Do Body Shapers Really Shape Your Body?

T he perfect body is so hard to attain, especially when you are starting so far from it. Yet there should be no shame in trying to look your best while struggling with diets and workouts designed to help you lose weight the healthy way. This seems to be the motto of a lot of celebrities who were not afraid to show their body shapers on the internet and encourage more women and men to use one in order to feel better about themselves. Shapewear can be a lifesaver when you have an event approaching, but your dress doesn’t quite look the way it should on your body.

One aspect I’ve set myself to discuss in this article is how far body shaping can go. Many women are wondering if the shaping is only temporary, or it can have long-term effects on their body shape and internal organs. Below, I explain the limits of a body shaper, bust some myths, and give you some tips on how to choose the right product to feel comfortable while looking amazing.

What Does a Body Shaper Do to Your Body?

Undergarments that shape the body are not a novelty, and if you are thinking about the corsets women used to wear in the 19th century, you need to go a lot deeper in the history of humanity, more precisely in the Ancient era. From girdles woven from wool and soft leather, the corsets took a bad turn toward genuine torture stomach cages that were made with lead and whale bones.

Luckily, the price women pay for beauty has become smaller starting with the last century, when comfort and health become more important than an abnormally small waist. The shapewear pieces are now designed from breathable materials and apply less pressure to the body.

Woman in Black Bodysuit Body Shaper

Here is what the 21st body shaper can do for you:

• It pushes fat to the areas where you want it to be – the design implies using compression fabrics in the areas that should look slimmer. This has the effect of moving the fat on your belly toward your boobs and shrinking your love handles and thighs by sending the fat in these areas toward your buttocks. The effect is that you will no longer have a muffin top but an hourglass body that is aesthetically pleasing and gives you more confidence.
• It helps improve your posture – you won’t feel like you are in a cast suit (if you do, then you are wearing the wrong size) but the fabric will offer you support and help correct your posture in the long run. This study assessed the effects an elastic undergarment designed to shape the body had on a group of women, showing that it helped align their lateral center of gravity but also boosted their self-esteem and made them maintain a more correct posture when wearing it.
• It makes you look slimmer – the shaper does reduce a few inches around your waist and thighs, so you will be able to feel more comfortable in that older pair of jeans you adore but no longer fit you comfortably.
• It doesn’t permanently change your body – with all the benefits we have described, there is something a body shaper cannot do, and that is modeling your body permanently. To see durable results, you will need to start eating healthier and hop on a stair climber once or twice a week. Don’t get discouraged if all your efforts don’t lead to you having an hourglass silhouette without a shaper. This is actually very rare to attain, and most women that display it have a secret hidden under their clothes.

The Shifted Organs Myth

You may have heard that wearing a waist trainer for a long time can lead to your organs shifting in your body permanently. This is not true. Your organs are protected by your rib cage and a layer of muscles that keep them in place, even if pressure is applied in the area. However, if you are wearing a size that is too small, you may experience acid reflux problems or aggravate your irritable bowel syndrome if you are suffering from it.

If you are trying to train your waist for the hourglass look, you should start with a larger size and adapt it gradually. Also, do not wear the shaper permanently, as your body needs to relax from the pressure at night and even a few hours during the day.

Guidelines to Choose the Right Size for Your Body Shaper

When looking at people’s reviews about the body shapers they bought, the most common complaint is that the size they have received doesn’t fit them and, in most cases, it is smaller. This happens despite the companies providing size guidelines, and there are two reasons for it:

• People pick a smaller size on purpose – a lot of women think that they need to order a smaller size body shaper to be able to fit in their dress size. Yet, what they get is a super tight undergarment that squishes their stomach and makes it almost impossible to breathe.
• They don’t know how to do the measurements correctly – getting the right measurements is essential for shapewear as they are made from a firm material that makes them difficult to put on even when the size is right. People who order the wrong size often measure without paying attention or rely on old measurements.

Tips for Measuring

Here is some advice on how you should measure the essential part of your body a shaper covers:

• Bust – if you are going for a corset or a bodysuit, you need to make sure the bust size is right. Don’t rely on your bra size, as bras are not made from the same material as shapewear. Measure around your boobs as close as possible but without squishing them and round to the upper value.
• Waist – it is important to find the exact area where you should measure. To do so, bend your torso slightly to the lateral and use a marker or a pen to mark the crease. Straighten your body and measure around your waist at the level at which the mark is. Round up to the nearest value.
• Hips – find the fullest area of your hip, which should be under your waist and above your thighs, and measure, rounding up.

Slim Brunette in Strapless Body Shaper

Bonus: What Body Shaper Type to Choose? Celebs’ Favorites

The offer is pretty broad when it comes to these undergarments, as there are models designed to hide well under dresses, models that slim down your thighs, and models that only deal with your belly and hips. Here are the options preferred by celebs you may also get for yourself:

Lady Gaga’s Thong Shapewear

Honestly, I was sure that Lady Gaga would go for a thong when choosing shapewear as this goes so well with her sexy and mysterious personality. The advantage of wearing thongs is that you can make your muffin top disappear while wearing tight and thin fabrics that would have otherwise made you’re your skin suit show. The thong shapers from Spanx are a great choice for every woman, offering very good support and compression while preserving a high level of comfort given by the superior-quality material.

Oprah’s Strapless Body Shaper

This type of shapewear covers your butt and tummy but allows you to wear a dress that shows your shoulders without thinking that your straps will show and completely ruin your outfit. Oprah is a big fan and is not shy to admit it. What she loves most is that she still has her freedom of moving while looking spectacular. Sonryse offers a very nice faja that will bring you the utmost comfort and slimming results due to the hook and eye frontal closing system.

Emily Blunt’s Shapewear Bodysuit

If you are looking for better coverage, you can opt for a shapewear bodysuit, which is always the first choice for Emily Blunt. The type of the suit can vary – you can choose a thong model or a model that covers your thighs, depending on the problematic areas you are looking to cover. Maidenform has really beautiful models that are made with nylon and elastane for comfort and have lace insertions to make you feel sexy and glamorous.

Karlie Kloss’ Shapewear High Waisted Shorts

The high-waisted shorts are very popular among celebs as they are among the most comfortable shapewear pieces. Karlie Kloss admits that she is wearing them every time she needs to look gorgeous in a long dress. And keep in mind that we are talking about a supermodel here. Among the few manufacturers that can provide shapers with the same quality and comfort level, the Fajas Salome are enjoyed by women all over the world.

The Takeaway

Whether you are trying to fit into an old favorite dress for a special event or looking for a way to display a more attractive silhouette every day, a body shaper can definitely help. Your muffin top will no longer be so prominent, and your love handles may just as well disappear completely. What you need to remember, nonetheless, is that it won’t have any permanent effects on your body, so this shouldn’t be the reason for which you purchase it. Rely on shapewear to get better posture and get more confidence in yourself like a lot of celebs do, while working harder the get rid of those extra pounds that may not only affect your self-esteem but your health as well.