Here's a small FAQ I put together on waist training/corsets!

How does one season/break in a new corset? Slowly but surely. You can go by the rule of 2: 2 inch reduction for 2 hours a day for 2 weeks. Add more time if necessary. You can change it up a bit to fit your needs, not everyone can start off this way. Can only get a 1 inch reduction or no reduction your first time? that's ok! Can only go about an hour at first? That's fine too. Listen to your body, because that is the most important thing! If you don’t season your corset, the fabric and the threads and the bones don’t get warmed up and it can ultimately lead to a broken and warped corset.

How do you measure for a corset? Find your natural waist. This is usually the smallest part of your torso but for apple shapes and rectangle shapes, it is more difficult to find. Feel your ribcage. Go down until you find the end where your torso becomes hollow. Somewhere at the edges of your ribcage are your floating ribs (the ribs that aren't fully attached to the others). Below this is your waist. Get your measuring tape. (if you don’t already have one go out and get one now since you’ll need it for the rest of your corseting journey). Measure around your waist. Take this measurement and subtract 4 inches. This is your corset size. If you’re really squishy and thicker you may be able to subtract a few more inches.

Where can I get a good corset? Here’s a good list of some reputable sellers. Another good list of up-to-date brands (here)[http://thecorsetauthority.tumblr.com/brands)

How do I know I'm getting a real corset? What's the difference? Here's a good article that has tips on how to make sure you're buying an authentic corset. The links posted in the previous question are a list of great brands to choose from, so here's a list of brands to avoid Also something I've noticed getting popular lately is people selling poorly made body shapers and saying they're corsets, so that's one thing to watch out for!

What is waist training? The act of using a corset to train your waist smaller.

What is tightlacing? The act of lacing as tight as one can. Occasionally interchanged with waist training, although some would agree that they are both two different things.

What is a corset liner and where can I get one? A corset liner is a cotton or other breathable fabric that separates the corset from your skin. You don’t want to get your skin cells or sweat trapped in the corset since you can’t wash them, and you don’t want the corset to rub you raw. Cotton tank tops from Forever 21 or other clothing stores are a good choice, as they’re very cheap and come in a multitude of colors and can be cut into tubes for discrete wear.

Can I sleep in my corset? Yes. More info here.

Does waist training lead to permanent results or does your natural shape come back? Just like going to the gym. If you stop when you've reached your desired shape, you will slowly start to lose your progress.

Can you wear corsets under clothes? Yes of course! Corsets were originally worn as undergarments and many prefer this option to prevent the hordes of questions one gets when going out and about while showing off ones corset.

What about over clothes? Yes indeed

Can you waist train in an overbust? Absolutely not. Your bust can change size over the course of the month with makes the fit unstable. This is no good! And not safe for daily wear. They restrict the upper chest significantly and since you can’t breathe through your diaphragm you need to be able to breathe through the upper chest. This is not suitable for daily wear. And lastly they do not focus on the waist, making them inefficient. Unless you get one custom made to suit you, the chances of a good fit are a lot slimmer.

Should I see a doctor before corseting? If you have any physical anomalies such as scoliosis, fibromayalgia, asthma, etc, then yes you should definitely see your doctor first.

How do you lace up a corset? You can find videos on Youtube. Here are my favorites: Video 1 Video 2

What happens when I lace up and the panels aren’t parallel? If you can’t get your lacing panel to stay straight this is actually a serious problem. Curves and crooks in the lacing panel will warp the fabric and make it harder to lace up, cause bones to twist in the channel and dig into your back, and eventually wear down the overall life of the corset.

• If your gap in the back doesn’t look like this || you’re in trouble!

• A gap that looks like this /\ means your hips are bigger than the corset and you need to find one that suits your shape better or possibly go the custom route.

• If your gap looks more like this V your ribs are bigger than the corset has room for and need to find another corset or go custom.

• If your gap looks like this however () then you misjudged your waist measurement and need to get a bigger corset, or loosen up the top and bottom and slowly train down. Getting the panels to be parallel might be hard the first few tries, so just be careful and watch while you lace up in a mirror, go slowly.

More links/additional info:

Lucy's Corsetry - this woman has a lot of experience wearing and making corsets. Her Youtube channel has many brand reviews, tutorials, and general information.

The Corset Authority on Tumblr - this blog has a lot of resources and is run by a few mods who are very experienced in corset wear and corset training. Most questions in this post derived from theirs, just modified a tiny bit. I've also added a few of my own.

Hope this helps the average person who's just starting out! I know it helped me immensely when I was.

Edit: Formatting