These harnesses are increasingly popular, but experts are divided on how useful they are. I decided to give one a try
W
hen I sat at my desk this morning, I couldn’t slouch over the keyboard like I usually do. As much as I tried to hunch over, my back was held straight, shoulders pulled back. My trick? I was wearing a corset-like device with straps over my shoulders that forced me into an upright position.
Posture correctors claim to provide instant improvement in posture and relieve the back, shoulder and chest pain often associated with poor posture, if worn long term. The one I have on, Vicorrect (£29.99), is one of many on the market – Lidl’s budget posture trainer (£7.99) is now sold out; Taylor Swift has been spotted wearing a sports-bra version by Forme (£140).
I have a history of bad posture. I usually spend more than eight hours a day working on a laptop – sometimes at my home desk with an adjustable office chair and external monitors, but also on the sofa, at the dining table or even in bed. By the end of a typical workday, my shoulders, neck and back are painfully stiff, despite weekly trips to the gym and swimming pool to try to loosen them up. I recently visited a massage therapist, who gasped at how tight my shoulders were and told me, with a look of alarm, that I must improve my posture. An instant fix in the form of a wearable item is very appealing.
