Goal #3 - Waist Training

I have been in love with corsets since I was about twelve. Lately I've been reading up about tightlacing, a practice that serious corset lovers undertake. Okay, so mostly I've been drooling over corsets and pictures of ladies' waists, but I've also been reading articles and researching how to/health risks/benefits and so on. And the conclusion that all this has wrought is that I've decided to start waist training myself. As you can imagine since this is my blog you're going to be getting periodic updates on my progress so I figured I'd do an article on what exactly it is I'll be undertaking. So what's up with tightlacing and waist training and why is it different that just wearing a corset whenever you want?

Tightlacing:

Wiktionary

1. n. The practice of wearing a tightly-laced corset to modify one's figure and posture.

Waist training is also known as Tightlacing (click for Wikipedia article if you're still really unsure what I'm talking about). It is the practice of wearing and tightening a corset regularly so that your body slowly becomes tapered in the waist.  "It's like wearing a pair of high heels." -Meg of Skirting The Issue. I really like this analogy. Eventually you get used to 2" and move up to 3" heels. In this case a novice would order a corset 4 inches smaller than his or her waist size and wear it while slowing tightening it until the corset can be fully closed. Once you've achieved that goal you buy a corset that's 6 inches smaller than your natural waist size and the process is repeated.

What are the health risks? What are the benefits?

In laywomans terms here's a list of things to watch out for/be aware of when tightlacing:

Pros:
-Better posture
-Better eating habits - eating foods that cause gas/bloating can cause discomfort while wearing a corset so the wearer tends to eat healthier
-This can also help with weight loss, clear skin, mood boosting etc. as a result of eating better
-Confidence. Personally when I wear a corset I feel beautiful. Add a dash of red lipstick and I'm unstoppable!
-The reshaping of the body is temporary. When the corset comes off the waist reverts to it's natural size.

Cons:
-Possible Internal Organ Damage if you tighten too much, too fast. **It's akin to being wholloped in the stomach with a steel bar. Squeezing yourself into any shape that hurts is bad! It should be an obvious NONO** Literally go with your gut. Putting on a corset can feel a bit weird because you're not used to it but it should never hurt, be too hard to breath, pinch, poke, bruise, make your legs fall asleep etc. *extreme case

-Weakness of muscles or even atrophy of muscles unused to supporting the body without a corset *extreme case

-Exercise or activity requiring lots of movement can leave a wearer light headed and dizzy

-I've heard it said that corset wearers are slave to fashion. While perhaps less relevant now that corsets aren't an everyday garment it's still true someone who wears corsets regularly will have to plan outfits around their corset instead of picking a corset to casually amplify an outfit. And yet, the great thing about living in the 21st century is the choice I have as a wearer, not only in clothes but whether or not to wear a corset at all.

As with all of the above points I would like to note here that tightlacing SHOULD NOT be entered into lightly and without doing extensive research. The only way anyone could hurt themselves with a corset is to rush in and do something stupid. I'd also like to note that this little article here is not meant to be the be-all-end-all guide of information.

Have I grossed you out yet? If not here are some really great sources for more research and information.

The Long Island Staylace Association has a great directory of Medical Advice from an actual doctor who practices tightlacing herself. It's easy to read and she answers questions sent in from other tightlacers, so there's a good change that all of your questions are answered.

Lucy's Corsetry, a corset company based in the U.S., has a YouTube Channel called Bishonen Rancher and they have a list of videos under the title Physical Effects of Corseting. These videos are straightforward, clear cut and tell you everything you want to know but can't find on Google. This channel is amazing, especially for people wanting to get into tightlacing because they give you the facts without the naysaying, fingerwagging exaggeration that people who don't want to educate themselves about wearing corsets will give you.

Why the heck would you do something so crazy in the first place?

Besides the pro's and con's I listed above, tightlacing falls into the category of body modification. It's all about proportion. You can be really extreme, the way some people completely cover their face with piercings and others with tattoos. Or you can go about it in a milder approach- which I personally think is still pretty badass. I'm a huge advocate of body modification. I don't believe that anyone should be forced to get piercings or tatts to look cool but for me they've been milestones, meaningful, decorative, self affirming, confidence boosting and plain old awesome ;). I have wanted to wear corsets since I was twelve years old. If I'd been a more proactive or vocal about what I wanted teen I probably would have started wearing them sooner. But since becoming eighteen I've really spread my wings, and since becoming a burlesque dancer I've shed a lot of my inhibitions. Corsets are now something that's within my means of buying and acquiring and I have the stamina and determination to devote to them.

So let this delicious journey begin!

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet

August Aspirations

Recently I applied to be a participant in two events put on by the Central Canadian Centre for Performance. I wrote an entry for their online zine, KATALOG, and I applied to participate in their Alter Ego Pageant. I was invited to both of these events on Facebook. The lovely Lizzie Lala graciously passed the info along.

I sent in an article to KATALOG, the Official publication for the Central Canadian Centre for Performance. (It can be found at cccponline.net.) It was looking for "performance photos, videos and write ups about Altered Ego or extensions of the self in performance." I ended up sending in six or seven photos to go along with the article because it was so hard to choose just a couple!

The idea behind KATALOG is very cool. Instead of repeating everything the Zine says about itself on their website I'm going to quote parts of their Submission Call. "KATALOG is an online publication with video and sound capabilities which is dedicated to the practice of performance and live art."

The site doesn't say whether or not I'll be notified if they choose my submission or when the next issue is set to be published. I'll wait until Sept before sending them an inquiry. I was really nervous about sending in my entry as there are so many performers in the world who are both more established/polished and who are better known. But you never know if you don't try, so I screwed my courage to the sticking point and sent it anyways. If my article isn't published it'll make a good blog post. :-)

Photos taken from cccponline.net

I also entered the CCCP's Alter Ego Pageant, where contestants will be judged on their alter egos. The contest includes a talent and a beauty portion. The talent part is easy - one burlesque routine, coming up! The beauty bit? A "birthday/bathing suit" competition. Yikes! I don't know how I feel about the beauty portion of the event but I think I'm going to get creative and flaunt Miss Scarlet's beauty ideals. I don't know what those are, exactly, as they range from raunchy to classy and back again! The Pageant is to be held on Sept. 8th. I'll let you know if I'm selected to be one of the participants!

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet

This Can't Be Said Enough

Every girl has something that other girls envy. Stop comparing and start loving yourself.

Stay Saucy,
Miss Scarlet

The Day I Forgot To Put On My Face

Or alternatively titled: Why my eyebrows will conquer the world.

Recently I posted about how I had visited the Foxy Shoppe and had an impromptu photoshoot. That visit totally turned my day around and I had such a good time playing dress up. However a friend of a friend made sure to tell me a few days later: "Make sure you do your makeup before your next photoshoot. Because you're a cute girl."

Hmm. Because I'm a cute girl ... when I wear makeup? Honestly I was offended and more than a little incensed. I went home and wrote a very angry blog post but then decided to give myself some cooling off time before posting anything. Which was a really good call :P  However this event still bothers me and I'd like to tell you why.

I spent my 'turbulent teen' years waffling between two distinct styles: the uber goth - pasty white foundation, red lipstick and black eyeliner and the hippie - tie dye, unshaven legs and completely makeup free. Thankfully I've grown out of the awful foundation and tie dye but I still love a good cat's eye with bright red lips. But just as much I love being naturally me. It doesn't mean I'm sloppy. It means I like my face.

Hippie/Goth fusion? Awkward.

We, as human beings, are beautiful as we are. Don't get me wrong, I love playing with makeup. I have eyeshadows and lipstick in all colours of the rainbow! But it's just that - playing. There is a very serious trend going on where women are beginning to feel like they NEED to wear makeup. This NEED does two things: 1) gives men and women (and super importantly - children!) unrealistic expectations of beauty and 2) makes them feel bad about their bodies and faces as they naturally are. The beauty industry makes billions of dollars each year on everything from makeup (to hide those blemishes) to plastic surgery (fix what's wrong with your body!). This mentality has an underlying message: we are all ugly and without all of these products we will remain ugly. That is just not true. I don't want to live in a plasticized kind of world. Makeup, fancy hair and dress and all those extra grooming procedures can be fun but shouldn't be mandatory. We, as human beings, are beautiful as we are.

Taken from the Lingerie Addict. 

She has a wonderful article on Body Snark that I think everyone should read.

This is why I'm a big fan of the No Makeup Mondays movement. The concept is simple: on one day of each week women should go to work or school or out with friends sans makeup. Just to prove that not wearing makeup doesn't automatically revert someone to grungy sweatpants and crocs. You can have nice clothes, nice hair and a beautiful face without all the extra paint and powders.

Another thing this acquaintance told me? "Also, we're going to wax your eyebrows." Leave my eyebrows out of it. I've had people ask me if I pluck/wax/pencil or generally torture my eyebrows in any other way. The answer is no. Some people love their shape. Apparently others don't. I think they're great. They're hairy, sit on my brow, there's distinctly two of them ... they serve their function admirably. I'm not touching them. I love them as they are. I love me as I am. I can always strive to better myself - but not by being derogatory to who and what I am. Loving yourself is the most important thing you can do. So love yourself, as you are, unashamedly and you will hold a power that most people will envy.

Above - Anne Hathaway

As you can see, eyebrows serve a very important purpose.

Below - Daniel Radcliffe

Remember boys and girls: use makeup responsibly.

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet