Slimming girdles, first used as a medical tool, are enjoying worrying success on the social network, brought back to the fore by reality TV star Kim Kardashian.
Diktat of thinness, risk of serious illnesses, apology for cosmetic surgery: the trend of the “Bodysuit Challenge”, which ignites TikTok, has everything to worry about. This new challenge consists of wrapping your body in a slimming sheath to draw a very marked waist and, at the same time, refine your silhouette.
These slimming pieces of lingerie, very popular in the 1930s, have been given a modern update by influencer and reality TV star Kim Kardashian, who recently launched her own brand. But these slimming girdles can pose a health risk, especially when worn for long periods of time.
Risk of serious diseases
These garments are initially designed for medical purposes. They allow, for example, after an operation, to drain liquids and prevent inflammation.
“We compress a part of the body evenly, so it drives out the liquid, which goes back where it can: in the vessels. Squeezing the body so much can also move the organs, which will no longer function normally. for example urinary tract infections, or, more seriously, thrombosis and possible pulmonary embolism, a very dangerous or even fatal disease”, warns doctor Lionel Choukroun, plastic surgeon at the Clinique du Grand Paris, with BFMTV.
These sheaths are on sale online and in stores for ridiculous prices, and are therefore accessible without any medical prescription necessary. The trend, if it concerns a majority of young women, also affects men.
On TikTok, videos linked to the keyword #BodysuitChallenge have been viewed nearly 2 million times, and the hashtag #Bodysuit, of which a majority of the most recent videos are linked to this challenge, has accumulated 1.7 billion views.
