My Beef with Shapewear

Shapewear is the be all and end all of must haves for your wardrobe. There are pieces that nip in your waist, smooth your stomach, and reign in those thighs and tush, and women (and men) around the world are loving it.

Unless they're super short, or super tall.

At 5'2", I cannot get shapewear that actually fits me. I tried a waist sincher, and it was so long that it rolled up under my boobs and made things worse! The same thing happened with the tummy and thigh type contraption with the added bonus that the leg parts would stick out the bottom of my skirt because it went all the way down to my mid-knee. So I tried a full body shaper without the leg parts. It was so long in the body that it bunched and the boning rippled, once again under my boobs, and at my waist - the exact places I want to smooth out. To top it all off, the crotch was nearly midway down my thighs!

Conversely, I was talking to a very tall lady at the pub on Friday night about this very thing, and she said that at her statuesque 6'1" she had the opposite problems. Garments meant to smooth her stomach and rest under the bra would come up short somewhere in the middle, and forget ever getting a bodysuit to fit.

So what should be done about it? Jeans come in various lengths as well as sizes, why not make a waist sincher in a size 12 short? Or a size 14 extra tall? It can be done and it is so simple, so why aren't I seeing it in stores?

I have searched online for shapewear that will fit me right, but we all know you can't possibly know if it will fit until you've already bought it and if it doesn't...well it's a waste of money.

The other thing that perplexes me about shapewear is that it is always advertised by people who obviously don't need it! I want to see someone like the woman I met in the pub, or someone short and round like myself, someone who really needs these garments in the pages of my magazine, not someone built like Miranda Kerr.

Shapewear needs to fit every shape and size, not just the average, especially when it comes to the length, and it needs to be advertised by real women who actually need it. Nobody wants their shapewear to create more lumps and bumps that it's trying to hide.

xx