climb stairs and lift heavy items when she is wearing it

MOST women dream of an hourglass figure - but for Kelly Lee Dekay sculpting her waist has become an obsession.

Inspired by her favorite comic book characters, Kelly, a fetish model, has shrunk her waist to a minuscule 16 inches using a steel boned tight-laced corset.

The 27-year-old, from New York, started 'waist training' seven years ago after being inspired by the extreme shapes of voluptuous Jessica Rabbit and Marvel super-heroine 'Storm'.

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Kelly Lee Dekay, 27, started 'waist-training' seven years ago. The fetish model from New York claims the steel boned tight-laced corset helped her to overcome shyness

Kelly, who studies fashion, said: '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.

'I like that they wore their personalities externally.

'I do understand their measurements can't ever possibly be achieved because they would break.

'I think it's interesting how fabric and thread can just easily manipulate the body to do such an extreme silhouette though. '

Growing up, Kelly was a tomboy, and says that corset training has helped her to overcome childhood shyness.

She said: 'As a little girl I was very shy and I loved the way comic books portrayed the characters.

Kelly has been waist-training with a corset for seven years. Her middle now measures an incredible 16 inches

She continued: 'I liked that Batman is actually Bruce Wayne but when he puts on the batsuit it allows him to become this vigilante.

'He was the same person but the different outfit allowed him to channel a different side of himself.

'I've always loved how certain pieces of garments gave you permission to let out certain parts of you.

'So I think that's what tight lacing does for me, I wanted to become my own super hero villain.'

But waist-training is not without it's problems and Kelly does struggle with some physical tasks.

Kelly was inspired to start waist-shrinking after becoming obsessed with cartoon characters like Jessica Rabbit as a child

Kelly Lee Dekay pictured around the age of sixteen with a friend at school in New York City was incredibly shy as a child

She said: 'The corset can be restrictive when going up the stairs and you can't carry too many heavy things because you could hurt yourself.

'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.

'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.'

Kelly works as a fetish model, here she is pictured in some of the clothing that she wears on the job

Kelly's corset is unsuitable for any exercise or heavy lifting

But despite the limitations, Kelly has no plans to hang up her corset, despite facing some negative comments online.

She said: 'I get mixed reactions.

'Some people really love it, some people really hate it, but I always did it for myself - I didn't really do it for people's reactions.

'I love modifying and its often mistaken that modification is being a means of not loving yourself but I modify because I can, because it's fun.