Woman Shares Results Of Sucking In Her Stomach For Years To Look Thinner, And Warns Others

A woman who’s been worried about her belly sucks in her stomach until she can’t anymore. 27-year-old body positivity advocate Nikki Garza shares the story of how she suffers from scar tissue under her breasts because she sucks in her stomach way too much for way too long.

The Atlanta-based woman went viral on TikTok as she shared her “ridiculous” story with others.

“This right here, these under boobs, this is called stomach gripping or hourglass syndrome, and it’s because when we were younger, we sucked in so much, we literally scarred our muscles. This is scar tissue,” she told her viewers.

She added, “Also, if you sucked in a lot and you tinkle a little bit when you cough or when you sneeze, and you haven’t given birth, it’s also from sucking in too much.”

“So, if it isn’t the consequences of my mother and grandmother’s actions,” she ended her video with a sarcastic thumb up.

@itsnikki.g #stitch with @medievalfilthcauldrons My grandma told me to suck in when I was 8 and I never breathed comfortably again #plussize #bodyimage #bodyconfidence #bopotiktok ♬ original sound – Nikki Garza

Nikki had shared this as a fact that she couldn’t believe was real until she looked it up herself. With over 6.5 million followers, Nikki was enthusiastic to know more people are educated on the danger of sucking in their abdomen habitually.

Head and Neck Surgeon Rohini Radhakrishnan wrote that when you suck in your stomach, you pull your diaphragm inward and the lower ribs along with it. When done for too long, you get the horizontal crease Nikki shows in the video, usually across or over the belly button.

When prolonged, this could lead to lower back pain as the rest of your body is forced to work efficiently, neck pain as your diaphragm cannot function normally, and acid reflux because your diaphragm cannot prevent it.

Nikki told the New York Post that she did a “deep Google dive” on the creases and learned what hourglass syndrome is. She said, “That really sucks that something that was so minor in my brain as a child — you know, having my mother and my grandmother consistently tell me to “suck in, suck in” all my life — has led to having this on my body now.”

“It just shows how insidious diet culture is and how it’s really just passed down through family.”

She’s also concerned about how often these untrue things are told to children, having “no idea how 10-20 years later it actually manifests, both mentally and physically.” She’s advising people to never stop the body from doing what it wants.

“All of us are out here having body issues. We all don’t like something about our bodies. But don’t let that hinder you from experiencing or doing what you want.”