Body shapers can do a lot for you, from boosting your confidence, supporting your back, and encouraging you to lose weight.
BUT DON’T buy the LIE that shapewear can reshape your body permanently.
If you’re wondering whether shapewear can reshape your body permanently, just know that it’s a fad created by celebrities. A-listers like the Kardashians are increasingly creating their own shapewear brands and so they would want to hop into any craze that can increase sales.
Here is the Table of Contents
What is Shapewear?
Shapewear is a type of stretchy undergarment that is designed to compress and slim a targeted part of your body so that you can achieve a better silhouette. Body shapers mostly slim, define and support the midsection and lower back, waistline, hips, and thighs. Here are more benefits of wearing shapewear.
Shapewear is made of elastic but non-rigid fabric, such as polyester or nylon. It’s also made of expandable spandex to ensure breathability because you’ll obviously sweat more in a tight-fitting than a loose-fitting undergarment.
What is the Difference between Shapewear and a Waist Trainer?
Does shapewear have permanent effects?
Shapewear is meant to slim and re-curve your silhouette but good shapewear should not be squeezing, pinching, or even painful. Most body shapers are used to hide light flaws and help define your body, so that you can fit into the close-fitting bodycon dress that you want. See more ideas on what to wear under a tight fitting dress. So if you’re asking can shapewear reshape your body permanently? Know that shapewear cannot permanently reshape your body but it has its place because you can wear it all day every day without discomfort or pain. High-compression shapewear will also help to support your back for a better posture.
Waist trainers
Waist trainers are the real deal when you want to lose weight and permanently reshape your body. They’re also made of stretchy but tight material such as neoprene, nylon, or lycra, but the fabric is firm and it’s also reinforced with things like boning, Velcro, hook and eye closures. They help you to sweat and burn belly fat probably twice as much as possible, while you work out. However, the tightness of a waist trainer can curtail proper breathing, digestion, and the flow of body fluids, and you are thus cautioned against wearing the undergarment for more than 3 hours as a beginner. You shouldn’t wear a waist trainer for more than 8 continuous hours even after getting used to them.
This means that wearing an extreme compression waist trainer or steel-boned corset can reshape your body permanently either in a good or harmful manner. If worn for long, they can cause internal organs such as the liver and kidneys to shift to awkward positions. They can also rupture your ribcage as you try to sculpt yourself into an elusive hourglass body shape.
What Happens if you Wear a Body Shapewear Everyday?
According to medicinenet.com, the frequency at which you wear shapewear will depend on its tightness. You can wear light to moderate compression shapewear every day to enhance the fit of your clothes. After all, such a foundation garment is not much different from high waist underwear. However, you should ensure that it’s flexible, stretchable, and breathable. Otherwise, the accumulation of sweat due to a synthetic material will lead to problems such as skin irritation and yeast infection.
Tight-fitting shapewear should only be put on for a couple of hours and it should not be worn every day. Keep it for special occasions such as weddings and parties when you want to fit into petite outfits. Wearing high-compression body shapers for too long and too often can affect digestion, breathing, and circulation of blood and other body fluids.
Overuse of tight shapewear and waist trainers can also make your muscles dependent on external support, thus weakening them over time and affecting your body posture.
What you Need to Know Before Using Shapewear
1. What is your purpose for using shapewear?
What do you seek to solve using shapewear? Different designs of body shapers exist to provide different solutions.
a.) Tummy control
If you want to slim your belly, then you can get a tummy control shapewear that will compress your lower belly and smoothen your midriff. Miraclesuit Women’s Extra Firm Control Comfort Bodysuit will flatten your tummy and firm your hips so that you can step out in style. Its material is lightweight and barely noticeable under clothing.
b.) Back support and posture correction
A straight posture exudes confidence and you don’t have to keep on reminding people that you’re a self-assured woman. A good posture will also reduce or prevent back pain and this is important to consider when you’re working out or if you’re someone whose work involves sitting at a desk all day.
SHAPERX Shapewear Open Bust Fajas shapewear is specially made to shape, firm, and support your midsection so that your back stays straight whether you’re sitting, standing, or walking. It will also nicely shape your belly and lift your butt.
c.) Overall body shaping
There is nothing wrong with desiring to fit into a bodycon for a special occasion, after all, life is short. But unless you have a figure as naturally shapely as Nicki Minaj, full body high-compression shapewear will help you level your lumpy areas so that you become curvier and smoother in the tight-fitting dress. Nearly all the celebrities that you see on the red carpet- J.Lo, Normani Kordei, Rita Ora, Jessie James Decker, name them- wear high-waist or full-body shapewear or a bodysuit to achieve their tantalizing physique.
FeelinGirl Sexy Slimming Tummy Control Bodysuit is stealing the show right now and this is because it can create an hourglass silhouette on anyone. It’s highly elastic, silky, and breathable enough to allow easy movement and comfort, even when you’re coming from a pregnancy. It’s perfect for maintaining an hourglass shape in all seasons, and it will work with all types of outfits- jeans, dresses, skirts, shorts, and pants.
d.) Do you need the shapewear to support and/or shape your breasts?
If you want your boobs to be supported and firmed more than a bra would, then you can get shapewear with a built-in bra. FeelinGirl Womens Seamless Shapewear is full-body shapewear but it’s lightweight and stretchy and so the bust area can fit any bust size. Its double-layered fabric maximizes firming and control.
If you only want your breasts to get an extra lift and support, then you can buy a body shaper with an open bust. Shaperx Open-Bust Shapewear features adjustable shoulder straps so that you can adjust the lift and support to your breasts.
2. Get the proper shapewear size
Your shapewear size is normally determined by measuring the circumference around your lower back and just underneath your lower tummy. That’s how you’ll know if your size is X-small, small, medium, XL, and so on. However, you should first confirm with a brand’s marketer or manufacturer about their shapewear sizing guide more so if you’re buying online. Also, the size of a body shaper that comes with a built-in bra will depend on the size of your breasts.
If you’re a beginner and your size is in between two shapewear sizes, take the larger size. It will be more comfy and safe and still do a great job shaping and smoothing your silhouette.
3. Wear high compression shapewear for a limited number of hours
You can wear light and medium compression shapewear such as Leonisa Tummy Control and Butt Lifter Shapewear all day everyday. But experts’ advice is that you should wear highly constricting shapewear or waist trainers for less than 8 hours per day if at all you don’t want bad side effects.
You should take your time to get used to your new body shaping undergarment and gradually increase the hours that you put it on. If new shapewear feels uncomfortable or painful after a week or so, then it’s not the right size for you.
4. Don’t skip the gym or ignore proper diet
Exercise and a healthy diet are the only sustainable means of maintaining your desired body weight and shape. Shapewear should only augment this effort, for example by inspiring you to work for the attractive shape that it gave you on a special day. Tight undergarments that boost perspiration will dehydrate you, and so you also need to increase the amount of water you drink as compensation.
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