Things to remember

When you go shopping for corsets, here is what you should look out for:

Buy a corset which is compatible with your figure. Check for elasticity.

The corset material has to be strong, as it will be holding part of your body.

Choose a corset material depending on the outfit you wish to wear.

Archana Pandey, a 25-year-old call centre executive in Mumbai, simply can’t do without her low cut jeans. Pandey isn’t the petite sort and has a tendency to put on weight, off and on. But she invariably manages to fit into her favourite pair of jeans. There is reason for that. “I wear a corset beneath my top that tucks in those extra inches and allows me to fit into my jeans without looking vulgar,” explains Pandey who belongs to the growing breed of women who do not mind using an additional accessory to acquire a slimmer look.

Corsets today are much in vogue. Calcutta-based fashion designer Agnimitra Paul says she gets queries from her older female clients for corset blouses. “It’s been a while since the corset has made its presence felt in the international fashion arena. But it is still pretty new in India as far as its usage as a fashion accessory is concerned,” says Paul. Adds Nil of the designer duo, Nil r Dev, “Corsets in modern times are not just for the petite woman. Rather, they are more for voluptuous women who want to look slimmer.”

A corset is an adaptation from the 15th century inner garment bodice, which was stiffened by two pieces of linen pasted together. It was made out of whalebone pieces, inserted as paneling. The corsets were worn under a dress, and laced tightly to give the bust a heavier look. With movies like Titanic, Moulin Rouge and Chicago, corsets were looked upon more as a fashion statement.

Says Nil, “Corsets, which used to be an inner garment, are now very much a part of the outer garment. Today there are a variety of corset tops, blouses and gowns available in the market.” A sales girl at Showstoppers, a store in the Esplanade area of Calcutta, remarks that with Christmas round the corner, the demand for corset tops and gowns is likely to go up.

Explains Nil, “Corsets today are made of lighter material such as plastic or nylon. The boning is done on the seam and once you wear the corset, the fat gets tucked in.”

Paul adds that corsets can reduce your waistline by one or two inches, depending on the wearer’s size. Corsets are also made from materials like lycra and raw silk that can be used in both formal Indian and western outfits, she says.

However, corsets have a downside. Jennifer Jason Leigh, a well-known American actress, once recounted how she had to wear a corset while shooting for a film. “Wearing a corset was really hard. The first time I wore it for rehearsal, it was way too tight. I started throwing up. Everything is so compressed and it pushes all your organs down.”

Sanjay Bagchi, consulting orthopaedic at the Advanced Medicare and Research Institute in Calcutta, points out that people often suffer from a misconception that wearing a corset will relieve those suffering from a back problem. On the contrary he says, “A corset weakens the back muscles due to prolonged wearing.” Rekha Sharma, senior vice-president, training, VLCC Healthcare, adds that as long as the corset is worn, it keeps the abdomen compressed. However, in the process, the flesh bulges out from the top or bottom or anywhere it finds space. “It is just a temporary solution and, in no way, can act as a substitute for exercise.”

Fashion designers too agree that corsets should be worn only for a short span of time. If worn for a prolonged period, it may result in weak abdominal and back muscles and constrict blood circulation.

tight plight

The shape of the corset could influence the shape of your spine. High waisted corsets can even compress the lungs. On the other hand, low waisted corsets can compress the womb and cause problems related to menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth.

Corsets also trap blood below the waist and reduce blood flow to the brain. So, virtually all women who wear them tend to faint.

The chest, rib cage and abdomen can be permanently deformed if you use a corset regularly. The normal broad and open base of the rib cage allows for free and deep breathing, but the V-shaped deformity caused by corsets interferes with the full movement of the respiratory muscles as a result of which the breathing is shallow and more rapid.

Pressure in the chest interferes with the flow of blood from the heart to the lungs. The heart is also affected, causing hurried circulation. The net result is an imperfectly aerated blood chemistry that leads to obscure ailments.