What is a waist cincher?

A waist cincher is a waist shaping garment fastened around the abdomen to make the wearer's waist smaller or to create the illusion of a narrower waist. A cincher is designed to give a slimming effect when worn underneath clothing.

This piece of garment originated in the Victorian era and its purpose was to define a woman's body. Waist cinchers don't come up to the underbust and they stop short on the hips. Compared to corsets, waist cinchers are usually shorter than an underbust corset. They are essentially a variation of the corset. The terms waist cincher, waist trainer and corset are typically used interchangeably.