by Jemimah Chungu
Shape-wear; underwear/ undergarment that shapes the body when worn to achieve a “fashionable body” has raised concern to body image experts.
Trends, social media, the fashion world and the beauty world have embraced a trend that is being perceived as a “beauty standard” described in the African international magazine of May June edition.
This Insinuate that fashion isn’t just about the apparels but the apparently malleable shape of the body on which they’re worn.
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Shape- wear emerged around the 16th century to hold and protect alike a bra. After a series of evolving shape wear are now used to enhance the body structure/ shape by pushing the tummy in (stomach smoothening) reducing the waste size and tightening the upper body from chest to the hipbone. This makes the top part of the body look smaller and the bottom part of the body bigger.
This has prompted shape wear to become popular on trends especially on the internet. It is almost like shape wear it a must have closet accessory nowadays and that has worried body image expert.
For example Karolina Laskowska a lingerie designer and director of the underwear noted that wearers are physically “hurting” themselves with badly made undergarments. “We’ve seen fast fashion adopt corsetry and shape-wear trends but it’s not made to fit the human anatomy, since it’s made to be as cheap as possible,” she says. She adds that people could “injure” themselves with elasticated shape-wear if they buy a size too small, meaning they could potentially restrict their blood’s circulation.
Victoria Kleinsman, a self-esteem expert and body love coach doesn’t think that this type of elasticated shapewear has anything to do with fashion and it should not be marketed as such. “It’s really dangerous,” she tells me. “Shapewear gives you a fake ‘confidence’ but then underneath it all when that comes off, then, who are you?”
The popularity of Skims and their various knock-offs doesn’t seem likely to decline any time soon, but Kleinsman is hopeful that more women will soon have epiphanies about the shapewear revival. “Fatphobia and body image trauma is still the norm,” she sighs. “There has never been more [appropriate] a time for us to embrace our natural bodies.”
Unquestionably there’s no such thing as fashionable body as body image and beauty in general is subjective. Shape-wear and similar trends are increasing social damages such as insecurities and inferiority complex. Investing in healthy fashion by trendsetters and all wearers is vital.
