Women’s Shapewear: Best Invention or Motivational Guru? 

I was finally inducted into the world of “Women’s Shapewear” this past month. What an experience, to say the least!

The hubby and I were out celebrating a friend’s daughter’s Sweet 16th Birthday. We caught up with old pals about kids, work and families and about half way through the evening the men and women broke off into their own chat groups. Girl talk quickly shifted to diet and weight. Ugh, I know.

Apparently we’d all gone a wee bit overboard during the holidays and were now paying the price with an extra 10lbs and no where to fit it in our little black dresses. The universal solution was “Shapewear”. The warrior of choice selected to house our most prized jewels and embark on this hazardous journey- “Spanx”.

It was the first time I’d worn shapewear. Up to this point in my life I’d somehow managed to suck in the lower gut just enough to get by or get lucky with an empire dress fashion trend.  But not this time.

After 2 babies, 2 C-sections and enough “Chips Ahoy!” to build a pirate ship, I now needed some apparel “assistance”.

I have to admit the first time I slipped it on…well…okay let’s be real-“tugged it on with such force to break a world record in Olympic tug of war”- I was impressed by the results. “Oohhhh, how slimming” I thought to myself. “Well, hello there waistline”, I whistled.

But after an hour of getting the kids ready, another hour car ride and an hour holding the 2 year old back from interfering with Sweet 16 festivities, my new best friend became the sworn enemy. I could not breathe nor dance. I was convinced this thing was trying to kill me, for my kidneys had now been repositioned under my lungs. Rather than feel sexy and sleek, I felt like I was wearing a giant neon sign that said- “Spanx Adjustment Desperately Needed”!

It was 24 degrees by the time we left the party that night but I ripped that contraption off of me as soon as we got into the snow covered car. My husband gave me a “What the ?!” kind of look but was smart enough not to say a word.

I believe you’re either inspired by the shapewear experience to purchase every make and model (apparently they’ve got full body armor versions) or motivated like me to consider dropping those delicious cookies and revisiting the gym concept.

When trying to explain my Spanx experience to my husband he responded with, “I could never put myself through that”. I thought about pointing out the suffering he endures eating bland salads and passing on brownie a la mode, but decided to pass this time. I found his statement to be both profound, as well as hard evidence that men have absolutely NO IDEA about the female experience.

Instead my response to his comment was “You really think only women go overboard when it comes to appearance? Well, let me educate you”.

Professor Google confirmed what I had suspected. There’s shapewear for men too! He stared in awe. Now he was the inspired one! “There is no way” he said, but I wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure me or himself. Regardless, I think it had an impact on him as he was at the gym extra bright and early the next morning.

What is it with “body image”? When did humans begin to place such a high value on the outward appearance? As much as I’d like to think I’m evolved enough not to waste precious time worrying about how I look in a dress, the reality is that I’m not above it yet. I admit, I do care about the way I look.

Though sweatpants are my uniform of choice, I was raised with the belief that my appearance was a reflection of who I was and therefore appearance was linked with self value. This warped idea wasn’t instilled intentionally. My Mom is the first person to tell me how beautiful she thinks I am in every way (I love you Mom!). But regardless of whether this view is right or wrong, like so many other things, it’s influenced by years of cultural and societal pressures. I wasn’t immune this time, but thankfully age has contributed to a feeling of being more comfortable in my own skin. I can only hope this positive trend continues.

Well, after this failed experiment the only question left for me was what to do with the shapewear apparel I’d spent a small fortune on? Donate it? Frame it? Burn it? No. I decided to tuck it way back into the unmentionables draw from whence it came. You know, just in case 😉

So Ladies, how do you overcome societal pressures? Do you think it’s age which builds confidence and wisdom, or is there a fail proof way to shun these beliefs early on in life?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!