COMM: Michele Koebke has shrunk her waist
to a tiny 54 centimetres by wearing a corset everyday for 3 years.
Michele: Three years ago my waist was 64cm,
today it's 54cm. It's reduced by 10cm, as you can see when I show the original size.
COMM: And the 24-year-old plans to go even
further, to match her idol, Cathie Jung, whose 34 centimetre waist is the smallest in the
world.
Michele: It embraces me and gives me the pretty,
deformed waist. It feels nice and smooth. It's unique.
COMM: Michele has gradually laced herself
into smaller and smaller corsets, which she wears constantly, even when sleeping.
Michele: My life hasn't changed, just slowed
down a little. Now my movement is more feminine.
COMM: Unsurprisingly, years of squeezing herself
have had a negative impact on Michele's health.
Michele: Right now I'm a little breathless.
Changing corsets is like a high-performance sport for me.
COMM: Her muscles are so weak, that she struggles
to stand up without a corset, and her stomach is so constricted, that Michele can't manage
a normal sized breakfast, lunch or dinner. Instead, she has to eat up to 10 small meals
a day.
Today, she's paying a visit to her doctor
to see the extent of the damage to her body.
Michele: I am to afraid of the result; I don't
feel any pain. I guess it would be painful if there were problems.
COMM: The examination reveals that Michele's
having digestion problems. Her stomach is not only constricted, it has also been slowly
forced out of its normal horizontal position.
Tests also show her breathing is not as strong
as it should be for a woman of her age.
Doctor: In time it won't be possible to move
without the corset, or in the worst case, it won't be possible to move in general.
Michele: I'm not scared buy the results because
I already knew the score.
COMM: Michele is certainly no stranger to
stares and gasps from passers by when she's out in public.
Man: Honestly, it's not beautiful. It looks
painful and the waist is too small.
Man: Awesome! I'm an old guy but I have never
seen something like this in my like. I like it!
COMM: But people are not always negative towards
Michele. One of the places she's found thousands of supporters is on YouTube, where Michele
regularly uploads videos of herself.
Michele: I'm happy about every single comment.
They're mostly positive, so I'm very proud of it. Of course, there are still negative
reactions and questions like, "Are you still able to breathe and eat?" But that's normal
and mainly the reactions are positive.
COMM: Michele is determined to continue her
quest to have a tiny waist, despite the threat to her health.
Michele: I absolutely want to achieve 38cm.