What Happens When You Wear a Corset For 10 Hours
What are the results you get from wearing a corset for 4 hours? What about 6 hours? 10 hours?
Before We Get Started
The results of this little experiment are anecdotal, based solely on my own experience. I’ve done my best to document the outcome through pictures and measurements, but this only shows how my particular body reacted to wearing a corset for hours on end. Keep in mind that I have been wearing corsets since 2011, including regimented waist training at certain times in my life (check out this guide to learn more about waist training). All this means that I’m already very comfortable with wearing corsets going into this, and my body is quite used to the physical experience of wearing a corset.
If you are new to wearing corsets, do not immediately start wearing your corset for long periods of time! Your new corset needs a chance to be “seasoned”, or be broken in, for the most comfortable fit. And your body needs the opportunity to get used to how a corset feels - this goes for anyone wearing a brand new corset, too. Be gentle with yourself starting out. It’s important to slowly build up how long you wear a corset, to make the experience both comfortable and effective.
A well-fitting corset should match your natural measurements, and it should make you feel supported, never “crushed”. If your corset is causing you pain, it is the wrong fit for your body! Do not attempt to “sit through the pain” when wearing a poorly-fit corset. If your corset is NOT properly fit to your unique body, then you run the risk of damaging the corset and leaving yourself extremely sore. Again, check out my waist training guide for more on how to choose a corset that fits your body. Please also note that this experiment is based on the use of a properly fit steel-boned corset. Elastic, plastic, latex, etc. “waist trainers” or fajas do not apply here.
The Experiment
Waist training with a corset is something that’s generally treated as a long-term body modification. If a person chooses to wear their corset(s) consistently and for an extended time (i.e. many hours each day, for months or years on end), they can expect to see a change in their figure even when they are not wearing the corset. The mechanics behind long-term waist training results will not be discussed here.
Instead, I wanted to focus on the short-term effects that wearing a corset (including waist training) can have on a body when worn for 4, 6, and 10 hour intervals. These immediate changes are going to be what most people notice when beginning to wear corsets for more hours at a time. It’s wonderful to enjoy the way your corset effects your midsection once you take it off, but remember that these short-term effects will fade within an hour or so! This is why waist training generally refers to consistently wearing corsets for much longer periods of time.
For this “experiment” of sorts, I decided to wear an underbust corset that comfortably fits my figure. You will see that corset here - the standard size 20” Josephine underbust corset by Isabella Corsetry. I’ve owned and worn this corset for many years, as you can tell by the fading fabric in some areas, so it is very well broken in. I also wore this corset over a custom-made corset liner, designed to minimize the friction between the corset and skin without bunching in the process of lacing up.
Let’s get to the numbers.
Natural starting waist: 25” circumference
Corset waist: 22.5” circumference, measured on the OUTSIDE of the corset
Corset waist INSIDE corset: around 21” circumference (The difference here is the thickness of the corset fabric itself. This number just gives us an idea of how much the waist is actually being cinched in the corset.)
This corset was worn for 10 hours total, with photos and measurement being taken at 4 hours, 6 hours, and 10 hours. When the corset was removed at these intervals, it was unlaced for no more than 10 minutes, before being cinched to that same 22.5” measurement it started at. For the sake of measuring short-term waist training effects, these two short breaks are negligible. All measurements and photos were taken with consistently tensed abdominal muscles, but never with a “sucked in” or “pushed out” tummy. I ate and drank normally throughout the process.
Wearing a stretchy, fitted corset liner under your corset will make all-day wear much more comfortable by reducing the friction between the corset and your skin.
Wearing a Corset for 4 Hours
Perhaps you are wearing a corset for an evening out, or you just need a bit of extra back support during your afternoon. The reason behind wearing a corset for something like 4 hours can be about anything. Regardless, you will likely notice a minor effect when removing your corset after 4 hours of wear.
Here’s what I noticed after wearing my corset for 4 hours:
My natural waist measurement was reduced from 25” to 24.25” circumference. In my case, I suspect this change is due to a reduction in water retention at the waistline, plus the muscles around my midsection stretching and adjusting to the corset’s contours.
I was standing a bit taller than I did before wearing my corset at all. Corsets tend to help me keep up good posture even when I’m not wearing one, since wearing a corset can build up my unconscious muscle memory for keeping my spine vertical.
There were just a few imprints left on my torso from wearing the corset. These are common and very similar to the temporary marks left on your skin from wearing socks or leaving a hairband around your wrist. These imprints included no discomfort.
Overall comfort level was excellent. Again, I have been wearing corsets for many years, including for 20+ hour periods. Wearing a corset for 4 hours is often more comfortable to me than not wearing a corset at all.
Wearing a Corset for 6 Hours
Adding just 2 more hours to the time that you wear your corset can seem pretty minimal. However, if you are building up to wearing your corset for longer periods of time, these couple hours of difference can be a big step up. Remember to keep paying attention to your body - your corset should still feel comfortable to wear at this point if you plan on staying laced up for longer. If you begin to feel pain, do not wait to unlace your corset!
This is what 6 hours of wearing a corset felt like to me:
My natural waist measurement was reduced to 24.125” circumference (reduced from 25” initially, and 24.25” at 4 hours). The shape of the corset continued to have it’s temporary effect on the shape of my midsection muscles.
The good posture continued as I took off the corset. This might actually be the most noticeable effect of wearing a corset, in my experience, since the way you carry yourself can be even more striking than a cinched waist.
The imprints left by the corset were about the same as after 4 hours of wear. These harmless marks are often affectionately referred to as “lace lashes”, and the patterns left behind can tell you more about how the corset is sitting on your body.
Overall comfort level is still good. On this particular day, I was spending my time doing house and yard work, so, if anything, the corset just limited my flexibility slightly.
Wearing a Corset for 10 Hours
For many, 10 hours represents a full workday spent wearing a corset, plus the travel to and from the workplace. If your goal is to lace up for as long as you are wearing your uniform or work attire, then this section will be of most interest to you. In my experience (including this time), there can be a marked difference in how your corset feels between 6 and 10 hours. That might have something to do with my personal energy levels, or it could just be that I am not often wearing corsets for especially long (20+ hour) stretches these days! All that being said, I still enjoyed wearing my corset for the final few hours of this experiment, and the short-term effects of waist training continued.
What happened when I wore a corset for 10 hours:
My natural waist measurement after 10 hours of wearing a corset was 24” circumference (reduced from 25” initially, 24.25” at 4 hours, 24.125” at 6 hours). That’s a solid 1” difference! However, that reduction to my natural unlaced waist measurement was all but gone within about an hour. This just shows how very short-term these results really are when you are just basing it on a few hours of corset wear, and it demonstrates why the long-term effects of waist training can take months or years to see.
The good posture that the corset encouraged did not immediately fade. However, after a full day of modest physical work, I was more than ready to shower and then sink into a soft, comfortable chair. Of course, I know from experience that my back would be quite unhappy with me if I had done all of that labor without any sort of back support! I may not have kept my spine straight for the rest of the evening after unlacing, but my muscles were thankful for not having to bear the full burden of constantly bending over unsupported.
The “lace lashes” intensified by the time I hit the 10 hour mark. At no point in time did these marks become painful, but, admittedly, they were itchy by the time I unlaced my corset for the day (oftentimes, you won’t even notice the irritation until the corset is off). This is due, in part, to the fact that I had spent the last 4 hours outside in warm weather, sweating just a bit and certainly moving around quite a lot. Thankfully, since I wore a liner with my corset, I was able to just wash the liner instead of having to clean the corset. If you do find yourself with itchy corset marks after being laced up for a few hours, wipe down the effected area with a cool, wet washcloth. This will remove any sweat and should quickly soothe irritated skin. Avoid scratching tender skin, and swap out your corset liner for a clean one if you intend to continue wearing a corset.
Overall comfort level at 10 hours was fine, but it dipped noticeably after 10 hours for me on this day. While I love this corset, the top edge of the busk lines up with my xyphoid process (where the sides of the ribcage meet in the middle of the chest), meaning that it sometimes starts to put some uncomfortable pressure on that spot after extended wear. I did NOT reach the point of being in pain (or else I would have taken off the corset then), but I was happy to spend the last 45 minutes of this experiment stretched out on my bed, laying on my stomach and flipping through my phone.
This personal experiment was a reminder to me of why I put so much emphasis on listening to my body when wearing corsets, and knowing when the right time is to unlace my corset. I never want the experience to be unpleasant, or for it to leave me feeling sore the next day. After all, if wearing a corset is always a chore, then it’s quite difficult to keep up a consistent, long-term waist training regimen. The more that I enjoy my time spent laced up, the easier it is to continually turn to a corset for an extra bit of support, whether that’s for just a few hours or as part of a long-term goal of body modification.
