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I don’t know how many more waist trainer ads on Instagram and Saran wrap with Vaseline recommendations I’m going to have to see and hear about before people get the memo: for one, you’re wearing a corset. Secondly, there is no quick fix for weight loss.
And yet, there are still women who are buying waist trainers and expecting weight-loss results, and successfully suing the companies who sell them when they don’t work as hoped.
As reported by The Daily Mail, Waist Gang Society, the company behind waist trainers that have been promoted by the Kardashians, recently settled a lawsuit with a customer. Sara Hawes of California filed a $5 million lawsuit stating that the Florida-based company, which is quite successful (allegedly raking in $2 million as of last year), has been out here selling people a bald-headed lie. As The Daily Mail pointed out, “The lawsuit goes on to explain that women, like Hawes, who want a smaller waist are targeted but the marketing is being done in a deceptive manner. The company’s website even quotes its founder, PreMadonna, who says ‘it’s a unique and efficient way to help women shed unwanted inches and feel good about themselves — no diet and exercise required.'”
Well, Ms. PreMadonna just shot herself in the foot now didn’t she?
And while it was an incredibly ridiculous idea to tell the public that you could drop pounds without having to eat better and work out in order to sell her products, I was more bothered by the fact that people actually believed her. I mean, as the saying goes, “if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.”
An agreement was made between both parties on Monday, settling the case out of court. Hawes may deserve money to at least teach folks a thing or two about the consequences of false advertising, but really, can you expect anything less from someone looking to make money off of revamped corsets? The reality is, there are many women who sit on the Waist Gang Instagram page asking “How much?” They believe that binding their stomach in one way or another will help them lose weight, no frills involved. They see the Kardashians, Amber Rose, Porsha Williams and more wearing trainers, knowing good and well that these stars aren’t putting those things on for more than an Instagram picture. Have you ever seen video of Williams or Khloe Kardashian (who both post many workout clips and pictures), going hard in the gym with a waist trainer on? I doubt it. They’ve slimmed down and toned up because they work out extensively, and with trainers.
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But you can wear whatever you want. You still won’t slim down without a change in diet and some exercise. You might alter your waist, but it won’t have anything to do with pounds falling off around your stomach. Wearing a tight corset for a long time can cause your natural waist size to be reduced, but only because you’re pushing your body to tolerate uncomfortable constriction of that area. However, the idea of losing weight in your waist solely just isn’t tangible. We don’t really have control of where we lose weight. You may want to slim down in your stomach or thighs but actually find more of a loss in breast weight or arm fat instead. When you work hard enough, you eventually see results all over — even in your feet.
As Christopher Ochner, Ph.D., a weight loss and nutrition expert at Mount Sinai Hospital told Marie Claire, you might lose consciousness from wearing a waist trainer too tight and for too long, but that’s about all you’re really going to lose. “You can’t reduce the collection of fat in any one particular area of your body. If you push your stomach in, all the fat will go right back to where it was no matter how long [you wear the corset] for.”
You could even end up with acid reflux. And as certified fitness enthusiast Lita Lewis told me last year about waist trainers:
“We like that quick fix. We like how we look when that waist trainer is tucking us in and now we have hips and an hourglass figure. I get that, I really do. But personally, I stand for and promote a healthier lifestyle for longevity. Therefore, I could never be associated with something like that because it is a quick fix, and it does play on misconceptions of weight loss. And really, all it’s doing is distributing body fat in different places.”
I’ve literally watched people enter into women-only gyms and sell waist trainers to women who happily buy them. I’ve even watched a woman show others how she puts petroleum jelly on her stomach and wraps it with Saran wrap to slim down at the same fitness center. It’s ridiculous. Because no matter what you’re sold or told about these trainers, teas and the like, the fact of the matter is that working on your diet and exercising are the best way to see results. Some of us aren’t lucky enough to have the genetics to look like a Barbie doll, and in that case, it’s best to just work on toning and accentuating what you have. Spending $20 and upwards of $100+ on a quick-fix corset will just leave you uncomfortable and a little bit broker. It can give you a certain look when you wear it, but when you take it off, it’s time to figure out Plan B, sis.
