Modern clothes are amazing because they incorporate numerous materials that were unavailable for most of human history, including spandex and polyester. These materials mean it is easier for shirts, skirts, dresses, and pants to have a closer, more fitted shape and appearance. Clothes are often more comfortable as well, with less itching and visible stitching. Unfortunately, modern clothes often leave much to be desired when it comes to exposing your underwear and unwanted squishy bits.
A common issue for many women is that clothes are designed to be tight, often to the point where bras, panties, nipples, hiplines, muffin tops, and every curve or imperfection is visible to the naked eye. A major offender is dresses, especially since tighter options are back in style. What if you want to rock a bodycon dress but are scared of everyone seeing that you have a slight stomach pouch? What if you have an important even coming up and you want to look great but fear you have a muffin top?
No human body is perfect. Absolutely none. But everyone still wants to give the illusion, and that is where shaping underwear comes in. Shaping underwear can be an absolute godsend because it tucks in what should be hidden and creates a flattering silhouette that will make you the envy of everyone around you.
This guide saves you the trouble of trying to find the best shaping underwear because we’ve gone ahead and identified companies and products that are high quality instead of being cheap and flimsy. All you need to do is figure out which shaping underwear works best for you and your unique situation!
Here are our picks for the best shaping underwear you can buy.
Top 3 Best Shaping Underwear
Pro: Comfortable and Durable.
Con: Easily Snagged.
Spank that Spanx: Spanx is, for many women, the end all be all of shaping underwear. These underwear can be pulled up and worn over other undergarments and are made from 100% nylon, making them comfortable, durable, and super stretchy. The basic design covers the upper thighs, the crotch and butt, and the stomach all the way to just below the underbust. Because of their durability, these SPANX Women’s Higher Power Shorts are an excellent option for women on a budget who would like to invest in a single pair of shaping underwear for special occasions. However, they can be worn with any outfit for just about any event.
Besides these basics, the SPANX Women’s Higher Power Shorts are available in black, taupe, and a tan nude. They come in numerous sizes ranging from Small to 3X Plus, meaning ladies of all shapes and sizes can find a pair that work for them. This product is imported and is not meant to clip to a bra, so the waistband is meant to be tight without pinching or creating unwanted rolls or lumps. Extra elastic helps keep the underwear in place, so you don’t have to worry about the material sliding down underneath your shirt or dress when you’re trying to be professional or stay at a party.
If there is one downside to these SPANX, it is that the 100% nylon material, while durable, also has a tendency to snag, especially on buttons and zippers. This means tears can appear, as well as unwanted runs. To avoid this problem, it’s best to be careful when dressing so zippers and other hard materials don’t have a chance to tear through the fabric. Also make sure a bra is put on before the underwear if you want to wear one.
Pro: Super Curvy Silhouette.
Con: Confining.
Curves for Days: Sometimes you want a little extra “oomph” or “va va voom” with your outfit. When this is your desired goal, the Nebility Women Butt Lifter Shapewear is the best way to get it. These shaping underwear cover the butt, upper thighs, stomach, and underbust but are meant to lift, shape, and restrict. This means it covers the lumps and bumps while hugging the humps and helping to restrict the waist and make it appear smaller. The ultimate goal of these shaping underwear is a curvy silhouette, which Nebility provides in spades.
The butt lifter is a frequently sought after feature in modern American society because gone is the Heroic Chic of the 1990s and early 200s. Now women are told that the most attractive body is one with wide hips, a large butt, a tiny waist, a flat stomach, and enormous breasts. While these underwear don’t touch the “chesticles,” they do lift and curve the butt for extra sex appeal. These underwear are made from polyester and spandex with numerous holes to make it easier for the crotch and lady bits to breathe. The Nebility Shapewear is only available in black but includes double tummy control and great customer service, so it’s always possible to get a replacement or refund if you don’t like the look you get.
One con of wearing this type of shaping underwear is that it can be quite confining and restricting. You might argue that this is the point, but the Nebility Women Butt Lifter Shapewear runs a bit small and can be extra tight around the stomach and waist, leading to discomfort, gas, loss of appetite, and maybe a stomachache when worn too long. Consider ordering a size up to get the best results.
Pro: Cotton Crotch Lining.
Con: Has a Tendency to Roll.
Let the Lady Breathe!: Maidenform is one of the most well-known companies that manufactures women’s undergarments, so it only makes sense that the business would develop shaping underwear. These Maidenform Flexees Women’s Shapewear and Hi-Waist Briefs are designed to be worn on a regular basis, making them excellent for a professional woman who discovers that she needs to wear many skirts, dresses, suits, or other items of clothing that need to be shaped and fitted properly.
These Maidenform underwear are made of a mixture of 70% nylon and 30% elastane, making them comfortable and flexible. They slide over the body and immediately start to contour and support by covering unwanted lumps and bumps. But the real area where the Maidenform shapewear shines is in the crotch, which has a 100% cotton lining that is essential for women. The vagina is full of bacteria, and being confined to stew and sweat is a recipe for disaster through infections. The cotton prevents this issue and makes it possible for these shaping underwear to be worn directly on the skin.
Besides this feature, the Maidenform Flexees come in numerous sizes, including Small up to XX-Large. The sizing is accurate, unlike the model followed by other companies. The underwear comes in multiple colors like white, black, tan, and taupe. These underwear cover the butt, crotch, and stomach without quite reading the underbust. The silicon elastic waistband helps prevent slippage and uncomfortable bulging and bunching around the edge.
One downside that comes with wearing the Maidenform Flexees Women’s Shapewear and Hi-Waist Briefs is that they have a tendency to roll. This means the waistband can slide with too much movement, resulting in discomfort and maybe a slight line underneath the clothing. However, this is not a common issue, and is one that tends to occur when women buy a size that is too small. To avoid this issue, double check which size you order.
Best Shaping Underwear Buying Guide
Humans have always worn clothing meant to support and shape the human body. Women always receive the short end of the stick, especially when it comes to fashion. While there are more options in what we can wear, it often comes at the price of the clothing being tight, restricting, and often focused on being beautiful instead of functional. After all, how long have women suffered when it comes to corsets, tight cuffs, and old-fashioned bullet bras.
Shaping underwear can sometimes run into the same problem. While it is definitely more comfortable than the traditional corset or stays, some products seem to forget that the material needs to be flexible and worn for long periods of time. To find the best shaping underwear, it’s important to look for a couple of essential qualities to avoid discomfort: Material quality, sizing, and the area covered by the fabric.
Material Quality
A major issue women discover when it comes to buying shapewear is that many companies choose cheaper yet inferior materials because they are inexpensive and can be mass-produced. While it can be tempting for many women to choose these less expensive variants, they can be the cause of numerous issues. In particular, poor fabric can result in itching, an allergic reaction, chafing, pilling, and rolling or weakening around the waistband.
All of these problems can make shapewear uncomfortable to wear and can also make it highly visible underneath clothing. When this occurs, shapewear completely loses its purpose, and you’ll have wasted your money. Try to look for shapewear that has a good mix of nylon and spandex, with some polyester. Full polyester variants can sometimes be quite uncomfortable.
Sizing
Not all shaping underwear is made equally, and we all know women’s sizing is a crapshoot to begin with. Ladies, how often have you been a 4 in one company’s jeans, an 8 in another, or even a 12? And what about small, medium, and large? There just seems to be no winning. This is why it’s important to choose a company with honest, open, and reliable sizing with its products. Otherwise, you could end up with shapewear that is too tight and constricting, or which is too loose and doesn’t serve its purpose.
Also, depending on your body, you might need shapewear designed to hold in all of those hips and that booty. If you need plus sizes, it can be hard to find cute and comfortable clothes. Many shapewear companies have branched into plus sized underwear, so thankfully there are more options available now than ever.
Area Covered
Although shaping underwear should be straightforward, the truth is the underwear will often cover different parts of the body. Sometimes the underwear will only be for the butt and hips, while at other times it will cover the thighs, the stomach, or even part of the breasts to create a smooth silhouette. Before buying any shaping underwear, take a look at what it is meant to shape before purchase so you can plan your outfit accordingly.
Also, unfortunately for many of us, sometimes shaping underwear won’t work on bodies with a wide disparity. So, a woman with large hips but a tiny waist might need to buy underwear that only covers the hips and not the stomach. This can be a major drain, but it just means finding the right product. Some of the best ones are outlined below.
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