January 19, 2016, 11:40:51 PM
Oh thank you! Would you recommend any brand in particular, or some other tips for a beginner??

I'm not expert in this area, but I found the following to be a great first trimmer/slimmer...

Product name: Squeem "Perfect Waist" Firm Compression Waist Trainer
Company: http://squeem.com/

It works and is durable. Searching on the full product name returns lots of hits, and there are youtube howto videos.  ;D

Just go slow & wear it every day. Before long you will definetly see a nice difference.

This is my opinion and has no scientific of objective support outside of my personal experience.  It's not expensive or hard to do, and I think it is worth a try.

I sleep with a waist trainer on.  Nothing too tight or discomforting, but a gentle squeeze.  Even though I do not think it's working well to achieve an hourglass contour, I feel strange sleeping without it now.

There are still some benefits in my personal opinion.  I use to curl up a lot when I sleep, but wearing one, I wake up with a very straight and better posture.  That gentle squeeze against my stomach causes my ab muscles to work a little bit, and they are noticeably toned.  I don't think it's the main cause for having abs (I was fit before HRT from exercise and reasonably good nutrition), but I think it is a contributing factor.

From up front I have almost no hourglass contour, but from the side, I am ~~ really ~~ good.

I don't really understand how they could work.  When it's on your insides are squeezed together but when you take it off everything falls back into place.  It seems like for permanent results diet and exercise would work a lot better.


Sapere Aude

Quote from: Deborah on March 24, 2016, 07:11:30 PM
I don't really understand how they could work.  When it's on your insides are squeezed together but when you take it off everything falls back into place.  It seems like for permanent results diet and exercise would work a lot better.


Sapere Aude

I'm thinking it is through muscle atrophy in that region. The organs can't change. I can't imagine it would move the fat around. I'm just guessing and perhaps my fingers should keep their trap shut. ;)

I had liposuction & tummy tuck surgery last summer. During the healing process per my doc it was very important to wear a corset or strong girdle to help my body have a better shape after it healed. It does work. In my early years I wore a corset & oh my what a small waist after time, so small. They do work but not too tight as to give up. Yes exercise is better but shapewear does help.

Hi Audreelyn,

Two places I have bookmarked are truecorset.com, and contourcorsets.com.  The latter site does made-to-order corsets as well.

~Terri

If you have the time & money liposuction & tummy tuck surgery are great after you heal up. Male bodies build up fat in the wrong places you know, sometimes the only solution is to have it removed!!!! I'm no beauty however I do now have a very nice thin waist line, Happy Dance. Beware it really hurts for the first 2 weeks after surgery......Good luck girl friends.

From what I've read, corsets gradually change the structure of your rib cage, similar to foot binding.  A little should go okay, but people who go too far have health problems.

Here's a handful of threads, some are older but the information and opinions should be helpful.

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,126707.0.html

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,116345.0.html

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,52184.0.html

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,84685.0.html

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,123612.0.html

Hugs, Devlyn

I started wearing a corset almost a year ago. I use one that's steel boned so it's more likely to shape you because it's stronger it was like 45 dollars. The first couple days it was so uncomfortable and I was shocked I only wore it for an hour a month later I started getting used to it each month I wore it more and more by month 3 I wore it all day long everyday after that I would wear it a few hours during day and to bed but now I only wear it to bed. If you wear it to bed I would suggest that you only do it if you lay on your stomach (most effective) and if you have been wearing it for a few months. Every month i saw a difference I wore my corset when I just started hormones to so it was a mixture of changes from both things. My waist is more thin and less fat and muscle in it which I like. My waist used to be 30in now it's 27in this is from the corset because my lower ribs have probably shifted but it's also because I changed to healthy diet and the hormones as well. Corset effects isn't fully permanent if you stop but as long as you wear it daily it is permanent. I've heard the less body fat you have the more likely you will get a better result.

Quote from: Deborah on March 24, 2016, 07:11:30 PM
I don't really understand how they could work.  When it's on your insides are squeezed together but when you take it off everything falls back into place.  It seems like for permanent results diet and exercise would work a lot better.


Sapere Aude

I agree, I think permanent results are got in good diet and exercise, I wore corsets early in my transition, but found the results temporary, I wore a tight bridal corset on my wedding day under my wedding dress, everybody thought I looked fabulous, but it was agony very tight and uncomfortable, it was all about the look, beauty is painful, a body shaping girdle is more comfortable, a girdle doesn't pull your stomach in but gives better support and nice body shape, I wear a girdle all the time under dresses, enhances curves and more comfortable.

Quote from: pretty pauline on March 29, 2016, 05:24:09 PM
I agree, I think permanent results are got in good diet and exercise, I wore corsets early in my transition, but found the results temporary, I wore a tight bridal corset on my wedding day under my wedding dress, everybody thought I looked fabulous, but it was agony very tight and uncomfortable, it was all about the look, beauty is painful, a body shaping girdle is more comfortable, a girdle doesn't pull your stomach in but gives better support and nice body shape, I wear a girdle all the time under dresses, enhances curves and more comfortable.

Pretty Pauline, good friend. They sure make our bodies look great. I wore one a lot in my early years. My waist was so small, I looked great but oh my no way to do your toe nails with one on, hahaha. I sure looked good in a tight dress. The men loved it, I sure got noticed.

Quote from: pretty pauline on March 29, 2016, 05:24:09 PM
I agree, I think permanent results are got in good diet and exercise, I wore corsets early in my transition, but found the results temporary, I wore a tight bridal corset on my wedding day under my wedding dress, everybody thought I looked fabulous, but it was agony very tight and uncomfortable, it was all about the look, beauty is painful, a body shaping girdle is more comfortable, a girdle doesn't pull your stomach in but gives better support and nice body shape, I wear a girdle all the time under dresses, enhances curves and more comfortable.

Pauline & Natalia,

How long do the effects of the corsets last if you decide not to wear them for a while? Is it possible to skip a month or two, then go back on?

I generally have a good diet and exercise regularly, but I imagine I will be a twig forever. Thanks to E, my butt is starting to shape up, though... my Asian ancestors in general were not the most well-endowed.

Sparkles,
Audree

Hello ,

A few months ago i bought a corset from a site really well written . They have a lot of questions answered , and guidance of what suit one's body
Wearing it is really painfull at first , and even after a while it hurts when i wear it for many hours . Sometimes i think the chronic discomfort affect my mood , as depression .
They are beautiful made and can be wore on top of a shirt , it has beauty effects from start .
It says there it is different , some girls do training so they remain with that shape , yet it takes many years
I am happy when i use it , my waist becomes so small and i feel i do something for my transition . But lately i am so so so depressed and it just stayed in its box .

Quote from: audreelyn on April 03, 2016, 11:45:26 PM
Pauline & Natalia,

How long do the effects of the corsets last if you decide not to wear them for a while? Is it possible to skip a month or two, then go back on?

I generally have a good diet and exercise regularly, but I imagine I will be a twig forever. Thanks to E, my butt is starting to shape up, though... my Asian ancestors in general were not the most well-endowed.

Sparkles,
Audree

It depends I wore mine almost everyday for 6 months then I started to take a break two or three times a week and still had a shape but I think it's because I wore it everyday I think if you wear it everyday when you start then get used to it then you could take breaks few times a week.

Hi, Frances, everyone.
I believe there's a bit of an issue here that's sort of ignored....
You CAN do permanent shaping of the body. We start too late, generally.

Start with Long Island Staylace Association. Tightlacing and corsetry is their core interest, I don't think they have a real business (Sell some books, I think, but no corsets.) 
Once you have that info, you can start searching broader range of pages and people. Younger you start, the better, and after a certain point, you'll only be able to shape the soft tissues. Because of how the mind/eye perceives things, you can look quite good even then, but you won't be able to form the floating ribs, say, or limit the growth of same ribs. Also, that is a VERY restrictive activity - you can see similar with the rings worn by some tribe's women in Africa, the rings show wealth (and thus her status as a bride). Over time, the rings deform the rib cage...  Google it. 

So that puts you at instead tightlacing on an adult frame. You can, over time, manipulate the body a lot. Make an 18" waist, for example. This takes years of dedication, and the right body to start with. (Also, genetic women have a different body, different ribs, and can adjust things more than men due influence of Estrogen. One of those times where gender doesn't matter, unless you were on estrogen during puberty, you'll have masculine bone structures to deal with. Changes the joints, for instance, and the growth plates are active longer, whereas a woman's bone plates will be stopped sooner due to estrogen. Also, tendons are going to be different in women. And I hope it's clear we're talking DNA here, so no insult is intended towards the AMAB woman, or AFAB man. But we're often fast and loose in language, so - don't read into it, just understand it's using genetics as determinant, and if you're mosaic, chimera, intersex - it's a roll of the dice there, too. )

Anyway - you'd need to work out diet, exercise, corseting, and commit yourself to it essentially permanently. And most of that you can do without the expense of corseting, while you're doing research on the hard-core trainers. EX: Get diet in order (Ketogenic, maybe? But that might mess with breast growth, so maybe Paleo? figure caloric requirements, find out what works best for you - E.G., I NEED meat, but I lift heavy. I can eat grains, thanks to being Italian; Germanic descendants, not so much, I'm told.) Work on exercise plan next - addressing the WORST parts first. I.E., intraabdominal fat, sloppy triceps, etc: HIIT. Building strength? Lifting, or Yoga? Both? Do you have scar tissue (like my right arm is turning into)? Massage might help, foam roller will help, witch hazel (you can take it as s tincture or tea, I think - works to lower inflammation that way, too.)  Etc.
THEN, and only then, would you want to really aggressively address corseting. It's costly, especially for the good ones, and if you stop for a while, you'll lose a lot of progress.

You'll get the most benefit from the other tasks, though. :-)
And you can always wear a corset for a temporary reduction, or as a fashion statement. 

-Dianna

A lot of theories here but experience says otherwise, Ann chery waist clincher vest, my results have been so well wearing 8 to 10 hours a day that I actually have hips pre HRT and cis women in my life started wearing them after seeing my results even when it's been off for a couple of days... It trains your posture and your waist, it will actually start to burn the muscles if you don't sit with perfect posture

Quote from: audreelyn on April 03, 2016, 11:45:26 PM
Pauline & Natalia,

How long do the effects of the corsets last if you decide not to wear them for a while? Is it possible to skip a month or two, then go back on?

I generally have a good diet and exercise regularly, but I imagine I will be a twig forever. Thanks to E, my butt is starting to shape up, though... my Asian ancestors in general were not the most well-endowed.

Sparkles,
Audree

It just didn't work for me, tight and uncomfortable, I just didn't have the stamina or endurance, spanx or body shaping girdle which I now wear under dresses is much more comfortable, some girls have had results, but I think they must sleep in them, I wouldn't have the endurance for that.

When I wore a corset almost around the clock for about three years after an accident, my restricted waist shrank to 65 cm (about 25 1/2") and my unrestricted waist to around 68–70 cm (27 1/2"). I think it also shaped my ribs somewhat. (My current waist, years later, is about 74 cm, or 29".)

As Mavis also said, I found the point to be not to relax into the corset, but to rather use my own muscles to maintain a good posture independently of it. That really strengthened and toned my midriff and also eliminated the occasional back pain I sometimes had even before the accident.