The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

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The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

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Waist training or wasting your time?

Waist training or wasting your time?

Waist training is taking Hollywood by storm. First Jessica Alba wore them to lose baby weight. Next the Kardashian sisters started wearing them to achieve the perfect hourglass figure. Now they have been gaining popularity with the general public. Women on Instagram are flaunting how waist training is getting them the results they desire.

Waist Gang Society’s website states that the practice of waist training stems from the Victorian Times. The company says that wearing the corset, paired with exercising and eating healthy can help shrink your waist. The trainer is supposed to be tight enough to reduce the amount of food eaten, so the wearer will develop a habit of eating smaller meals throughout the day. It also causes you to sweat out toxins. They claim that this results in permanent waist-reduction.

ER physician Dr. Travis Stark recently spoke out against waist trainers. Travis is concerned about how the garments constricting a persons’ midsection can be harmful to major internal organs.

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The before and after effects of waist training. Courtesy of Pinterst

New York Times bestselling health expert JJ Virgin told Fox News that corsets block oxygen flow to the body. This can reduce the flow of oxygen to your lungs, heart and other vital organs, which can ultimately lead to organ failure.

Wearing corsets for long periods of time or when doing exercise can be especially harmful to a person’s health.

Here’s the worst news: they don’t permanently shrink your waist. Women are putting their health at risk and there is little to no evidence that these contraptions have long-term effects.

Mary Jane Minkin, M.D. said in a Women’s Health magazine article that, “Once you take the garment off, your body will return to its usual shape. It’s also uncomfortable, restricts your movements, and if you wear it really tight, it can even make it difficult to breathe and theoretically could cause rib damage.”

The reality of a waist trainer is that it crushes your ribs and lungs. This makes it hard for a person to breath; some people have even passed out after wearing the corset for too long. Wearing it long term can crush your organs, compress your lungs and fracture your ribs.

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