Hoa Hậu Áo Dài: It's a cinch! Woman gets a miniscule 16 inch waist by sleeping in a corset for THREE years (and she still wants to get smaller)

Monday, June 10, 2013

It's a cinch! Woman gets a miniscule 16 inch waist by sleeping in a corset for THREE years (and she still wants to get smaller)

By RUTH STYLES and CHARLIE MCCANN

Shape shifter: 24-year-old Michele Kobke has a tiny 16in waist after wearing a corset every day and night for three years

For most of us, a slender waist is the product of a careful diet and plenty of exercise. But not for Michele Kobke, 24.
The Berliner has shrunk her waist from 25in (64cm) to just 16in (40cm) by wearing a corset every day for three years - even while sleeping.
And despite now having a waist smaller than most catwalk models, the German slimmer says she hopes to whittle her waist down to a shocking 14inches (38cm).

Change: Michele in 2008, when her waist was 25 inches,

'It embraces me and gives me [a] pretty, defined waist,' she revealed. It feels nice and smooth. It's unique.'
But Michele's tiny waist could prove to have serious consequences for her health, and already, she struggles to stand up without her corset, thanks to wasted muscles in her back and stomach.
Her stomach is so constricted, she can't eat a normal meal and instead eats up to 10 small meals a day.

and now, with a waist that is ten inches smaller

Not that she's concerned: 'My life hasn't changed, just slowed down a little,' she reveals. 'Now my movement is more feminine.
'Right now I'm a little breathless, changing corsets is like a high-performance sport for me'
Tiny though Kobke's waist is, the record for the world's tiniest midriff is held by another - American Cathie Jung, whose waist measures just under 15in (38cm).
By comparison, the average British woman has a waist that measures 33.43in (84.9cm) - equivalent to a dress size 14.

Super skinny: Michele is now trying to break the adult world record of 15in

Teensy weensy torso: Michele believes she has a great figure, but it's come at great cost to her health

However, doctors say that a waist bigger than 31.49in (80cm) could lead to serious problems, including heart disease.
Recent figures show that nearly 57 per cent of British women have waists bigger than the healthy limit set by experts.
But tests reveal that Michele's tiny waist is also causing problems, among them digestive troubles as her stomach is forced out of its natural postiion.