 Corsets, Clinchers and BasquesMost of us don't have a perfect female figure - far from it! In addition to having chests and arms that tend to be too muscular, most of us t*girls don't have a waist or hips that look anything like those of a real woman! Now if you're happy just to dress the part, put on the make-up, wig, clothes and shoes and leave it at that (as most of us are) then that's just great. But there are those special times or special situations where doing something extra to make ourselves look more feminine is worthwhile. You might also like the feel of having your ribs crushed - whatever takes your fancy! Enter the corset, waist-clincher, basque or bodice.
 Actually, before going any further, let me just clear up one thing - a corset and a waist-clincher are usually made of tough material and are 'boned' which is to say that they have struts to help them take on the particular shape they are trying to achieve. Thus, corsets and clinchers are the things to use when trying to take on a female shape. A basque (also know as a bodice and also sometimes called a teddy/teddie in the UK), pictured on the left, is more of a cosmetic item that is designed to look like a corset but which does nothing to alter the shape of the person wearing it. I have included reference to it on this page as the terms are often misinterpreted - though it really doesn't matter what you call it as long as you know what the differences are. |
The Good, The Bad and the Wrong...
 Waist Clincher |
 Underbust Corset |
 Overbust Corset |
Choosing a corset (or clincher, I'm going to use the terms interchangeably from now on) isn't as straightforward as it might at first seem. There are a number of particular issues that you need to consider that make it different choosing a corset for a tranny as compared with choosing one for a 'regular' girl (for want of a better term).
- Over or Under? Corsets typically fit in one of two places, either over (i.e. covering) or under (i.e. leaving uncovered) your boobs. Now for a regular girl, who has real boobs, using an underbust corset and leaving their breasts uncovered (to be covered separately by a frilly bra, maybe) might look great. For most T*Girls it just doesn't work as the boobs in the bra don't form the right shape when pushed and squeezed by a corset - so use an over the breasts type (with a bra underneath to hold your breastforms in place). The exception here being waist-clinchers which tend to finish way below the boobs and only have the effect of making your waist look more realistically feminine.
- The Long and Short of it T*Girls bodies tend to be much longer than regular girls. Most corsets are designed specifically to fit the body length of regular girls and hence will not fit transvestites properly, either coming too high around the waist or not covering the boobs properly. Pay special attention to the length of any corset you fancy buying before purchasing it. Longer ones are available but are much rarer (and, sadly, often more expensive).
In my experience, wearing a corset does make the figure look more feminine and (for reasons I've never quite fathomed) tend to make you walk in a more feminine way too. I know some trannies who love a corset because it hides their beer belly. The only other thing to bare in mind is that as the corset is pressing down hard on your rib cage, it can be uncomfortable to wear for long periods. Also, if you wear a particularly tight fitting top the corset will be visible under the top - which, of course, might be the desired effect, and there are occasions when the corset itself (especially if it's particularly decorative) is the only top you need to wear! |
