Kim Kardashian is catching some heat over one of her infamous selfies. This one she posted to Instagram with the caption: “I’m really obsessed with waist training!” In the pic (seen below), Kim K was wearing a “waist shaper” or corset.
After the pic posted, the uproar ensued.
“This is so ridiculous, these people should know better. You are blocking oxygen, reducing flow to your lungs, heart and other organs which in turn slows metabolism as your cells become deprived of oxygen,” celebrity fitness and health expert JJ Virgin said. “Organ failure can also occur. In a word: don’t.”
JJ Virgin sells books touting her own “Virgin Diet” and a “Sugar Impact Diet”. Her opinion contrasts with that of Dr. Gabriel Chiu, of the Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery.
“The theory is that if you do it long enough, it will change your shape and contour your ribs,” Dr. Chiu said. “But for the most part, it pushes your insides…away from your waist.”
So, is that dangerous? Dr. Chiu added, “But when used appropriately, it is safe.”
Actress Jessica Alba also admitted to wearing a corset for a while after the birth of her two babies.
“I wore a double corset day and night for three months,” Alba told Net-a-Porter magazine. “It was brutal; it’s not for everyone. It was sweaty but worth it.”
Kim’s sisters Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian have also used a corset to shape themselves.
So did Kelly Lee Dekay, who says she does it because, “I’ve always loved how certain pieces of garments gave you permission to let out certain parts of you. So I think that’s what tight lacing does for me, I wanted to become my own superhero villain.”
But Dekay, who boasts a 16-inch waist, is quick to point out the difference between herself and shapers like Alba and the Kardashians.
“I’m not a waist trainer. I’m a tight-lacer. I’m a corset fetishist, my tight-lacing goes beyond vanity. I love the artistry in the construction of the corset and the people who are part of that culture,” she told Cosmopolitan.
Here is what Kim Kardashian is looking like in her shaper.
