Traveling Cinched: By Auto and Air

Automobile

  • Readjust your seat to accommodate your corseted posture. A more upright back will likely be most comfortable.

  • If you need additional lumbar support, you can place a small pillow or folded blanket in the small of your back. Mesh lumbar support cushions are another commercially available option made specifically to support your posture in a vehicle.

  • Make use of the handlebars located over your door to enter and exit the vehicle comfortably (and gracefully).

  • Buckle your seat belt just as you usually would. Do not try to adjust the straps to fit across your lap or chest any differently from how they usually would.

  • If you are driving, take a moment to adjust all of the mirrors. Even if you were the last one to drive the vehicle, your corset will modify your posture enough for your line of sight to have changed. Be sure that your mirrors give you the widest range of view possible. It only takes a few seconds before you get on the road. (Note that you must also repeat this mirror readjustment process the next time you drive your vehicle without a corset.)

  • As always, be aware of the other vehicles on the road with you. This is especially true when wearing a corset, as your range of motion (and therefore sight) can potentially be limited. Remember that your corset will reduce your ability to twist at the waist when taking stock of your surroundings. When driving laced up, the majority of your bodily movement when checking blind spots or adjacent lanes will come from the shoulders up.

 

Airplane

  • Corsets travel by air surprisingly well. Placing your corsets in either your checked or carry-on baggage will not be an issue with security (I have brought dozens of corsets through security checkpoints without agents even blinking; meanwhile my husband has been detained for not entirely emptying a water bottle). The best way to pack your corsets is to place the two halves together and carefully fold or roll the corset into a small bundle. If you have a storage bag for your corset, use it.

  • If your corset is particularly valuable to you, opt to take it in your carry-on bag. This ensures that it stays within your possession so that you can handle it with the care as it deserves.

  • A corset does not need to be removed from a carry-on bag when going through a security checkpoint. As usual, separate any items that the security personnel request (such as laptop computers or liquids), but your corset does not need to be pulled out for visual inspection.

  • If you choose to fly while wearing your corset, it is important to understand that the metal boning can pose a problem when going through security checkpoints. The best approach to this is to take a trip to a restroom and remove your corset just prior to going through security. Temporarily stow your corset into your carry-on bag or, at least, place it with your carry-on when passing through the security checkpoint. Having the corset on your person, even if not laced around you, will set off detectors. After finishing with security, locate another restroom in which to don your corset again.

  • The seats in an airplane are rarely fit to the shape of a human spine, let alone one with a corset laced around it. If you opt to wear your corset while on the airplane, be prepared for the fact that you may not be able to adjust your seat specifically to fit your figure. An easy way to remedy this is to place a neck pillow around the small of your back, with the open end of the U-shaped pillow at the front of your waist. Depending on the size and shape of the pillow, this should wrap nicely around your waist and provide much-needed back support for your flight. (I have used this method to much success for many hours at a time.)

  • If you do not have a neck pillow available, or it does not comfortably fit around your waist, you can also roll up a jacket or sweater and place the piece of clothing behind your back at the waist. This approach also saves you from needing to bring an extra item on your trip just to accommodate your corseted waist.

 

Commentary on wearing a corset while flying, from others:

Heidi Wagner