Corsets and wasp-waists

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Despite the dangers of corseting, which have been pointed out for a century,* some people cinch themselves up anyway. Ironically, the classic wasp-waist is now associated with a man. Calling himself Mr. Pearl, Mark Pullin set up as a corset-maker to the stars in London in 1994. Since 2002, he has been in Paris designing for couture houses, painstakingly cutting, stitching and embroidering by hand every corset he creates. Mr. Pearl himself has worn an 18" corset day and night for over a decade. "Corset-wearing requires a moderate intake. I do not eat junk food. Beans are a disaster - and beer, definitely not," says Mr. Pearl, who takes off his corset only to have a bath.

*I mentioned in my post about Frank Buckland that he questioned the safety of corsets. There is also a skeleton at the Mütter Museum that displays the remodelling of a woman's ribcage after years of wearing a corset.