Corset vs Waist Trainer: 5+ Differences People Never Tell You!

What Are The Main Differences Between Corsets and Waist Trainers?

If you have just started waist training or have just heard about it and are starting your investigations, there’s a lot you need to know. First and foremost, we would like to point out that corsets are not waist trainers. They have different impacts on the body.  

At Luxx Curves, we are dedicated to ensuring that our followers reap the slimming hourglass rewards of waist training (with Kim Kardashian results!) without suffering the ill effects of doing it wrong - and if you’re opting for a corset, you are doing it wrong. This may seem like a wild claim, but it really isn’t.

We provide a closer look at the differences between corsets and waist trainers below to highlight why we say this. Give them a read and then you decide!

Cinching VS Compression.

Corsets are very focused little items of equipment. Unlike a waist trainer designed to work by applying gentle compression across the entire torso, corsets cinch the waist to provide an immediate hourglass shape.  

Corsets are used much like a fashion accessory. They instantly pull in your waistline, providing that much-desired hourglass effect. Some people wear them for hours a day in hopes of enjoying the benefits of waist training. Unfortunately, cinching your waist for many hours during the day is far more harmful to your body and internal organs than a waist trainer that distributes the compression evenly across your midsection.

Training corsets and underbust corsets are quite aggressive devices for all intents and purposes, whereas waist trainers offer gentle effects and steady results over long periods.

Waist Trainers Have Steel Bones.

You will notice that the corset is made of a rather unforgiving non-stretch material if you place a corset and a waist trainer side by side. In contrast, the waist trainer combines three layers of stretchy fabric (think nylon, spandex, latex, and cotton) and strategically positioned steel bones for support.

Unfortunately, the corsets’ non-stretch material forces the body into an unnatural shape and adds a little insult to injury as it can cause chafing. On the contrary, the stretchy fabric of the waist trainer contours to your body and gently compresses it into an hourglass shape over time. The steel bones provide added support and improve your overall posture too. Win-win!

Waist Trainers Use Hooks While Corsets Use Laces.

Another thing that you might notice when a corset and a waist trainer are lying side by side is that the corset uses laces to secure it, whereas the waist trainer uses hooks.

You might be wondering why this makes any difference at all but it makes a huge difference. You see, with lacing, the idea is to pull the corset as tight as physically possible. This means that you can overdo it - in fact, the design of the corset encourages it.

On the other hand, waist trainers have a built in limit with those hooks. You can only wear the waist trainer on specific settings and this safeguards you from over tightening the trainer and causing yourself physical harm. As you get smaller, you need to downsize to a waist trainer that suits your specific figure.

Comfort.

Comfort should be paramount in your mind when choosing how you’re going to achieve the hourglass figure you want. If you assume that getting an hourglass figure has to involve pain and discomfort, you have the wrong idea about waist training. However, it may be the case with corsets.

As we have already mentioned, Corsets have quite unforgiving fabrics that you must strap unnaturally tight to your body. They’re certainly not comfortable to wear.

Waist trainers are made from stretchy fabric that molds to your shape and helps you trim down over time. The steel bones provide added support. While they’re not the most comfortable if you’re bending over a lot, they shift your posture into the correct alignment and create a more appealing physique without inflicting any pain or severe discomfort.

Corset and Waist Training Mean Two Different Things.

When comparing corsets and waist trainers, it’s important to realize that they are two very different things. Corsets make you think about the Victorian era. They all about cinching the waist in a specific place. All the focus is placed on that one area so that it becomes smaller and smaller.

Waist training doesn’t single out a specific area in your midsection and direct a great deal of pressure on it. Instead, waist training compresses the entire abdomen and slowly slims down the waist, creating an hourglass figure. Of course, it’s not just about wearing the waist trainer.

To waist train is an entire lifestyle, and it involves making better health choices for you and your body. Waist trainers are sold with the goal of weight loss through waist training, healthy eating and getting fit and active. It’s a three-prong approach that corsets aren’t able to offer.

Price.

Corsets tend to have a bit of hype around them. Perhaps it’s because they have featured in movies and period dramas over the years, and they have been romanticized as a result. And with anything that has hype around it, there comes a hefty price tag too. Corsets are generally more expensive than waist trainers.

Waist trainers aren’t selling you an image - they are selling you a lifestyle choice that leads you to a healthier, happier, more attractive you! Forget the hype and the expensive price tag too!

Getting In Shape

Let’s talk about corsets and waist trainers and how they stack up against each other when you want to get into shape.

Corsets can’t help you get into shape.

While corsets can provide you with an instant cinched waist like waist cinchers, and some people wear them long-term to achieve a smaller waist, they cannot actually help you get into shape. Corsets aren’t designed to be worn at the gym! But let’s see why by comparing corsets and waist trainers in more detail below.

We have a specific shapewear band to use at the gym!

You probably aren’t seeing too many (if at all) gym-friendly corsets! At Luxx Curves, we have the best waist trainer that’s designed for the gym, called the Luxx Curves Waist Trimmer Belt.

It’s basically a shapewear band that you wear just like a waist trainer. There are no hooks but rather a velcro strap for easy wearing. It’s made from nylon, stretchy neoprene, and natural latex. For added comfort and breathability while working out, the back of the belt has a mesh backing.

The idea behind wearing a Waist Trimmer Belt is to increase your core temperature and help your body burn fat and calories faster.

Exercising in a corset can be dangerous.

Exercising in a corset is not a good idea. In fact, it’s downright dangerous. You might not notice it too much when you’re at rest, but the sheer tightness of a corset reduces lung capacity by around 10 to 30%!

Breathing is vitally important while exercising. You need to get oxygen into your system to ensure you don’t feel lightheaded, dizzy, or sick during your workout. If you try working out in a corset, you’re probably going to pass out and put your lungs through immense distress as they try to do their job while severely restricted.

Then there’s also the fact that wearing a corset, thanks to severe cinching, can skyrocket your blood pressure. This, of course, is not a safe way to exercise, especially if you already suffer from high blood pressure.

It’s a far safer idea to use a waist trimmer belt that’s flexible, durable, and won’t distress your body while you’re working out!

Wearing Corsets and Waist Trainers

How you wear corsets and waist trainers is also vastly different. Let’s take a look at the comparison facts below.

Waist trainers are easier to conceal than corsets.

It’s safe to say that corsets and waist trainers are both undergarments and are meant to be worn beneath your clothing - so they have that in common. But that’s really as far as it goes in terms of similarities.

Corsets tend to be tricker to conceal beneath clothing, and that’s because they have busks and laces that are anything but streamline. They’re pretty bulky and make the fact that you’re wearing a corset or some type of shapewear very obvious on any body type. This is especially the case if you are wearing a tight-fitting dress or blouse. Because of this, wearing a corset has to be planned around your outfit and event.

On the other hand, Waist trainers are a top choice for everyday wear and events. With their dainty hook and eye closures, waist trainers are relatively easy to conceal unless you want to wear something extremely revealing. There are waist trainers designed for such occasions, and these offer no-closure, seamless designs.

Corsets can be a statement piece on their own.

While most people don’t advertise that they use a waist trainer, unless they are an influencer or some kind, corset wearers often do. Many people view and use corsets as a statement piece that is worn on the outside of clothing.

You might have seen people wearing a corset over a thin blouse or using it as part of a burlesque ensemble. In most instances, when corsets are worn as part of an outfit, women opt for the overbust designs as they are flattering and provide phenomenal support in the bust area.

Never wear either of them to bed.

While we are all for wearing waist trainers, we know where to draw the line! You should not be wearing your waist trainer for more than around eight hours per day, and if you don’t find time during the day, under no circumstances should you opt to wear it at night while you’re sleeping.

It’s much the same for a corset. Corsets are just as unsafe to wear at night while sleeping. So that’s another thing corsets and waist trainers have in common - do not wear them to bed!

Here are a few reasons why you should never sleep in your waist trainer or corset:

Digestive Interference

Wearing a waist trainer or corset to bed can have a negative influence on your digestive processes and even spur acid reflux.

Oxygen Deprivation

Waist trainers compress, and corsets cinch. It’s never a good idea to wear shapewear that compresses or cinches your body in any way while sleeping. While you sleep, you breathe oxygen deeply, but it deprives your entire body of oxygen while you sleep if your lung capacity is diminished.

Discomfort & Interrupted Sleep

Sleep is absolutely essential to your well-being as it’s when the body has time to rest and repair. Now, we know that wearing a waist trainer is more comfortable than wearing a corset, but neither of these options is more comfortable than sleeping without a compression device at all. Wearing a corset or waist trainer will be physically uncomfortable and cause disrupted sleep. You will be tired, grumpy, and possibly even in pain the next day.

Waist trainers will always be more comfortable to wear.

It goes without saying that because of the fabric, fastenings, and purpose of waist trainers, they will always be more comfortable to wear than a corset (and come in a variety of colors!). You can quickly secure your waist trainer alone by clipping the hook and eye fittings into place without going through any particular discomfort.

Corsets can be tricky to wear.

Corsets prove to be quite a tricky garment to get into. Getting into a corset is usually a two-person job. While you hold the corset in place, another person must pull the laces tight and then possibly pull them even tighter as you settle and start breathing more naturally again. You can’t just quickly slip into a corset!

Summary

Now that you know the big differences between waist trainers and corsets for all body shapes, it’s time for you to decide which method is best for you, your needs, and of course, your overall physical health. Whichever one you choose to go with - good luck!