For some, the word ‘corset’ conjures up images of Victorian women wincing while being strapped into their brutally restrictive whalebone undergarments.
Although corsets are still available in various forms, including the ‘waist trainers’ beloved by the Kardashian sisters, they’re not always viewed in a positive light.
Many are quick to dismiss them as a relic of outdated, rigid, even damaging beauty standards.
Yet for Australian author and journalist Tara Moss, the appeal of corsets is not purely aesthetic.
Moss has curvature of the spine, or scoliosis, and has explored various avenues — including yoga, pain killers and seeing osteopaths — to manage the resulting chronic pain.
When she developed pain during a writing session one afternoon, the Speaking Out author instinctively reached for an old underbust.
“Perhaps I had medical corsets in mind that day (they are often structurally similar) and I unconsciously craved the stiff posture support,” Moss muses in her piece, also published on Daily Life.
“Whatever the reason, by the end of that day, I discovered something curious — my neck and upper back felt ‘lighter’.”
The writer worked for hours that afternoon without developing a headache or neck tension, and experienced the same result the following day. It was a revelation.
“Finally the penny dropped: the corsets I had loved the look of for as long as I can remember could do far more for me than I’d given them credit for,” she writes.
Moss argues the reason it took her so long to make this connection stems from the historical narrative that corsets only cause women physical pain, rather than ameliorate it — a belief she describes as unfounded “hysteria”.
“[The root] seems to be the idea that women, as an entire sex, cannot be trusted to know their own minds and bodies. There could apparently be no comfortable or moderate corset wear for women, only masochism and dangerous vanity,” she writes.
“What we find again and again is the idea of the corset itself—or the woman who wears one—as a corruptor. A woman with a corset is a threat or a victim.”
Dr Jodie Silleri of Surrey Hills Medical Centre says that there are some proven benefits of wearing a corset for back pain.
“Studies appear to support long-term corset treatment for chronic back pain with results demonstrating improved low back pain and increased muscle endurance for a short period of time,” Dr Silleri told Mamamia.
However Dr Silleri is quick to point out it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ solution – you would need a custom-made corset from a medical professional to accommodate your specific measurements.
“Furthermore, it is important to recognise that a corset brace cannot replace the need for physiotherapy or regular exercise to help strengthen the muscles that normally support the spine.”
While there isn’t a huge amount of research on the topic, there are plenty of women like Tara who swear by personalised corsetry to ease the symptoms of their curvature.
These days Moss uses corsets to aid her curved spine and exercises to build what back strength she can, and her doctor is aware of this approach. (Post continues after gallery.)
Tara Moss on Instagram
Ultimately, the undergarments have served as a “miraculous” and inexpensive method of pain management that allows Moss to live comfortably and happily.
“When my leggy five-year-old daughter runs into my arms, and I pick her up without hesitation … I am grateful for the special moments these steel-boned creations afford me,” she concludes.
You can read the piece in full here. If you’re suffering from back pain or scoliosis, be sure to seek medical advice before donning a corset.
Do you wear corsets? What do you enjoy about them?
Featured image: Getty.
Top Comments
Yes she is beautiful and I'm glad she has found a way to reduce her back pain. But wearing corsets will only provide temporary relief. This article has ignored the simple fact that prolonged corset use (medically fitted or otherwise) will allow her core muscles to weaken further because she doesn't have to engage then the entire time she is wearing the corset. There is no mention in this article of any exercise routing Tara Moss is doing to help strength her core, which is incredibly misguided. Unused muscles atrophy, which means less support, and increased likelihood of pain over time her. Not to mention restricting blood flow to internal organs! I'm happy she is out of pain. But for the love of god woman, start doing some strength work. Pilates, yoga, swimming, PT just move your body so that it can support itself!
I was told to wear them for my lower back pain, believe me it works (for me) :)