24-year-old Berlin native Michele Koebke has a goal in life – to set the world record for the World’s Tiniest Waist. To achieve this goal and create the wasp-waist silhouette that was so popular in the 19th century, she has worn a tight corset every day and night for the past three years (she removes the corset to shower).
When she began her quest, her waist measured a mere 25 inches. Thus far she’s shrunk it down to 20 inches and intends to get it down to 15 inches before she stops – or before she is forced to stop. With a waist so abnormally small, her stomach has been pushed from its normal horizontal position rendering her unable to consume a normal size meal (and forcing her to eat up to 10 small meals a day to compensate). The tight corset makes breathing difficult and has weakened her abdominal muscles so much that she has problems standing up when she is not wearing them. Michele, however, loves her new figure.
