How to Size a Waist Cincher

Find your natural waist. Your natural waist is the narrowest point of your torso. If your shape is straight or rounded, a good way to pinpoint your natural waist is to look in the mirror while bending your torso to one side. The deepest fold in your torso is your natural waist.

Run a tape measure around your waist. Hold a tape measure at your natural waist against your bare skin. Run the tape measure all the way around, holding it taut against the body. It shouldn’t pinch or create folds of skin over the measure, but you shouldn’t be able to slide anything under it either. When the tape is all the way around your waist, check the measurement and write it down.

• Be sure the tape is even around your waist!
• If you don’t have a flexible tape measure, you can use a piece of string. Just lay it flat and measure it afterwards.
• Many people find it helpful to measure their waist three times and use the average as their final measurement.

Measure your hips. Your hips are the widest point between your groin and your navel. Run the tape measure around your bare hips just like you did with your waist. Write down your measurement.^[1]

• Be sure to label each measurement!

Measure your chest or under-bust area. For most cinchers, the top will align with the bottom of your chest. Regardless of your gender or breast size, you’ll need to measure from the bottom of your pectoral muscles or breast tissue. You should be able to spot this very quickly! This measurement is a little harder to do by yourself, so it might be helpful to ask a friend to hold the tape for you. Measure around the entire under-bust area and write down your measurement.^[2]

• You may need to run the tape measure under your breasts.

Run the tape measure around your bust (optional). If you want an over-bust cincher, you’ll need to measure your bust. Find the widest point and measure all the way around. Like the under-bust measurement, this may be easier to do with a friend helping you.^[3]

• Be sure to remove any clothes or undergarments. This can distort your measurements.

Measure your torso. Waist cinchers often have different heights to accommodate torso lengths. To measure your torso, sit down on a hard surface with your back perpendicular to the ground. Hold one end of the tape measure at the base of your pectoral muscles or breast, and run it along your torso until you hit your leg. This is your torso measurement!^[4]

• You can do this measurement fully clothed.

Choose a brand. Which brand you choose is mostly a matter of personal preference and budget. If you aren’t sure which brand is the best for you, talk to the staff at your local lingerie department or specialty shop. It’s important to be brand-specific because most brands make their own size charts.

Compare your measurements to the brand size chart. Go to the brand’s website or store display and compare your measurements to their size chart. Your cincher size will probably not be the same as your clothing size, so make sure you check the chart carefully!

• If you are unusually tall or are postpartum, be sure to ask if the brand has a separate chart for you. Many do!

Choose shapewear that doesn't feel tight. Shapewear is meant to be a subtle change that focuses on smoothing and shaping rather than changing your body size. Shapewear should feel snug on you, but it should never feel tight. Try on several sizes until you find one that feels snug but comfortable.^[5]

• If you want to wear your shapewear with a specific outfit, bring it with you to your fitting.

Pick a corset between 4 inches (100 mm) and 7 inches (180 mm) smaller than your natural waist if your waist is less than 38 inches (970 mm). If you're new to corseting, pick something around 4 inches (100 mm) smaller than your natural waist at first. You can always size down later for more advanced waist training.^[6]

Try a corset 7 inches (180 mm) to 10 inches (250 mm) smaller than your natural waist for plus sizes. If you are plus-sized or if your waist is larger than 38 inches (970 mm), you can pick a much smaller corset than your actual waist size. This is especially true if your torso is more fat than muscle--you'll be able to "squish" much more of your body into the corset! Remember to start out with a less restrictive corset if you're a beginner.^[7]

Round up your size estimate. If you find that your waist size falls between two brand sizes, round up to the larger size. It’s easy to adjust a cincher to be a little tighter, but if it’s too small, there won’t be much you can do to fix it. Also, resist the urge to start as small as possible! Going too small too quickly can result in nerve and organ damage, irritated skin, and difficulty breathing.^[8]