Male-to-female transgenderists also typically have a profound appreciation for traditionally feminine virtues and find that displaying a small waist is aesthetically pleasing.
Some derive great satisfaction from lacing their partners into corsets. And for a significant number of cross-dressers, corsetting seems to be a natural complement to fetish and D&S activity.
As is true of other forms of body modification, corsetting practitioners become motivated to reach increasingly difficult goals. Good examples of this, and perhaps the best-known contemporary corsetting fetishists, were Will and Ethel Granger. Mrs. Granger is featured in The Guinness Book of World Records.
[Ethel’s] waist size was 13 inches. Will Granger [wrote] a biography of Ethel detailing his goals for her and how they achieved them. He wanted her to have the smallest waist in the world.
—JENNY LANE
Mr. Granger was not unique: Desiring to have one’s wife achieve as tiny a waist as possible is common among husbands who are aroused by a delicate form.
In addition to its other perceived advantages, waist training may have beneficial psychological consequences. It can produce an extremely youthful shape. The results help enthusiasts to maintain their levels of commitment.
Back in 1987 I revealed how I began corsetting and enjoyed the experience of learning about my body. I wrote about diet and exercise in conjunction with corsetting, since I personally shrank from 165 pounds and a 30-inch waist to 130 pounds and a 20-inch waist.… Some afternoons … I ask myself, “Why are you doing this? What’s it all for?” The answer is always the same. “The self-esteem is worth the effort.”
—DIANNE6
Knowing that he or she can radically alter the torso’s appearance gives the corset wearer a feeling of personal power and an improved body image. So does the knowledge that a difficult goal was achieved through hard work and commitment.
CORSETTING STYLES AND THEIR EFFECTS
Contemporary corsets are usually made of stiff material covered with satin—and often decorated with lace—and reinforced by boning, usually of well-insulated tempered steel. Hooks and eyes are usually located at the backs and sometimes on the sides.
Corsets may support the breasts or may be cut just below. They may also extend the full length of the torso, although most are cut to mid-hip. Some corsets extend to mid-thigh, and gaiters may be attached.
Strictly speaking, the most common variety of corset is not a corset at all: the corselette is made of an elastic material and may include panels of a stiff material (such as taffeta). The busks are usually flexible, and there is little or no boning. Corselettes provide only temporary support. They may be step-in models, laboriously tugged into place, or have hook-and-eye closures or zippers.
While corselettes may afford transient modification of body shape, serious devotees seek permanent reshaping of the torso. They willingly endure the challenge of wearing restrictive garments.
There aren’t too many [young] people who have any idea of what it’s all about. I’ve got a 24-year-old daughter, and she wouldn’t know what a garter belt is. Even her bras aren’t structured. She would have no problem going to Victoria’s Secret and buying ruffled, pretty things, but not anything that was confining and restricting. Madonna had a little bit of influence with merry widows and bustiers, but nothing terribly serious and certainly nothing that actually makes the waistline smaller.
—JENNY LANE
Corsetting fans prize three basic idealized shapes: the hourglass, the wasp waist, and the ice cream cone.7 Corsetters must make a long-term commitment to achieve any of these ideals.
While the hourglass figure is commonly associated with such curvaceous movie goddesses as Mae West and Marilyn Monroe, the corsetters’ exemplar for this style is actress Lillie Langtry, reputedly once the lover of Edward VII of England. This stereotypical feminine hourglass physique is achieved by the least rigorous of the three corsetting techniques and is the most suitable training for middle-aged neophytes. Over time the spine curves gently inward, while the lower ribs are compressed and pushed upward. An hourglass corset constricts the intestines and forces them upward and downward from the waist. The hourglass ideal comprises a curvy, diminished waist with full hips and bust.
Wasp-waisting is attained through the use of a stringent garment that compresses the waist tightly in back and in front. Corsetters’ model for this body style is the late French actress Polaire. A “waspie” forces the waistline to rise, resulting in a long, narrow torso. Over time the spine is bent inward, the lower ribs yield and are forced upward by the pressure at the waistline, the pelvis tilts, and the buttocks are pushed out and down. Wasp-waist training is most often begun in youth and generally requires preliminary waist training.
The ice-cream-cone shape, whose model is Florenz Ziegfeld’s wife, actress Anna Held, is the most severe traditional form of waist modification currently practiced. It combines wasp and hourglass methods. The lower ribs collapse completely and the internal organs are stringently compressed. The ideal result matches full hips with a long, narrow torso.
INTERVIEWS
FAKIR MUSAFAR
The torso has been of endless fascination to all cultures in all ages. I was fascinated by the resculpting of the body at an early age, and I made some belts and experimented to see how it felt, how it looked, and what would happen. I had amazing insights into my body’s spirit connection by long-term use of belts. I [also] modified the shape of my body. This was over [a period of] 10 or 15 years. Then I found the custom was in vogue in Western culture through tight-lacing and corsets, and for much the same reasons.
In sculpting the torso, two things can happen. One can either do this temporarily or permanently. Temporarily, anyone can have their midsection reduced by anywhere from three to five inches within a matter of minutes or an hour. The only problem in temporary body sculpting is [that] this is only bearable for a short period of time. The body—internal organs, muscles, everything else—need to adjust slowly to this change of body state. The most notable symptoms are backache, kidney ache, pain in the crest of the hipbone, numbness in the thighs. Those kind of symptoms will occur after a couple of hours of being tightly pinched in.
With permanent body sculpting, the change is made very slowly. The person who does corset training must take anywhere from two months to a year to gradually reduce the midsection. When one goes about this slowly and with proper training, the longer the belt or the corset is left on, the more comfortable and natural it feels, as opposed to temporary corsetting, where the longer you keep something on, the more discomfort it causes.
[When I started], there were no places to get corsets: Only a few people in the world still made them. The old patterns and knowledge of corsetting [were] carried on for just a handful of fetishists. I was involved in theater and costuming. It was very interesting to me to try to construct corsets that would sculpt the body. I tried using some of the early patterns, but they didn’t work for modern bodies. Bodies had changed between 1895 and 1955. So I got body measurements for about 200 or 300 people, both male and female, from the costume department at San Francisco State University, and worked from that.
I discovered that corsetiers of old had to know many things: They had to know anatomy, physiology; they had to [be] artists; they had to [know numerous] crafts in order to make patterns and corsets. They made mannequins of bodies and then modified those mannequins, allowing for where things moved if you reduced the midsection. Then they draped cloth tightly over the mannequins and made the corset pattern. I duplicated that [method] and came up with the first new corset patterns in [roughly] 90 years.
I’m planning to reopen an hourglass-corset company. I’ll work in cooperation with B.R. Creations on different types of corsets. B.R. will still concentrate on custom Victorian corsets with very fancy trim and decoration. I’ll probably specialize in exceptional styles—like longline corsets that go from the bust clear down to the knees, [or] a popular line of short corset belts
that can be worn outside or inside the clothing. I think those are going to be very popular.
JENNY LANE
I consider myself a normal woman with normal drives. I don’t think that I’m involved in anything unusually kinky. I have fairly private kinds of interests.
I have been [involved with corsetting] 30-plus years. I met my husband when we were both in our early 20s. He expressed an interest in corsetted shapes. This was something that went back to his early teen years and was very appealing to him. At that time, there really wasn’t much around that was attractive. He went to New York City to [visit] some costume shops and bought a couple of costumes. One was a red satin corset, and the other was a black one that didn’t come close to fitting. He took them apart and remade them so I could wear them for him. At that time I was not cognizant of how seriously he was interested in them. I had no problem dealing with it. It was just something he liked, and I thought of it as dressing up or wearing a negligee.
We got married a few years later, and at that time he asked me if I would consent to wearing a corset under my wedding gown. I had no problem doing that. We found a woman in New York who made a satin, long lace-up corset, and I had my wedding dress fitted over the corset. It wasn’t terribly tight-laced. I’ve always been fairly slender through the rib cage, so it was effective. I didn’t enjoy it any more than I would have any other nice lingerie.
After we were married, our schedule was very tight. My husband was in medical school and then had residency and internship. The interest in corsetting never disappeared, but he never had time to pursue it. [Also], we had three children over the next five years. I was doing a lot of chasing with the kids and taking up the slack since he wasn’t around.
Once our children were in high school and getting ready to leave, there was more time available to pursue it. The B.R. Creations Newsletter made reference to a ball in England for corset fanciers. It was only for [heterosexual] couples with women corset wearers. We got in touch with the organizer and went to England for a week as a spur-of-the-moment thing. We asked [the organizer] to arrange for us to see [someone] in Germany. We arranged on our own to see a woman in England. We’ve since gotten to know her, her friends, and her family. It [so] happened that she was married to a physician and happened to be a nurse, so there was a commonality there [that] was un-corset-related.
We spent that week in England and then flew to Germany for a day. My husband is of German extraction: He had never been to Germany—neither of us had ever been to Europe—and so he was thrilled to be there and was very taken with the German corsetier. That was a turning point, because we bought something reasonably comfortable to wear. And we followed up on a lot of sources of literature. There was a lot of stuff in England in the late 1800s and early 1900s: [information about] how people went about achieving small waists, how they laced, what kind of training [they did]. It was very useful in terms of physical care, what you can expect, and what not to expect.
[My husband] enjoys the look. It is erotic and sexually stimulating for him. He still gets a great deal of pleasure from watching the old 1950s’ movies with dance scenes. People we’ve met have put together a whole collage of vignettes from probably 20 movies of that era. There are scenes from movies that show people like Gina Lollobrigida and Marilyn Monroe getting corsetted. That, to him, is extremely fascinating and thrilling. I have to agree. I’m a product of the 1950s: Small waists were in then. [And] stockings and high heels go along with corsetting. I’m [not] allowed to wear panty hose!
My corsetted waist is between 18 and 19 ½ [inches]. Natural is probably about 22 or 23 [inches]. I have a fairly long torso and fairly narrow rib cage. I was extremely athletic, but not like kids now who are running and end with a sprung and enlarged rib cage from a lot of lung expansion. I don’t have any extra flesh on my ribs. I’m not a small person, and I’m not skinny anywhere else, but from the constant wearing of the corset, I don’t have any extra. It certainly attracts a lot of attention when you’re out and about.
My husband has done some interesting things, taken some X rays. He’s an orthopedist. I trust him. He’s not going to do anything knowingly that’s going to inflict permanent harm on me. It’s gotten to be sort of a joke, because every now and then there are rumors that, in order to tight-lace and get your waist down, a lot of people remove their floating ribs. There’s a rumor going around now—I don’t know who started it—that he has taken out my ribs! It’s not so, but it’s interesting to hear!
Most of the English corsetiers [are] probably [more] involved with kinky things—with pony girl costumes and men who wear corsets—than with people like me. We’re not interested in men wearing corsets. I don’t understand TVs and cross-dressers. I’ve certainly met more than my share, and they certainly have been very interested in me. But it’s not something that I want to take the time to understand.
Basically, my interest is to please my husband. If I were not married to him, or if something were to happen to him, I probably would still corset, partly because I’m comfortable that way. I wouldn’t have anything to wear if I didn’t: All my clothes are custom-made. But if I’d been married to somebody else who wasn’t interested in that, it’s not something that I would have picked up. And if he said tomorrow that he wasn’t interested anymore, it wouldn’t be a problem for me.
ALEXIS DEVILLE
I think [the eroticism of wearing a corset] has to do with the mystery of woman. High heels, corsets, lingerie—the appearance of these garments—seems to turn people on. All I know is [that] if I wear a corset in a scene, it gets better results with a slave than if I’m not wearing a corset. He or she is more excited. In B&D, of course, the whole purpose is to excite the other person. In a session my waist gets looked at and appreciated. Whether [I’m] on the street [wearing] something that looks nice and shows off my waist, or in the dungeon and training slaves, the fact that I’m [shaped] like that and it’s appreciated is really all I want.
I have been able to get down, so far, to a 22-inch waist. I enjoy the way it feels, and I just love the way it looks. It’s a very good feeling to have control of your own shape. Plus, it’s sensual: I find my male and female slaves both go crazy over my corset and my small waist. I think the men are more turned on by the corsets, although I found that most of the women that I’ve done eventually have wanted one.
The only times I’m not wearing [corsets] is when taking a bath or doing exercises. Then I wear a belt. I also don’t wear corsets at night. At the beginning I did: You just leave them a little looser. Now I just wear a belt at night. [The corsets I wear] are more or less what I would consider utilitarian Victorian corsets. I do have leather show ones that are trimmed-out leather that you can wear on the outside. And I’ve got the basic, utilitarian heavy broadcloth [kind], heavily boned, steel snaps at the front, and lacing in back. My corsets [extend down] just below my buttocks.
[Corsets don’t damage organs]. Not if done properly. The best way to put one on is to put a string around the smallest place: That is your natural waist. On a man it won’t be obvious unless you already have a defined waist. Make a mark on yourself with a pen, and then put the corset on, and line up the bellyband—the reinforced material and brace over your waist—and make sure it’s on there right. Inside the corset is an extra-strong band that’s built into it: You put that on your natural waist. Even if it’s properly made, if you don’t have it in the right place, your legs will go numb. You have to remove it and change the position.
In the beginning, you’ll only be able to stand wearing the corset for 30 minutes. And then as time goes on you’ll be able to stand more and more time, until you build up to where you can wear it all day. I’ve worn them as long as 20 hours without any [discomfort].
Corsets start at about $150. You typically order them four inches smaller than your normal waist. When you’re able to pull it in, you go down one size, or an inch and a half, smaller. I started with one that was made to go to about 24 inches and then my next on
e was 23. I’ll shortly be going to 20. I’m developing an hourglass shape.
One idea that’s inexpensive is a Lady Madeleine waist cincher: They are very good and usually in the $20 range at better stores. A good waist cincher is something you can wear when your clothes aren’t suitable for a corset. A waist cincher is a spandex thing that has hooks and laces. It helps you to get the feeling and see if you like it.
I put submissives in corsets. They have to be different from the ones I wear, because my waist is so small. I use them on slaves, both male and female. I can’t tell you I use [corsets] on all of them, because some of the slaves I have are very overweight. You can’t take someone who’s overweight and miraculously give him a small waist with a corset. I make weight loss part of the game, but it’s really an excuse to visit them, to measure them.
You have to use figure training. You do modified sit-ups, where you lay on the floor with your knees up and just raise your shoulders about three or four inches. You then work yourself up to 120, 125. One of the other things you do is sit on the floor and do twisting exercises, rolling your shoulders back and forth. Then there are diagonal sit-ups. I do these every night.
Corsetting is a very sensuous part of the D&S scene. The whole idea is to titillate and arouse, not to inflict large amounts of pain. If you do it right, you can really feel it become intermingled with pleasure. I use some restraint devices. In fact, all the props I use—like six-inch heels, riding crop, corsets, whatever—are in the arena of creating excitement [and] arousal.
Sixteen
TATTOOING
Almost everyone has seen tattoos—if only the heart pierced with an arrow, whose banner declares an immutable love for Mother—but few realize that tattoos have served dignified symbolic purposes over the millennia in virtually all non-Western cultures. Although most are commonly applied for decorative and erotic purposes or to denote rank within tribal groups, tattoos have historically served as magical protection against misfortune, illness, or sorcery. In the West tattoos historically have been used for darker purposes, primarily to identify prisoners.
Different Loving Page 40
