My first experience with shapewear was as a young girl, watching my mother get dressed for the day.
She'd wrestle her body into a thick, rubberized, heavy-duty girdle, complete with a rigid front panel and side zipper. Because it was such a nightmare to get on and off, it had a discreet opening to allow for bathroom trips.
It didn't matter if she was going to work or the grocery store -- my mother ALWAYS put on her Playtex girdle. She claimed it gave her great posture and kept her body looking good. Old black and white photos back up her story. Decked out in her pencil skirts and sweaters, I would swear my mother had a 22-inch waist.
Decades later, when I became a little, um, meaty in the middle, I tried one of those girdles. When I finally extricated myself, I had red welts and lacy lines dug deep into my tummy.
"You have to get used to it," my mother said. "Beauty can hurt."
My, my how things have changed in the shapewear department -- and for the better, thank goodness.
Nowadays, you can find shapewear that evens out the lumps and bumps without compromising your comfort, sex appeal or sanity.
One of the most popular lines (and a personal favorite) is Yummie Tummie, created by Heather Thomson. Even Oprah Winfrey is a fan (she raved about it on one of her "favorite things" shows).
As a stylist to stars such as Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Lopez, Thomson knows a thing or two about making bodies look smooth and sexy. She's sewed up torso-tighteners for the red-carpet habitues to wear under their clothes. "When you're on the red carpet, you always want something underneath your dress that's going to smooth and shape you," Thomson said during a recent interview at Paradise Island Boutique in South Tampa, where her Yummie line is sold. "When my own body went through a major transformation [after pregnancy], I became a consumer shopping the shapewear market." "I took a new look at a tried and true favorite, which is the old-school corset and the girdle, and I brought it into today with Yummie Tummie." Yummie Tummie garments (tanks, camis, slips and tube dresses) are made with cotton on the top and bottom; a stretchy spandex panel holds in your midsection, minimizing the dreaded muffin top and bra back fat without encasing you like a sausage. Don't get me wrong, if you have a 42-inch waist, it won't slim you down to 24 inches; but it will make you look -- and feel -- better in your clothes. A big plus: The items are available in sizes 0 to 22, and come in "long" lengths, so they won't roll up on us tall gals. The designs are so cute and stylish, they look great as a layering piece or worn on their own as a tank top.
Summer's the time to show off a little skin, but heavy shapers can be uncomfortably hot and binding when temperatures rise. While the Yummie line won't stop you from perspiring, it's made from a tricot/polyester blend that has a natural wicking ability, so all the moisture moves to the outside of the garment. "Fashion shouldn't hurt," Thomson says. (Hear that, Mom?). "The modern woman is too busy and has too much going on to be walking around with shoes that don't fit right or shirts that roll and bunch. We can be together, sexy, confident and comfortable." Amen! And for the man who is looking for a little midsection smoothing, a men's version of Yummie Tummie, called Ript Fusion, launched this month. The body-sculpting T-shirts are designed to shave inches off a man's belly.
