IN FORM®

By Adam Welsch
Cupid Intimates

Though referenced repeatedly in American pop culture over the past 25 years or so (as in the 1984 movie, Revenge of the Nerds), the panty raid as a living, organized, mass prank has joined the likes of goldfish swallowing and phone-booth stuffing as something found only in history books.  As a result, most people today have either forgotten, or never known, that the panty raid fad of the 1950s and 1960s was more than mere campus fun – it was serious, front-page news. (more…)

By Adam Welsch
Cupid Intimates

Intimate apparel has been advertised on TV for decades.  But the most memorable moments for bras, girdles, and panties in television history have occurred when these items have taken center stage on programs themselves, not in commercials.  Here are six of the funniest examples.

The first one is from the fifth season of the sitcom Seinfeld.  In the episode entitled, “The Sniffing Accountant,” Frank Costanza arranges for his son George to interview for a bra salesman’s position at a women’s underwear company.  As Frank tries to prepare George for the interview, the dynamics of George’s relationship with his parents overwhelm the lesson.  Click here to watch the scene. (more…)

By Adam Welsch
Cupid Intimates

In the world of shapewear advertising, no device is more common than the “before-and-after” comparison.  Whether in newspaper or magazine advertisements, late night infomercials, lingerie pieces on news programs and talk shows, or segments on television shopping networks, those trying to sell shapewear love to demonstrate the effectiveness of their products by showing what women look like both before putting on the garments and after.  Of course, this type of “fit test” is a great way for a consumer to judge the quality of a garment herself when in a fitting room of a store.  Since she’s the one trying on the garment, she can control the experiment and make sure it’s a fair comparison.  That, of course, isn’t the case when the demonstration is carried out by others through an advertising medium.  There are five before-and-after tricks that can be used in print, or on the small screen, to overstate the performance of shapewear on the body, and apparently the temptation to employ these is sometimes irresistible.

So, what should you be on the lookout for? (more…)

By Adam Welsch
Cupid Intimates

If you walked into a grocery store, and asked to be directed to the ice cream, do you think any employee would have trouble understanding what you were looking for?  Of course, not.   Even though there are many different brands of ice cream, available in many different flavors, ice cream has a very specific definition that’s shared by everyone who makes, sells, and eats it.  Unfortunately, the same sort of universal understanding isn’t always present in the world of shapewear.  Sure, different companies use their own brand and style names.  That’s not the issue.  Rather, for some reason, different manufacturers often use different generic terms to identify the same silhouette.  Since this sometimes creates confusion for those of us who work in this industry, it must be downright frustrating to you, an average consumer. (more…)