The Corset Pt2 – Body Modification, Transformation & Restriction

Body Modification Royalty: Mr Pearl, Ethel Granger & Fakir Musafar

In Pt1 of this article I outlined how corsets have undergone a transformation and are rarely used to mould the body but have become a fashion statement, a new female armour empowering women. I realize purists will not regard these ‘fashion corsets’ as authentic as they are not faithful to their traditional purpose, so lets look at the darker side of the corset.

Body Modification & Fetishism
The corset has become an item revered and fetishised over by those who seek extreme body modification for themselves or others. Using them to reduce waists to tiny and even bizarre looking hour-glass figures. By wearing a tightly-laced corset for extended periods, know as ‘tight lacing’ both men and women can eventually reduce their natural waist size.

Ethel Granger in later life

The infamous Mr Pearl corsetiere to the stars has an 18-inch corseted waist and wears his corset 24/7 except to bath. His corsets are works of art and can take several months to construct. You have probably seen the stunning Dita von Teese in his creations and he has made corsets for designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler and John Galliano.

He describes the feeling of being corseted as a “Permanent embrace”. And that,
“You feel quite vulnerable without it, like a beetle without its shell.”
The wonderful photo of him (top) – cane in hand is not a reference to BDSM but symbolic of the discipline needed for body modification.

Fakir Musafar father of the modern primitive movement and shaman used corsets to explore extreme body modification – along with piercing, scarification, tattooing and suspension. He achieved an 19-inch corseted waist. I’ve always been fascinated by Musafar he crosses over into BSDM and then transcends it – body modifications become modern rites of passage and a means to personal growth.

Lastly, I must mention Ethel Granger who achieved a 13 inch waist and Cathie Jung who currently has the ‘Smallest Waist On A Living Person’ at just 15 inches, see her official website here.

The wearing of a corset especially to please another is rooted in submission, it transforms and restricts but importantly relieves the wearer of control over their body passing this power to another.

Corsets for Bondage & Male to Female Transformations

Transformation – Male to Female
The corset’s transformative powers make it perfect for feminizing the male figure. Like donning extreme high-heels, wearing a corset gives the wearer not just the look but the sensation of extreme femininity. I love to truss guys up in a full boned corset, getting my knee pushed into their backs, pulling them in tight and watching the transformation.

Restriction & Bondage
The corset can also be used for extreme bondage play, some even come with locks, as there is an erotic quality to the tightness and restriction of wearing one. Buckles or rings on the corset can allow for rope or chain to be attached. I adore these beautiful bespoke locking bondage corsets from Contour Corsets (but who unfortunately are no longer trading.). I have also used neck corsets, single-arm corsets, corset leg binders or even cock corsets for extreme bondage scenes, the neck corset below is from hwdesignshop.

Bondage/Locking Corsets including an extreme neck corset