Instagram Celebrities Are Behind the Modern Corset Boom

Kim Kardashian is always waist training, according to her Instagram. In a May 2015 selfie, she wore an undershirt, black leggings and a tight black tube around her waist. The purpose of the shot: promoting the band around her midsection, a so-called waist trainer from Miami-based company Waist Gang Society, to her 62 million followers. Waist trainer makers claim their products reduce waistlines, and one such celebrity social media post can send sales soaring for several days, explained Waist Gang Society's owner, who goes by the single name Premadonna.

Forms of waist training have been around for centuries—the word "corset" dates back to 1300—and the goal has remained the same: Make a woman's waist shrink, or at least appear to shrink, using tight fabric around the midsection. Some of these undergarments include boning, for stiffness; others are made of more flexible materials such as latex. Some zip, some tie, and some, like Kardashian’s, fasten through hook-and-eye closings.