A Case for Wearing Body Shapers

Listen to the interview any fashion designer. Watch an episode of Project Runway or What Not to Wear. Pick up a Vogue. There is one word you will hear time and time again.

Silhouette.

Creating a beautiful silhouette is the chief objective of a designer and should be the chief objective of you when clothes shopping. For those who are a bit fuzzy, silhouette refers to the lines of the body, the shape of an outfit - the way you would look in the dark if all the color and embellishment were removed form your clothing and just the outline remained.

The most striking jewel tone that brings out your green eyes is pointless if it is on a dumpy, over sized sweater. You must create a beautiful silhouette first, before you worry about color.

And that, my friends, means shapewear. Underwear that tighten your tush. Body wear that restricts your ribcage. Bras that befriend the breasts. These things may possibly be the single most important piece of your wardrobe. They are the foundation upon which everything else is built. They are an investment, but will last if you shop carefully for them, wear the right ones, and take good care of them.

The fact is, most people have something they need to improve. I, for example, am 5'5 and a normal body weight. However, when I had children I acquired all these little lumps and uneven areas from my cesarean. I always wear a body shaper if I wear anything that will be tight or lay flat over that area. My choice piece is underwear that look like bike shorts. They go over the thigh, and up to my ribcage. They force the belly to flatten. They also make my rear and thighs look smoother. I have items of clothing that I simply could not wear without these things, and I love them. I have a few different colors, which I vary depending on my outfit, of course.

Women would do well to get themselves something like it. I rarely see a women past a certain age who has a flat tummy. Yet all their imperfections are out there for us to see - usually rolling over the tops of their pants. A good body shaper will give any women, no matter what her size, a better silhouette.

It is a matter of proportion. If you have a larger midsection, get a tummy tamer pair of underpants and an excellent bra. What does the bra have to do with the tummy? Your breasts should appear larger than your stomach. A bra that gives a little oomph to the boobs will make the rest of your body seem more hourglass shaped.

Remember, wherever your undergarment ends is where your fleshiness will begin. You want your shape wear to be snug enough to do it's job, but you do not want to it to be sausage casing. That is why I always wear shape wear that goes nearly to my knees and very high on my stomach; I don't want it to stop mid thigh, because that is a thicker area and my silhouette will be ruined. Likewise, I don't want it to end just above the navel - I will get a muffin top.

Young girls could benefit from this as well. I have a wonderful little book called Here's to you Miss Teen. It was written in the 50's and it is the most useful beauty book for teenage girls! There is a quite lengthy discussion in there about undergarments like girdles and the like. Apparently, back then, wearing these little "helpers" was considered standard stuff. And rightly so! In our zeal to be liberated we threw off our girdles and burned our bras - forgetting that we actually needed those things to serve a very real function! And that function is to make us look our best. So I recommend young people taking a good, honest look at themselves and determining if they could use help. With the advent of products like Spanx and beautiful things available at places like Victoria's Secret, there is no reason a girl should not feel beautiful and cool in shape wear.

Finally, a word about thongs, boy shorts and other wimpy underwear. If you fear pantylines, you need to wear the "bike shorts" underwear I described above. Having your butt cheeks hanging out of your undies is not a good move if you are more than 5 pounds overweight, over 30 or under 17.

A fabulous dress can be ruined by a poor silhouette, and shape wear will easily fix almost any figure flaw. Celebrities rely on it all the time. And remember, after you have invested so much time and money into your look, don't forget what your mother always told you: Stand up straight!