Questions by Yaryna Matchak

--You are a really very good looking woman. I know, that You have mad yourself a photomodel career. Is it right?

--Could You please tell us a little bit about Your childhood? What were Your hobies? Were You also so pretty?

-- What dreams have You had when You was for example 18 years old? Have You supposed to begin a career of model?

-- what for a basic education do You have (specialization)? -- And today, what dreams do You have?

-- And as the whole world knows, You amazing waist and waistline. Could You please tell us, how long have You worked to gain such a waist? (please tell us in details)

-- Was it just a diet or some more work?

-- What is a secret of such a waistline?

-- Have You never had some problems with weight? And now what is Your wight in kg?

-- Tell us a little bit about Your hobby -- corset. I know You have 25 corsets. How much do they cost, is it made by request?

-- Is it hard for You to sleep and to eat, to be all the time in corset? -- When have You began to ware it?

-- What about Your state of health? What about doctors, what do they say about this phenomenon?

-- And please tell us in general about the idea of such a waistline (its a real work), when a how have You decide to work at Your waist for a record?

-- Is it all doing for a World record?

-- Please tell us about Your husband. Do he likes Your weist? -- Have You children?

-- Tell us, dear Cathie, about Your hobby. What do You like to do?

-- Are You some plans in Your life, some dreams? I`m very thankfull that You are ready to answer the questions. Please, if You have some more to tell me, please write it. Thank You!

Dear Yaryna,

I will start answering your questions. Since I am not very clever with the computer I will "send" each answer to you one at a time so I don't risk losing things if I leave the computer. Hope you understand and realize it may take a few days for me to complete the "interview".

Though there are many, many photographs of me they have been taken mostly by my husband or friends and acquaintances. I have had a few sessions with professional photographers but do not consider myself a professional model I do like to dress up, however, but am really not very adept at posing without prompting. I enjoy seeing the finished product but would not say that it is a "career.

As a child I grew up during World War II in the city of Albany in New York State. That is in northeastern United States. My Father was a physician and he fought for our country in Europe and Africa. At those times servicemen did not come home regularly and he was away for three years. During those years we made many sacrifices--did not have much meat to eat, no butter, no cars to drive, very limited budget for clothing, etc. After the War was over we had more material things. I was a twirler (baton) in my high school marching band and loved to march in parades and at school athletic functions. I guess I would consider myself pretty at that time. I had a very nice figure. I would babysit to earn extra spending money and truly enjoyed caring for and playing with the babies and young children. I loved to go to camp in the summers. The camp I went to was very primitive. It was in the woods in upstate New York. There was no electricity or running water. We cooked our meals over a wood fire which we built, washed dishes in the lake and bathed in the lake as well. Once I became too old to be a camper I worked summers as a counselor or leader at similar camps.

As for other hobbies I liked doing needlework and knitting. For fun I would go roller skating at an indoor rink with friends. We did not have television until I was about sixteen years old!!

As I matured I thought I would like to be a Pediatrician--a physician who cares for small children. However, I felt more strongly that I would like to be married and have a family. In those days it was not ideal for a woman to have a career and a family as well and I felt it was more important to have a family and not take a slot in Medical school which someone would use to pursue an active career in medicine.

I did however go to college and majored in biology and received a bachelors degree after four years. I then worked for several companies doing research prior to having children. I married my husband Bob nearly forty-eight years ago while he was in medical school and our first child, a son, was born just before he graduated from medical school. He took post graduate traing and recently retired from a long and successful career as an Orthopaedic Surgeon . We met in undergraduate school when we were both seventeen; so you see we have known each other a very long time!!

From our earliest days of dating we were fascinated by Victorian costuming. The basis for wearing clothes of this design is to have the proper underwear. This is a corset. When we were married in 1959 I wore a custom made corset under my wedding gown. At that time corsets were not the fashion statement they are today and it was extremely difficult to find a person capable of making a well-fitting corset.

Later, we had three small children which created a very busy household. Add to that the fact that Bob, as a young physician, did not have time to travel or look for sources of corsets and with the expenses of raising a family did not have extra money to spend on custom made corsets.

Once the children were grown, Bob's career fully established and time a bit more available. we started looking for corset sources as well as people who were wearing corsets. The community of women who wear corsets full time is quite small in the grand scheme of things.

Before I go any further with your queries I think it is important for me to tell you my philosophy on being sucessful wearing a corset. I would say first and foremost that to have a positive result wearing a corset it is utmost that you have a corset that fits properly. For the majority of people this requires a custom made corset--one that is designed to fit your body. Though they are available now with the resurgence of corsets as a fashion statement, a corset bought "off the rack" rarely fits well enough to be comfortable and not create sore spots. They suffice to wear as an occasional costume for an evening out but do not fit well enough to wear full time. The body shape created by wearing a properly fitting Victorian corset is called a "wasp waist" The overall silhouette is changed by the shaping and produces a Victorian image without substantially decreasing the waist size. I point this out to emphasize that another secret to sucessfully wearing a corset is to decrease your waist size very gradually. Do not try to decrease your waist size by wearing a corset that is so tight that it is painful. It should feel snug but not hurt. A first corset should measure about four inches smaller than your natural waist and should be tightened gradually until you can wear it closed. Subsequent corsets should be approximately two inches smaller than the previous corset and the same parameters followed. After the first two or three corsets new corsets should be smaller by smaller amounts. Different corset makers have different basic patterns so you may find it necessary to try several different providers till you find one that feels and looks right for you.

I have been wearing a corset full time for twenty six years. At that time I found that I had more time to pursue wearing a corset. Add to that the fact that at that time I started to experience the same thing that other women do at that age. A figure that is getting a bit "dumpy", loss of musculature in the abdomen--basically a "sagging" figure. At that time we also got involved with a group in Europe which was just forming and emphasized the beauty of the Victorian figure. We took our first trip abroad and met a woman who wore a corset full time. She was very nice and very "normal" and I was convinced that everyday women wear corsets. We also met a wonderful woman who made custom corsets. She is a dear friend to this day. We also learned about the arrangements for the first Ball which was to be held in England. This group consisted of heterosexual couples who wore elegant clothes typical of Victorian dress.

Since I am a bit of a procrastinator I found that it worked better for me to sleep in my corset and basically wear it twenty four hours a day. I took my corset off to shower and put it back on immediately. In my case I did not have to diet. My weight has been consistent througout my adult life, varying by no more than four kilos. I currently weigh sixty four kilos which is about the heaviest I get. The basic effect that wearing a corset has on diet is that it is necessary to eat smaller amounts more times during the day. In totality I eat the same amount of food as others. I do avoid foods that create bloating such as cabbage or baked beans but otherwise have no idiosyncrasies. I have no problems sleeping either. Probably the most difficult part of wearing a corset is finding comfortable places to sit. It is difficult to sit on something low or deep. When we go out to eat I find it most comfortable to sit at the bar--the stools are high and usually have straight backs. Once I started wearing a corset full time it took me about ten years to reduce my waist to the current size. I never had an idea to have a "record" waist line. In actuality the waist measurement is subjective. In other words how your waist measurement relates to your other measurements as well as height, weight and build type is the issue. I am of average height, weight, etc. Therefore my waist is proportionally smaller than a person who is merely five feet tall and weighs less than fifty kilos.

The doctors that I see on a routine basis for regular examinations are aware of the fact that I wear a corset and have never said anything negative about that and have never seen anything in my medical profile to indicate that my corset wearing is having a deleterious effect to my health. As I think you know, my husband is an orthopaedic surgeon. He has documented the effect of wearing a corset on my body and has shown through x-rays that the corset actually protects the spine by maintaining vertebral spaces and keeping the body upright.

My husband was most influential in my wearing a corset and thoroughly enjoys the end result as well as being involved in the social functions that show off the Victorian shape. He has been responsible for finding sources of corsets as well as social activities which demonstrate the viirtues of corset wearing. We have met so many wonderful people world wide through corset interests. We have been fortunate to visit them in their homes and have enjoyed having them visit us in our home. One can learn so much about a culture in this way. It's been a wonderful opportunity.

Through the years we also have been invited to many places to appear on television. We have been to Tokyo twice, Munich, Germany, London, England, New York City and most recently to Beijing. It has been a wonderful experience.

Achieving a World record was not really a goal. It was a matter of looking good and pleasing my husband and looking smaller for subsequent social functions.

We have three grown children who have no interest in the corset or small waist. They do not live nearby and have interests of their own.

In my daily life I enjoy taking care of my home which involves cooking, shopping and the like. We have a small fishing boat and live on the seashore so we enjoy fishing in the ocean for marlin and tuna and other "food" fish such as wahoo and bass and mahi. This requires a lot of work to keep all the fishing gear in order and the boat clean. That consumes a lot of time. We have very nice weather about ten monts of the year so we spend a lot of time on the water.

I hope this is useful for you. If you have any more questions which I have not answered feel free to write.

Cathie

Cathie enjoys fishing.