Hi! I'm a noob to the world of burlesque. I love the whole style of dress and dance and seductive feel to it. I've noticed that a lot of women tend to have corsets and I'm interested in purchasing one for myself. That's where I need MAJOR help! I'm not sure what size to buy, what type, from who, etc... I'm a naturally small person. I'm 5'2", wear a size 00 and have a 21 inch waist naturally. I read somewhere that people with naturally small waists could not cinch down any further than 4in. Also, are there any schools or someone who can teach me the basics? A mentor of some sort? I'd really appreciate it. I live in Texas, USA btw. Since I've browsed around, I've noticed a lot of caucasian women here. Are there any asian or black women in this scene?

You take two to four inches off your natural waist size to get your corsets size... I could be wrong, but I believe Dita von Teese has a twenty-one inch waist, and she corsets herself down to about sixteen inches.

Aye but Dita's an experienced tightlacer, 16 inches is pretty excessive for a newcomer! For a 21 inch natural waist you'd probably be best off starting with something like an 18 inch corset - they can be pretty rare though so it might be worth a google session to try to find a company who'll do made to measure, especially with a 00 frame. I know lots of ladies here caould pass on links to websites and give recommendations, but most of those would be based in the UK, which may be a problem with postage to the US ^_^

As you're in the USA I would recommend Puimond - he does the best fitting corsets Puimond - Progressive Corset Design As Fleur said you'd be best starting with an 18 inch corset. It is true that smaller ladies shouldn't try and take more than 4 inches off their waist - more extreme tight lacing is damaging.

I know that some shops in the UK have no problem sending to the USA:
FairyGothMother authentic corsets, exquisite lingerie, eveningwear, prom gowns, bridalwear corsets and accessories
::: Angels Carrying Savage Weapons :::
Designer Lingerie - Corsets - La Magia (they do world wide free delivery)
But considering the current weakness of the US dollar these might be very expensive for you.

Hope that helps

P.S. I'm sort of Asian, I'm half Japanese.