Dita Von Teese made headlines last week when she said celebrities who are on the waist-training bandwagon, like the Kardashians, are “like the blind leading the blind” — but she insists she wasn’t throwing shade.
Kim Kardashian/Instagram; Inset: Donna Ward/Getty
The burlesque performer has practiced waist-training through traditional corsets for years and is dubious of the stretchy “waist-trainers” popping up on people’s Instagram feeds.
“It seems to me there are people that are jumping on the bandwagon to make corsets because the Kardashians have mentioned them, and it’s seen as a fast-track to slimming the waist,” Von Teese, whose book Your Beauty Mark is on shelves now, tells PEOPLE.
“I just encourage people to get more information so they actually know what it is and how it works,” she adds. “Waist-training is a form of body modification that can’t be done properly with an ill-fitting or even off-the-rack corset. That’s a long-term thing and a different thing than I think the Kardashians are talking about.”
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While she’s cautioning the public on learning the ins and outs of corsetry before trying it out, the lingerie and M.A.C. lipstick designer has no problem with the first family of reality TV — in fact, she loves them as much as the rest of us.
“I’m crazy about Kim. I think she’s lovely,” says Von Teese, 43. “Every time I see her and talk to her, I think, ‘Wow, she’s really beautiful.’ I think anybody who throws the Kardashians shade is just jealous.”
For more on Dita Von Teese and her new book, pickup the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
–Jeff Nelson
