AARP Hearing Center
Whether or not you embrace the love-your-size-and-shape-whatever-your-weight idea, most women appreciate a little help. I’m a fashion editor, stylist and personal shopper who specializes in the 50-plus demographic, and here’s the truth: Shapewear is not going anywhere. My clients on both sides of the body-positive ideal want the reassuring hold and curve management of control undergarments — even under loose and more forgiving clothes. Just like a makeup primer or a hair detangler/heat protectant, these unseen items create a secure base for everything from fitted turtlenecks to wide-leg jeans and midi skirts. Which shaper is right for you? Check the best options and tips for all below.
1. Find your shapewear match
Control garments are not a one-size- or one-item-suits-all situation. Some women never leave the house without one. For others, it’s an afterthought when a skirt or dress won’t zip up. Yet a third group considers shapewear as an emergency backup for damage control after food binges at holiday and vacation time or as an excuse for a break from an exercise/diet routine. The choices range from minimal smoothers to maximum sculptors. I’ve left out a few shapewear niches for very good reasons. Skip pant liners (if you need them, you’re wearing the wrong pants or jeans); compression arm shapers (ditto … you’re wearing the wrong top); thong shapewear and thong bodysuits (be realistic); shapewear leggings (because regular and sporty ones do the hold-in job better); and waist cinchers and corsets that cut off breathing and digestion and encourage acid reflux (who needs that?). Here are the seven most practical shape-shifters for every body over 50:
Pantie shapers
If you’re feeling bloated or just need a little more everyday belly control, swap your usual briefs or bikinis for a pantie shaper. Available in low to truly moderate levels of compression, most feature a wide flat waistband like the Maidenform Tame Your Tummy Brief Panty in Nude 1/Transparent or Black ($16, herroom.com) for extra gentle compression or a built-in center panel for targeted molding.
Shapewear shorts
Resembling bike shorts designed for workouts, thigh-length shapewear shorts cover and firm up thighs in addition to the usual stomach smoothing. They’re as useful under skirts and wide-leg pants as they are beneath sweater dresses. Look for smooth seam-free versions such as the Jockey Essentials Women’s Tummy Smoothing Mid-Waist Boyshort in Light or Black ($12, walmart.com) that leave no detectable bumps under clothing at the leg line.
Bodysuits
These onesies offer overall torso whittling as they pull together bumps, bulges, loose skin and extra pounds for a firmer silhouette. Some retailers and brands call these body briefers, body shapers or rompers. Whatever the name, look for built-in bust support in the form of underwire, molded or shaped cups, as in the Bali Ultra Light Body Shaper With Lace in Nude or Black ($48, balibras.com), or open-bust styles that accommodate your own bra (see below).
Wear-your-own-bra bodysuits
Here’s the answer for every woman who has finally found the bra of her dreams but wants the allover shaping of a bodysuit. Open-bust styles such as the Assets by Spanx Women’s Remarkable Results All-In-One Body Slimmer in Light Beige, Cafe Au Lait, Chestnut Brown or Black ($40, target.com) are designed with a deep front scoop to leave plenty of space for your usual bra and allow you to benefit from all that excellent torso help.
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