The dangers of tight lacing: the effects of the corset — Royal College of Surgeons (2024)

FAQs

The dangers of tight lacing: the effects of the corset — Royal College of Surgeons? ›

Women were often laced so tightly their breathing was restricted leading to faintness. Compressing the abdominal organs could cause poor digestion and over time the back muscles could atrophy. In fact, long term tight lacing led to the rib cage becoming deformed.

While not usually deadly, wearing a tightly laced corset can be quite harmful to the wearer. They can reduce lung capacity, cause shortness of breath and fainting, produce skin irritations, compress the ribs, weaken back and chest muscles and have even been known to cause organ deformity.

Medical criticism. Many doctors railed against the practice of tight lacing as decidedly harmful. Some women responded to their claims, saying that tight lacing was actually beneficial as well as enjoyable, but most women didn't agree and found tight lacing impractical since they had to work.

Generally speaking, waist training is the practice of wearing a corset to achieve a smaller waist measurement, corseted or uncorseted. Tightlacing, to some, means wearing a corset literally 23/7 (removing it only to bathe), whereas the definition I lean towards is wearing a corset with a dramatic waist reduction.

Wearing a corset does not lead to a permanent change in your waist—only surgery can do that! However, a daily waist training practice can help you achieve the shape you want in the short term, and give you the tools you need to work towards sustainable long-term change.

Waist trainers can do harm to your internal organs

Through wearing a waist trainer, also known as a waist cincher, that is uncomfortably tighter than it should be, specifically a steel-boned corset, over a prolonged period of time, your organs can actually move permanently and result in permanent internal damage.

"Essentially, there were health and safety concerns about keeping women in a pinching corset for weeks at a time. Many stars have reported bruising and even breathing problems." The report also said that Bridgerton producers have told their cast they would no longer be wearing corsets.

World War I also led to more women wearing uniforms and simple cotton designs, rather than rigid designs. Overall, corsets were no longer commonly worn due to a switch to more practical types of clothing. Later on, during the post-World War II era, corsets even became a symbol of male oppression among feminists.

The actress Anya Taylor-Joy is facing an angry backlash after posing in a tight corset, with fans accusing her of setting unrealistic and damaging beauty standards.

Metal eyelets for corset lacing were introduced in France in 1828. This technical innovation allowed the waist to be tightly constricted, sometimes as far as 17 inches creating the fashionable hourglass figure popular during the 19^th century.

What is considered tight lacing? ›

Tightlacing involves lacing a corset down to gradually over time to achieve an unusually small waist measurement. This should only be done slowly, carefully, and with a corset that is custom made to fit the wearer's bone structure.

A properly fitted corset is designed to fit snugly, but not tight. After all, it isn't the ribcage that's meant to be compressed, but the fatty tissue of the waist. When the Victorian corset is laced, it squishes the fat downward into the abdomen where it won't show.

“They do squeeze your organs, but if you're wearing a corset for two hours or so, it's not a big deal," Bhatia says. However, she adds, "If you're wearing it for 12 hours, or overnight, that does pose a bigger issue for several reasons." She explains that doing so puts “a lot of pressure on your abdominal organs.

In the pres- ent study, based on the %MPF, which was used as an indicator of muscle fatigue, muscle fatigue did not increase even after wearing a corset for 6 months. That is, weakening of the paravertebral muscles was not caused by long-term corset wearing in subjects with chronic low back pain.

your core muscles can weaken a bit if you wear it every day. if you tight-lace a corset your internal organs shift a bit to accommodate the squeezing, which for some people causes diarrhea or constipation. some people lose some weight, as it's harder to overeat.

Overall, there seems to be little direct evidence that tight lacing had permanent effects on the wearer. Nevertheless, the restriction of the organs -- which could cause poor digestion, poor breathing and poor function otherwise while wearing a tightly laced corset -- was a cause for concern for some doctors.

Expert-Verified Answer

Tight lacing, or corset training, can affect the digestive system by reducing appetite, slowing down digestion, causing acid reflux and heartburn, and potentially leading to constipation and organ displacement.

Does waist training or wearing corsets cause organ damage? Corsets worn for long periods of time and cinched very tightly can and often will redistribute organs (kidneys, liver, intestines) as seen in this MRI. It is important to note, however, that pregnancy has a similar effect on a woman's internal organs.

In particular, waist trainers may compress the nerve that runs down from the groin. This can cause something called meralgia paresthetica — burning, tingling, and numbness in the outer thigh. Meralgia paresthetica has been associated with wearing a corset since the early 1900s.