Archive | January, 2011

Shapewear for Apple-Shaped Bodies

27 Jan

By Marcy Montgomery Jones
Naomi & Nicole®

Why is the body of one woman often shaped so differently from that of another?  Though our figures are greatly affected by a variety of factors, perhaps the most important one is the way in which our body fat is stored.  Though body fat distribution varies from one person to the next, enough similarities can be found among large groups that women can be placed in one of several different body-type classifications.  In a recent post, I wrote about pears .  This post is dedicated to a second, fruit-shaped group known as “apples.”  Who are apples?  Apples are women whose fat is primarily located in their abdomens, and who are proportionally larger on top than they are on the bottom.  This top-to-bottom imbalance often makes it difficult for them to find clothing that flatters their figures.  Apples also often have excess upper and lower back fat, and usually have poorly-defined waists.  But, they also tend to have slim legs and thighs.  If you’re an apple, you can count Elizabeth Hurley, Drew Barrymore, and Rosie O’Donnell among your ranks. (more…)

Does Shapewear Discourage Proper Diet & Exercise?

25 Jan

By Adam Welsch
Naomi & Nicole®

Two days ago, the godfather of fitness, Jack LaLanne, died at his home in California.  He was 96.  Pioneering the movement of eating healthily and exercising every day, via his long-running television show, chain of health clubs, sensational stunts, and juicing infomercials, LaLanne paved the way for the popularity of personal fitness in all of its forms.  He was also, perhaps, the first and most vocal advocate for women’s fitness.  He not only developed a program that could be performed by any woman in her own home without any special equipment, he also encouraged women to lift weights – something that previously had been considered taboo.  Not surprisingly, the passing of such an icon has caused me to reflect on the inadequacies of my own diet and personal exercise regimen.  But it’s also forced me to think about shapewear.  As an advocate for women’s fitness, LaLanne always encouraged women to exercise, and not depend upon girdles, to maintain healthy, good-looking physiques.  So the question that’s been rattling around inside my head is this: Does the use of shapewear discourage exercise and healthy eating habits? (more…)

Pantyhose: Lingerie’s Party Crasher or Missing Link?

20 Jan

By Adam Welsch
Naomi & Nicole®

Since their invention in 1959 and subsequent widespread dissemination during the 1960s, pantyhose have taken a central role in the wardrobes of many women.  Replacing the previous need for wearing stockings with garter belts or garter-equipped girdles, pantyhose changed the hosiery landscape forever and gave women new-found comfort and fashion flexibility.  But since their creation, their makers have tried to position pantyhose as products that do more than simply smooth legs.  They’ve been sold as panty substitutes, VPL erasers, light control shapewear, rump raisers, and functional (if not shaping) leg wear.  Given that, are pantyhose merely hosiery, as most retailers and consumers view them,  with lofty but unjustifiable aspirations to sit aside conventional panties and shapewear, or are they a unique class of intimate apparel – a hybrid of hosiery, panties, and shapewear – that complete the “under-things” spectrum from socks to bodybriefers? (more…)

Bras, Panties, and Shapewear for Lemmings

18 Jan

By Adam Welsch
Naomi & Nicole®

What is it that inspires you, the consumer, to make a purchase of intimate apparel?  Econ 101 says that you rationally take a bra’s or panty’s price and quality into consideration when shopping for one to address one of your needs.  It’s a straightforward process when you’re buying something you’ve bought before; you know how well the piece of lingerie is made and how well it functions, and you’re able to judge whether or not the utility it’ll bring you is worth the price being asked for it.  But what happens when you want to buy a particular bra, pair of panties, or piece of shapewear for the first time?  How do you know whether the item’s price is justified by its quality since you have no personal experience with its performance?  The answer is that, to a certain extent anyway, you become a lemming.  And while this has always been the case for consumers since the inception of capitalism, the rise of the internet and its rapidly evolving social structure has made it easier, and more rewarding, than ever before to act like one of those mystical little creatures. (more…)