So if you have ever worn a corset, and felt the tight, warm hug around your mid-section, or if you have not; I would like to hear your feelings on this subject.
Personally I like corsets, I think they are comfortable, aesthetically pleasing, and they give me a boost of confidence (not to mention how I love the silhouette).

Some people think it is horrible, and pretty gross, others share my view, and some like the medical aspects of corseting (it's not that bad if you do it right).

So I would like to get some opinions from here, guys and girls. Corseting isn't just for ladies!

I do own and somewhat use a corset.  I like how it sucks everything in, but more so it gives me more of a waist since I'm not all that curvy.  I was attempting to corset train however those plans are on hold until I get a waist only cincher.  Now I'm not trying to get down to a crazy size like a 12" or smaller waist but if I can make a bit more of an hourglass shape and trim an inch or two then ok.  Yes there can be medical issues however that's more for extreme tight lacing to the point where you actually HAVE to ware a corset daily. But it just seems like things fit better with one on and less constricting than spandex.

Currently wearing a waist training corset right now and have it on the tightest I can with the 28" one.  At some point soon in a month or so I'll buy a new tighter one. I have been pretty much 22/7 for the last 2 weeks and will do so until I return to work and then  I'll fit it around that.

I personally don't mind wearing it, I sleep in it when I've loosened it off.  I do give myself days off but not often.  I'm determined to have a very nice shape, and if that means reshaping the  ribs on the way then so be it.  On the gross but plus side, as it perminantly squashes and reshapes the ribs my bra band size should go down too 

I do exersise regularly, running and yoga, and I am maintaining my core strength, so that I shouldn't have any problems in the future.  I am lowering only as far as it feels acceptable, and following a sensible training program. Therefore I don't see any problem with using them.

@Penny: Yeah I'm not going for extreme or anything like 12", but I am going to be cinching down about 6.5", so I got from 30.5" to 24".
So I bought an expensive corset that should last a very very long time. It's an underbust low hip to give a curvy figure. I can't wait.

@Rachel:Do you season your corsets? Like cinching only a couple hours a day, for a week or so?
It helps the durability by helping the corset mold to your shape

Yep, I wore the corset for about half the time, and fairly loose,  but  I did increase the tightness for a few hours each day.  Now I wear it at a comfortable level in bed and as tight as I can go during the day.

Good stuff.

Hey girls, I wonder if somebody could give an opinion about the corset use.

As I'm pre-hrt, I've been wondering that if I start to wear corset at the same time as I start hrt, would it help to redistribute fat more effectively? Would the effect of redistribution be bigger with the use of corset?

Currently I don't see much of a use for corset, though I do wear shapewear, which is also quite effective.

No, well I don't think so. I can't say no.
They're for shaping the waist and the floating ribs.

Hi Tazia,

I started wearing corsets in August 2012.  I've worn a corset everyday for the last 7 months.  I started out with a natural waist of 35 inches.  My current daily wear corset is a 24 inch underbust from Timeless Trends; I wear it about 18 to 19 hours a day everyday.  I have about 2 inches to go before my 24 inch corset is closed all the way.  Once I'm able to completely close my current corset, I plan to move into a 22 inch corset.  I'm undecided if I will eventually go any smaller than 22 inches, but I feel certain that I will be wearing a 22 inch corset by summer 2013.

I adore my corsets!  I love the way they feel.  I love the way they make my DD breasts appear even bigger than they already are.  I love that the belly fat and love-handles that I thought would never go away are now long gone.  I love that my hips and butt have (or appear to have) gotten bigger, fuller and more rounded as a result of daily tight lacing.  There is some occasional pain involved, occasional discomfort, and some inconvenience, but none of that bothers me much.  I simply love the hourglass shape that my body has taken on, and I get a lot of attention because of it.  As a competitive pool player, I spend a lot of time in pool halls.  At my level of play, the sport is mostly male dominated.  I get a lot of attention in pool halls.  And I like it that way.

In short, I love my corsets.  I fully expect to continue tight lacing for decades to come.

Hugs,
Miharu

[Edited for stupid date errors.    !]

Quote from: Miharu Barbie on January 31, 2013, 11:55:13 AM
Hi Tazia,

I started wearing corsets in August 2011.  I've worn a corset everyday for the last 7 months.  I started out with a natural waist of 35 inches.  My current daily wear corset is a 24 inch underbust from Timeless Trends; I wear it about 18 to 19 hours a day everyday.  I have about 2 inches to go before my 24 inch corset is closed all the way.  Once I'm able to completely close my current corset, I plan to move into a 22 inch corset.  I'm undecided if I will eventually go any smaller than 22 inches, but I feel certain that I will be wearing a 22 inch corset by summer 2012.

I adore my corsets!  I love the way they feel.  I love the way they make my DD breasts appear even bigger than they already are.  I love that the belly fat and love-handles that I thought would never go away are now long gone.  I love that my hips and butt have (or appear to have) gotten bigger, fuller and more rounded as a result of daily tight lacing.  There is some occasional pain involved, occasional discomfort, and some inconvenience, but none of that bothers me much.  I simply love the hourglass shape that my body has taken on, and I get a lot of attention because of it.  As a competitive pool player, I spend a lot of time in pool halls.  At my level of play, the sport is mostly male dominated.  I get a lot of attention in pool halls.  And I like it that way.

In short, I love my corsets.  I fully expect to continue tight lacing for decades to come.

Hugs,
Miharu

You do know that this is 2013, right? 


And I've thought about going back to wearing one for the times I am at home, but I don't think it would work out wearing one to work due to the level of activity.

There was a TG woman whose website had been mentioned here on Susan's sever years ago about 2004-05 as I recall. She was all about corsets and had developed a gorgeous hour glass figure with the aid of corsets. Since it sucked her mid section in, it left little room for any fat deposits which wound up on her hips, bottom and boobs. She was rather stunningly attractive.

Quote from: crazy at the coast on January 31, 2013, 12:15:50 PM
You do know that this is 2013, right? 

Dammit!  Why am I always the last to know?!?   

I'm curious about this.  You can reduce your waist size permanently from doing this?  Should I have heard of this before?

Hi Jen,

"Permanent" is a tricky term relative to this subject.  One might ask "Can one lose weight permanently from dieting?"  Well, sure, but a person is just as likely to put all the weight (and more) back on as soon as the focus on dieting passes.  It's the same thing with tight lacing.

I've never had a gastric band, but I've heard it said that wearing a tight laced corset has a similar effect on the stomach, but without all the messy surgery.  I can attest to the fact that what and how much I'm able to eat (or drink) is dramatically effected by wearing a corset.  The stomach does not have room to expand when I eat.  Over eating has terrible consequences in the form of pain, indigestion and even regurgitation.  Consuming things with bubbles (like soda) has similar consequences.  So, in a sense, wearing a tight laced corset is kind of like being on a diet.

As long as I keep wearing the corset, then the changes to my body are permanent.  If I stop wearing corsets but continue to eat a sensible diet, well, my body will revert to it's pre-corset shape to a certain extent, but I'll probably be able to "permanently" maintain much of the slimming effect that I've achieved around my midsection.  However, if I stop wearing corsets AND revert back to old habits of eating, well, then all bets are off.  Not only will the changes that I've achieved as a tight lacer not be permanent, but I could possibly end up even more overweight than I was 7 months ago if I allowed myself to slip that far. 

So, the simple answer to your question is that changing the shape of your body through the use of corsets is as permanent as a haircut.  If you keep getting your hair cut in the same way, well then it can seem like a permanent change to your hairstyle.  But skip a few hair appointments and you'll find out how UN-permanent such changes really are.  Tight lacing is just like that.

If you decide to tight lace, inform yourself, be careful not to hurt yourself, and most importantly, have a lot of fun with it!

Hugs,
Miharu

Oh I guess I was asking more about the shape of your ribs, can that be permanent?  I'm guessing not?

Quote from: Jen on January 31, 2013, 01:41:13 PM
Oh I guess I was asking more about the shape of your ribs, can that be permanent?  I'm guessing not?

Yup.  Permanent like a haircut.

Miharu

Quote from: Miharu Barbie on January 31, 2013, 11:55:13 AM
Hi Tazia,

I started wearing corsets in August 2012.  I've worn a corset everyday for the last 7 months.  I started out with a natural waist of 35 inches.  My current daily wear corset is a 24 inch underbust from Timeless Trends; I wear it about 18 to 19 hours a day everyday.  I have about 2 inches to go before my 24 inch corset is closed all the way.  Once I'm able to completely close my current corset, I plan to move into a 22 inch corset.  I'm undecided if I will eventually go any smaller than 22 inches, but I feel certain that I will be wearing a 22 inch corset by summer 2013.

I adore my corsets!  I love the way they feel.  I love the way they make my DD breasts appear even bigger than they already are.  I love that the belly fat and love-handles that I thought would never go away are now long gone.  I love that my hips and butt have (or appear to have) gotten bigger, fuller and more rounded as a result of daily tight lacing.  There is some occasional pain involved, occasional discomfort, and some inconvenience, but none of that bothers me much.  I simply love the hourglass shape that my body has taken on, and I get a lot of attention because of it.  As a competitive pool player, I spend a lot of time in pool halls.  At my level of play, the sport is mostly male dominated.  I get a lot of attention in pool halls.  And I like it that way.

In short, I love my corsets.  I fully expect to continue tight lacing for decades to come.

Hugs,
Miharu

[Edited for stupid date errors.    !]

That is an intense reduction! I'm going to be happy with just going from a 30.5" to a 24" o.o
Yours is very impressive to me. The pain shouldn't be there though :c
Corseting should be quite painless (from what I have heard).  I will be glad to get my corset though.
It's going to be so hard for me to season my corset though, because I will be wanting to cinch it closed right away. Hehe.

And to comment on the questions. Miharu is right, but the floating ribs can be changed a little bit if you tight lace for a very long time.
The effect is like Miharu said though, if you don't wear it for a while it'll start to be undone, so it's best if you want to lace to do it often, for long periods of time.
It also depends on how small you cinch down, if you have a tiny waist cinching, it is probably not going to revert completely for a while if you take off your corset for a while.
Still always best to tight lace often, and long.

Quote from: Tazia of the Omineca on January 31, 2013, 06:34:56 PM
It's going to be so hard for me to season my corset though, because I will be wanting to cinch it closed right away. Hehe.

Hi Tazia,

I've heard that it's best to season well a new corset.  Failure to season a corset can result in premature failure of seams and fabric.  Or so I've heard.  I'm with you though; my first couple of corsets had very abbreviated seasoning sessions because I couldn't wait to get to the business of cinching down.  Fortunately, I used those first corsets for a short time since my initial waist reduction was pretty rapid.  I found that the more corsets that I accumulated, the easier it became to properly season them, since I could wear a new corset for a couple of hours and then swap it out for an already seasoned one.  Now that I have several corsets that I can wear, seasoning is much more convenient and less of a nuisance. 

As far as pain from wearing corsets... you are definitely correct; there should not be any pain.  Pain, however, is a relative thing.  There's good pain and there's bad pain.  And everyone must define for themselves the relationship between those 2.  I like the extreme reduction that I've experienced over the past 7 months, and so I've pushed myself to achieve.  I do have enough presence of mind not to harm myself.  What I consider "good pain" might make some people cringe with fear.  It's all in good fun.  Responsible use of a corset is all about being well informed and well in touch with the limits and needs of your body. 

Thanks for the fun conversation, Tazia.

Hugs,
Miharu

I love wearing my corset. I don't get to wear it a lot, but it's super comfy which I completely did not expect. I wanted the curves but thought it would not be very nice. As it turns out it *does* feel just live being hugged all the time. :-)

Quote from: Miharu Barbie on February 01, 2013, 12:42:04 PM
Hi Tazia,

I've heard that it's best to season well a new corset.  Failure to season a corset can result in premature failure of seams and fabric.  Or so I've heard.  I'm with you though; my first couple of corsets had very abbreviated seasoning sessions because I couldn't wait to get to the business of cinching down.  Fortunately, I used those first corsets for a short time since my initial waist reduction was pretty rapid.  I found that the more corsets that I accumulated, the easier it became to properly season them, since I could wear a new corset for a couple of hours and then swap it out for an already seasoned one.  Now that I have several corsets that I can wear, seasoning is much more convenient and less of a nuisance. 

As far as pain from wearing corsets... you are definitely correct; there should not be any pain.  Pain, however, is a relative thing.  There's good pain and there's bad pain.  And everyone must define for themselves the relationship between those 2.  I like the extreme reduction that I've experienced over the past 7 months, and so I've pushed myself to achieve.  I do have enough presence of mind not to harm myself.  What I consider "good pain" might make some people cringe with fear.  It's all in good fun.  Responsible use of a corset is all about being well informed and well in touch with the limits and needs of your body. 

Thanks for the fun conversation, Tazia.

Hugs,
Miharu

Yeah I have heard that too, and I got a corset from Puimond, so I want it to last for a long time, and I want to wear it for a long time to come. I think I am going to wear it for 2 hours in the morning and 2 at night to season it faster, because I heard that will help you season it in a shorter time. I want to cinch to 24 inches. It will be a dramatic change for me, hehe.