A few weeks ago, I went holiday dress shopping with my mom. I finally found the perfect little black dress I had been dreaming of all my life. It looked perfect on me. At least, I thought it did until I heard my mom utter the sentence “You’re going to need to wear Spanx underneath that.” Was my mom calling me fat?
Now I know I’m not the tiniest girl in the world, but to me, shapewear was something that was reserved solely for moms and women over the age of 35 to keep things in place once they’ve started to lose their shape. I never imagined a world where I would need to own a pair of Spanx before I even owned my own place. I convinced myself that maybe it was just the dress that wasn’t falling right, and so I tried on every other dress the store had to offer before realizing that the original dress I had chosen still looked the best on me, even though (in my interpretation of my mom’s words) it still needed some work before it was perfect.
Self-conscious but not totally scarred, I went home and tried the dress on with some shapewear that my mom had in her room but never wore. Trying to put it on was like trying to fit into a wet bathing suit that’s one size too small, yet I somehow managed to wrangle it up and onto my body. I slipped the dress on over it and stepped in front of the mirror. “HOLY CRAP!” were the only words I was able to muster. The Spanx did in fact make my dress look even more awesome. My initial instinct was to assume that I was in fact “fat” if I needed shapewear to make my body look awesome, but then I realized: my Spanx were just doing their job.
If you’re young and stubborn like me, then you might need some more convincing:
- Shapewear is designed to make everyone look awesome. Wondering how Mariah Carey still looks so great after giving birth to twins? Well lots of dancing, I’m assuming, but also Spanx. Whether you’re curvy or petite (or in my case, both), if you have more than 2% body fat, Spanx will smooth out all of your lovely lady lumps and help you embrace your true shape.
- Shapewear do the work for you. If I’m wearing something clingy, I always find myself holding my stomach in or being conscious of how I stand/sit. With Spanx, I don’t have to. They keep everything exactly where it should be at all times.
- Shapewear just makes you feel classier. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel even more fancy when I’m all Spanx’d up under my dress. It’s clearly the secret of the stars. Adversely though, shapwear will not make you feel quite as classy when your boyfriend tries to rip you out of that dress and then has to take an extra 10 minutes to wiggle you out of your Spanx. This is just a problem that we, as women, must face with grace and poise.
i agree 100% but when wearing them all night – especially the full body dress type ones – i end up so hot and ”glistening” that it ruins the effect!!! also not to be warn clubbing as they will restrict your sweet sweet dance stylings
I’m agree, for special occasions. but the fact is: You have to accept your body, or in other case, eat healthy food!!!
But i’m nothing to say something bad about other people, it’s just my opinion. To finish i’m going to say that all the bodies are different and all should be accepted.
love me some SPANX! also good at preventing chub rub if youre like me with some chunky thighs!
Im a believer too!
So much so I made my own line!
http://www.cynthiarowley.com/slim-by-cynthia-rowley
I’m proud to admit that Spanx have saved my ass (literally) more times than I can count. Especially the day I got to be a seat filler at the Academy Awards back in ’07. I knew everyone in attendance was going to (duh) look flawless, so I had to mimic that as best I could with the resources I had on hand — which were the following: a case of the best cheap make-up I could find, a backless/strapless push-up sticky bra, the same jewelry I wore to prom, a curling iron, an assload of bobby pins and last but never least, a pair of the flyest knock off SPANX Target could offer. My body was smooth, my butt was bangin’ and I got to throw heart eyes at Leonardo DiCaprio all night. It was magical. SPANX for life, ladies. SPANX 4 liiiiiiife.
the Dream Tisha you speak of is Le Mystère, a great fitting bra! Chantelle is also an excellent brand. TC shapewear is AMAZING!!
I’ve heard great things about Sassybax. I sometimes wear my Spanx reversible tights during the week, if I want an extremely opaque look, warmth, and that extra little bit of support through the leg.
Also – my favorite bra is the Chantel Dream Tisha with Lace. I found out about these from Oprah’s Bra Show (google it, you can usually find the video on her website, or youtube, or elsewhere on the net). They’re pricey, but you can often find them new on eBay for cheaper. Even full price, they’re worth the money, I’ve got some I’ve had for 4-5 years and they are still in great shape, with careful, yet frequent laundering.
If you like Spanx, you neeed to try the Sassybax booty boostin’ leggings. I got them for Christmas and sort of lived in them for a week. Expensive, but worth every penny when you want something warmer than tights that will make your lower half look amazing, plus they are sooooo comfortable!
As long as Spanx is for special occasion wear, not daily wear, I’m all for it. But even that’s something very personal. After all, I insist on wearing only the best bras which make my boobs look amazing. Shapewear, when you get right down to it.
And yes, Spanx will make you warmer. But that’s what the champagne cocktails are for.
I wear a 2-4, (depending on how much food has been dangled in front of me), and it never occurred to me to look to shapewear for anything. I always felt that, if the item needed shapewear, I wasn’t wearing it.
Then… my killer black film noir dress that I planned to wear to a huge Christmas event came back from the dry-cleaners. Apparently it has more cotton content I realized, because it was just snug enough to make me weep. With only two days to the party, I turned to a full Spanx slip – and holy crap! I suddenly had this killer shape, previously unknown, even during my dedicated Tracy Anderson Workout Regimen phase.
I used to think shapewear was all about giving up. But Janie Bryant, the costume designer for “Mad Men”, talks all about the importance and function of shapewear in her book, “Fashion File”. Now that I’ve drunk the magical spandex kool-aid, I’m a total convert now.
I once had a boy ask me: “Don’t Spanx raise your body temperature?” My response?: “Yes, to HOT”.
It’s just the modern girdle