Waist trainers: A waste of money
AFTER Kim Kardashian shared the details of the extreme three-week 7kg16 weight-loss regimen she undertook to squeeze into an iconic Marilyn Monroe gown for this month’s Met Gala, the result was hardly the admiration she likely expected.
The reality TV star was excoriated on social media not only for publicising her potentially harmful crash diet, but also for advocating unhealthy slimming strategies in the past – including endorsing and selling a popular shapewear product that persists against the best medical advice: the waist trainer.
“Kim Kardashian looked beautiful at the Met Gala, but she has promoted unrealistic body standards for years (diet teas, waist trainers, $$$ procedures, etc) and her talking about losing 16lbs in three weeks to fit into Marilyn’s dress (which no one should get to wear) is appalling,” Gabrielle Starr, founder of the sports website Girl at the Game, wrote on Twitter.
Waist trainers are undergarments that create an hourglass figure by tightly compressing the waist. They gained popularity during the 2010s thanks to praise from celebrities and Instagram influencers including the Kardashian family and remain so despite being roundly panned by health experts. Kardashian’s shapewear company, Skims, started selling a $68 waist trainer in the fall of 2019; similar products come from a variety of other brands, including YIANNA ($23 to $32), LODAY ($22) and Spanx ($68).
“They’re basically glorified corsets,” said Stephanie Faubion, the director of Mayo Clinic Women’s Health. “I’m sorry to see that we’ve reverted to the 1800s.”
Those who endorse waist trainers on social media claim that wearing them regularly, for a period of months, trains their waist into an hourglass shape and promotes weight loss because they eat less (some trainers are designed to stimulate sweating, which allegedly leads to accelerated burning of belly fat). Some devotees even sleep in them overnight.
But health experts say the alleged benefits are all hype. In fact, the name “waist trainer” is a misnomer, said Faubion, who is also medical director of The North American Menopause Society. “It’s not training your waist to do anything different. It’s not going to change your shape,” she said.
Although research is scarce, experts agree that regularly wearing a waist trainer creates a variety of risks. “This is not a benign thing you’re doing,” said Jennifer Wider, a New York-based doctor.
Waist trainers can restrict your breathing. Many TikTok videos feature people wearing waist trainers as they work out, claiming that doing so facilitates weight loss. But this can be dangerous. If you don’t get enough oxygen you could pass out.
Long-term use can shift your organs – like your kidneys – into unnatural positions, and even cut off the blood flow that allows them to function properly. There’s not enough research available to understand whether this damage is permanent, experts agree.
Waist trainers squish your digestive system, which could lead to constipation, and weaken your musculoskeletal system.
That’s why experts recommend only wearing a waist trainer for short periods, if at all. Sleeping in one or wearing one all day, week after week, will dissipate core strength.