American Model with 16-inch Waist Not Far from Setting World Record

Guinness World Record holder Cathie Jung might have reasons to worry as fellow American Kelly Lee Dekay has gone to the extremes of attaining a waist size, which is now just an inch bigger than Jung's.

Dekay has attained an incredible size 16 waist, thanks to her continued use of corsets. The 27-year-old model says during her growing up years, she was a tomboy but decided to accentuate her curves in order to look like Storm - her favorite comic book character.

"Growing up I just loved the exaggeration of styles and the beautiful costumes that comic book characters would wear and that led to the aesthetic that led to tight-lacing," a report in Barcroft TV quoted Dekay.

"I like that they wore their personalities externally. I do understand their measurements can't ever possibly be achieved because they would break," she added.

While an hourglass figure appears striking, a waist size as thin as 16 inches does not come without its risks.

Continued usage of tight corsets push the internal organs since there is no room after the rib cage tightens, says a report in the Mirror. It adds that continued pressure on the rib cage can also mean difficulty in breathing, as the lungs will not be able to expand to their full capacity.

The model herself admits that with her unnatural body shape, she finds it difficult to climb stairs or lift heavy objects. However, she pointed out that she continues to wear her corset while doing some other extreme activities like hiking.

"I actually did hiking in my corset and that's very dangerous. I also played soft ball in a corset once, that was an interesting feeling, but I don't go to the gym in a corset - that's really dangerous because I do weight lifting," she said, according to the Daily Mail. "But if I do want to do something extreme, I don't limit myself. If I have to be out of my corset, then I'm out of it."

Dekay is not the first woman to have reached waist 16 after Jung. 24-year-old Michele Kobke from Berlin had hit the headlines last year, after shrinking her 25-inch waist to 16. She was apparently able to reach the extreme size, after sleeping in corsets for three years.

Watch the Barcoft TV report here: