Body sculpting garments and fat location

[Tiffany]

  This is a serious question so please tarry with me on this.
  Working in a major department store, I see many body types in both male and female. I have been taking note of the various shapes and where fat seems to settle.
  I recall reading somewhere that fat will "settle" in various places.
  I have also noticed that typically when a person gets fatter they buy bigger clothing for a comfortable fit. While that seems nice, I am wondering if any studies have been done on tighter clothing that would sculpt the body, or cause fat to settle where it can.
  I noticed in my case that when I used a waist cincher to control my middle from outgrowing my jeans I started have breast enlargement. Prior to that I just had a bigger belly.
  I also noticed that after wearing a waist cincher for a while my waist retained the slim form even when I removed it. In a short time my waist retained it's slim appearance and the cincher was no longer tight.
  Has there been any clinical studies where body sculpting has been tried?
  There is a serious reason that I ask this.
  For those guys that accept having gyne and prefer the look of a slim waist and hidden breasts could a bra and waist cincher used at the same time cause fat to settle in the breasts just because there is no way that it can settle in the stomach area?
  After all, when women remove a corset I don't think a huge stomach falls out.
  I'm not trying to be perverted or anything, but giving serious thought as to whether or not this which has happened to me could be taken a step farther to at least do away with the huge man boobs sitting on top of a big belly. In other words, I guess if I would have to have breasts, it may be more appealing to the eye to have a hidden female figure rather than hiding a form that I would hate to look at.
  Please give serious answers only. This isn't a joke. I am seriously asking any doctors for some input as they are more knowledgeable in the way that fat settles and if there have been any clinical studies.
  Tiff

[GoldenGate]

Tiffany,

I think you really may be on to something here, but I think that the garments would have to be so, so, so tight that would probably almost look disfiguring when wearing it.
Perhaps not, though... it would be interesting to do some research on this.

If you look back at other cultures and the way they make the body respond by various means it definitely gives the idea validity:

The MOST extreme one I can think of is Chinese foot binding to actually stifly bone growth and deform the shape for a much smaller footprint


Or how about the opposite with Aftrican neck or lip stretching



I am pretty sure that I have read before that the actual stretching process forces the body to not only stretch the cells, but to grow more.

I guess in essence what I am saying is that I can see the body doing the opposite and minimizing cell size and production (especially with adipose tissue) to be able better comfortably fit into a compressed space.