Some people mistakenly believe that the corset is only an inner garment for women. But nothing could be farther from the truth as it serves a host of functions including body sculpturing and grooming. For a long time the garment has been used to accentuate the bust and hips while offering the back a firm support. And although this function has being retained by the modern designers, some improvements have been made to make the garment more fashionable and appealing to the modern woman.

The first and most common application of this item of clothing is in the fashion industry. Fashion designers have come up with new ideas ranging from simple to exotic on how to combine the old and the new to create an appealing product. Some of the ideas that have been tested include adding color, using different fabrics and materials to enhance the garment such as beads and bones, and also decorations such as putting lace in satin.

The fashion line provides the over bust and under bust corsets, whereby the under bust begins just below the breast and extends down to the hips while the over bust covers the torso extending from the arms to the hips.

Some people also use this garment as a fitness aid as it is believed that it assists to shape the upper torso and the hips. Women especially have the tendency of wanting to show off their curves and in a bid to achieve the much sort after hour-glass figure, some use boned corsets that have a spiral curve and go all the way down to the hips.

Another common use which is closely related to fitness is that of waist reduction. When worn for a long period of time it has been proven that it does indeed reduce the waistline depending on the type worn and this is through pushing the mass on the lower torso and towards the hips leaving the waist line flattened and a little smaller.

Finally, the garment is used for medical reasons. Some medical facilities use it on patient suffering from spinal complications like scoliosis because it provides support to the torso and the back.