Hello, universe. First posts are always awkward for me. I never know where to start. I'm going to just jump right in today otherwise I will sit here for hours trying to find the right opening line.
I fell in love with corsets when I was very young. I saw an old western with a damsel in distress who was wearing a corset and fell in love with how she looked so feminine and curvy. I have no idea what movie that was, but I must have been about 5 or 6. When I was a teenager my friends and I were into Madonna, and while what we were wearing did not qualify as actual corsets, I loved how they made me look and feel. I graduated from Bustiers to your run of the mill Frederick's of Hollywood fashion corsets, complete with horrible plastic boning and tiny hook closure. I had no idea where to find actual corsets, so I suffered in those. Once the internet came into my life, I was able to find actual corsets, but still only wore them on special occasions. I bought mine so that they closed in the back immediately, because I didn't know better. I cinched them tight as hell thinking that's what you're supposed to do. In fact , I was wearing a beautiful custom corset when my husband proposed, and when he hugged me after I said yes....well, let's just say it was so tight and he was so happy that I ended up with a tiny fracture. My doctor said it was from my husband's strength, and I have to agree since my hubby is a big guy and forgets how strong he is. Luckily my rib healed perfectly and I was given the all clear, but it still led me to shy away from corsets for awhile.
Then my father passed away. I lost my mother to lung cancer in 2014 and had just pulled myself back together. My dad had COPD and had been close to death many times since mom passed. In fact, my hubby lived with him for 9 months to help him regain his strength after RSV almost killed him. He was doing so well that he was ready to be alone, and then out of nowhere his lungs failed. He was going to be sent to hospice and would have to live on a CPAP 24/7. He didn't want to live that way and was tired and missed my mom. He passed on 12/6 with me holding his hand.
Losing him changed my world in so many ways. I love him so much, but I was so bound to my family that I didn't dare show certain parts of me, like my love for funky hair colors, or corsets.
I went online and met Sylvia from Mystic City Corsets and ended up ordering 3 corsets from her. I loved them enough to order a fourth. Then my husband decided to try a men's corset for his back (he has a fractured L1, a botched surgery and a few other issues) and found Timeless Trends. I ordered matching corsets for us. See the trend? I have 11 corsets at the moment, and am planning on going custom next.
I started reading about corsets online, and that led me to waist training. I'll admit that I coped with losing my mother by eating and sitting at home feeling bad. I gained so much that I was at my heaviest ever. I actually broke down one night and sobbed. I immediately changed my eating habits and decided that since I had always wanted to corset and have that amazing hourglass figure, I was going to do my research and give it a serious shot.
I am staring my new waist training program on Sunday and could not be more excited. I know, what about all the bad things you read about corseting? I assure you that when done safely and correctly, corsets, waist training and tightlacing are perfectly safe. There are so many myths surrounding corset wearing, many of them far-fetched. Yes, we can breathe. No, we don't need to have any ribs removed. But I will get to all of those in time. My waist training program was designed just for me and my body by the amazing Ann Grogan of Romantasy Exquisite Corsetry.
I found Ann and Romantasy while devouring information on Lucy's Corsetry. Lucy has an amazing website and YouTube channel devoted to all things corset, complete with scientific information on the effects of corseting on the organs, muscles and nerves, etc. I was looking for more information on waist training since I had decided that I was ready to commit, but did not want to go too fast and risk injury. She mentioned that Ann offers waist training coaching and I immediately went right over to Romantasy and signed up for one. Ann is so very sweet and knowledgable and my waist training plan was done within a week. I also received a copy of her book Corset Waist Training and devoured it within 2 days (I'll be posting a full review of her book Corset Magic here as well.) The Romantasy website has a wealth of information as well, and I could browse the pictures of custom corsets for days.
Now I feel like I am armed with enough information to waist train safely, and I know Ann is an email away if I have a question (which is wonderful since I have had some iffy interactions when just asking about a custom corset, nonetheless waist training questions.). Have I raved about Ann and Romantasy enough yet? Honestly I just love that Ann not only offers amazing custom corsets made by renowned corsetiers, but also educates about corset wearing, waist training and tight lacing. She is so sweet and warm, and I immediately felt like I had a friend as opposed to participating in a business transaction.
Back to waist training... My goal is to go from a 33" natural waist to a 30" natural waist in 3 months. My ultimate goal is to get back down to a 24" waist measured over my corset, but I know that will take time. I'll be combining waist training with Yoga, Pilates, and walking/running since the corset is not a magical fix that will just make me lose weight with no effort. It's a tool, albeit a gorgeous tool that also makes me feel like a Princess!
I will be posting her daily as part of my waist training plan. I know that sharing with the entire internet will help me hold myself accountable.
With love,
Vixx
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