Anya Taylor-Joy's 'Hourglass' Corset and Kim Kardashian's Mugler Spark Conversation Around Waist-Cinching Look

It also reminded us of a few of our favorite red carpet corset moments

Corsets: High-fashion accessory or high-fashion torture device? It depends on who you ask, but both can seemingly be true at the same time.

The waist-cinching garments may get you snatched, but they can also be uncomfortable — and Anya Taylor-Joy's recent Instagram with her own "hourglass" corset sparked a conversation about the popular piece.

Taylor-Joy, 27, shared an Instagram on Sunday of the corset she wore underneath her Maison Margiela gown for the Dune: Part Two premiere in New York City. As corsets do, it pulled her already small waist even smaller, and she captioned the post with an hourglass emoji, demonstrating what her figure looks like with the corset doing its job.

The comments on her post were mixed. Some people were unhappy with the actress showing off her trim waist and complained that it promotes an unhealthy body image. Others, however, pointed out that properly fitting corsets — since the garment was invented hundreds of years ago — are tight-fitting and cinch the waist exactly like this. Nothing more, nothing less.

Related: Zendaya Bares Her Butt Cheeks in Couture Robot Look as Anya Taylor-Joy Goes Desert Bride at Dune 2 Premiere

With the topic already top of mind, Kim Kardashian, who has also been known to rock a corset or two (or three, or four, or five) shared a pair of Instagrams on Tuesday wearing a Mugler corset. Known for this particular silhouette, the white Mugler corset nips in at Kardashian's waist while instead accentuating her hips.

The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star posed for the camera wearing nothing but the corset for two snaps — both of which accentuated her small waist.

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All of the talk about corsets reminded us of some of our favorite red carpet moments that involved this fabulous fashion piece — because when done right, they create memorable moments in style history. And it just so happens that they're quite popular at the Met Gala. You see, with a corset, you often get an extreme outcome, because that's what they do: They really hold everything in!

Throwing it back to 2019 and Kardashian again, the SKIMS founder wore a Mugler design that was made with a corset built in. Her dress, made to look like she was dripping wet, was covered in beads and took the late Thierry Mugler and his team eight months to make.

Kardashian, 43, joked to Vogue on the red carpet at the Met Gala about how tight her corset was, saying, “Once we’re all at the top of the carpet we can all take a deep breath. I don’t know if I can in this corset. I honestly had to do practice. It’s a proper corset by Mr Pearl. I never had one like this, it is insane.”

In 2022, Billie Eilish wore a corseted look of her own for the famous Met Gala. She rocked a gold Gucci gown with a corset bodice and green detailing, including embroidery throughout the long mesh sleeves. She accentuated the pale gown with a black choker.

Her tight-fitting gown cinched in at her waist and provided a stark difference in style to her current sartorial choices, which are more oversize and gender-neutral. With that being said, it's worth noting she wore a corset dress to the Met Gala in 2021 — her first year on the famous steps — and in 2023.

Now that Eilish, 22, has changed up her style so starkly, it'll be interesting to see if she attends fashion's biggest night in something decidedly less restrictive.

And no conversation about corsets is complete without mentioning Madonna — the queen of the corset. For her whole career, the "Like a Virgin" singer has been rocking corsets of every shape, size and color, including the Givenchy one she wore for the 2016 Met Gala.

The extremely bold look — that exposed both her breasts and her butt — wasn't her most waist-cinching moment, but it was certainly a fashion serve. It included a lace overlay that hung to the floor, and she wore thigh-high leather boots.

Madonna, 65, finished the look with tons of jewelry and the look of confidence that only she could pull off.

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