Columnist Haadiza Ogwude discusses the negative physical effects of using waist-training devices.
Social media has become a hub for celebrities and other renowned people to spread awareness for particular causes, discuss current events and pop culture news, promote their latest books, movies, TV shows and albums and to promote various products. No social media outlet has been more popular for promoting merchandise than Instagram.
One product that has sparked a major trend on social media is the waist trainer. Celebrities such as the Kardashian sisters, La La Anthony, Lindsay Lohan, Ciara and many others have fueled this trend by posting Instagram photos of themselves wearing waist-training devices, or bands of material that wrap tightly around the waist and lower rib cage to provide an instantly slimming, hourglass look.
Many celebrities have even created their own line of waist trainers, such as Brooke Burke-Charvet, who designed a line for new moms that is intended to reduce water retention and swelling of the uterus.
However, one question has been asked time and time again when a new brand of waist training devices steps up to the scene. Do they really work?
Dr. Caroline Apovian, professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and a spokesperson for The Obesity Society, wrote, “If you’re going out and want to look really thin, I don’t see a problem with wearing one of these for an evening.” Dr. Apovian also believes that a waist trainer can boost a woman’s confidence. However, when it comes to waist trainers assisting in weight loss and reshaping the body, Dr. Apovian states that there is no evidence. Some experts even believe that regularly wearing a waist trainer can decrease core strength.
If a waist trainer is too tight it can cause discomfort, interfere with breathing or contribute to heartburn. It can even push your stomach up beyond your diaphragm, which could cause reflux. Wearing a waist-training device to workout isn’t a good idea either because it can restrict your mobility and the intake of full, deep breaths.
“Medically, it doesn’t make sense that cinching your waist tightly will make it permanently smaller,” says Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale School of Medicine. “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.”
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According to Christopher Ochner, a weight loss and nutrition expert at Mount Sinai Hospital, some women have passed out from wearing a waist trainer for too long.
Unfortunately, the use of waist trainers is not a safe and healthy method for losing weight. In fact, they can be very detrimental to your health. Not only can they restrict your breathing, but they have can also cause rib and organ damage. If you want to shed some pounds around your midsection, the best thing you can do is eat healthy and be active.
Haadiza Ogwude is a sophomore studying journalism. What do you know about waist trainers? Tweet Haadiza @AdoreHaadiza or email her at ho299413@ohio.edu.
