Shapewear for Pear-Shaped Bodies

13 Jan

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By Marcy Montgomery Jones
Naomi & Nicole®

The shapes of our bodies are greatly affected by a variety of factors.  One such factor is the distribution of body fat.  Though body fat distribution is different for every person, enough similarities across large populations exist that women can be categorized as belonging to one of several groups.  This post is dedicated to the group known as “pears.”  Who are pears?  Pears are women who carry most of their excess body fat in their hips, buttocks, and thighs.  They’re proportionally smaller on top than on the bottom, which can create a visual imbalance and make it difficult to find clothing that fits.  If you’re a pear, take heart.  There are plenty of beautiful celebrities who are pears, such as Jennifer Love Hewitt and Alicia Keys.

Fit problems connected to this difficult body shape most often manifest themselves in relation to slacks, trousers, and jeans.  In order for pants to be large enough to properly fit the hips and butt, the waistband often ends up being too big and causes gapping in the back.  This issue usually results in either the need for frequent trips to the tailor or a poor fit disguised by a belt.  The fit problems associated with dresses and skirts present themselves as excess clinginess in the hip and butt areas.

A great way to tame and tone your curvy, pear-shaped body is with shapewear.  Choosing the right shaping pieces can target the spots you want to balance out on your body.  Garments made for the lower half of the body are your best weapons.  Yes, there are garments that shrink the waist, but you already have a well-defined waist.  That’s the benefit of being a pear!  Pieces such as waistline long legs, also known as waistline thigh slimmers, waistline slips, or pantliners can work wonders with slacks or clingy-knit fabrics.  I’d recommend staying away from styles with shorter legs, such as boy shorts, bike shorts, or girl shorts since the hems of these short-leg styles stop at the heaviest part of the leg, and pears carry a lot of weight there.

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Depending on the level of control you’re interested in, shapewear is available to help you achieve a complete spectrum of results.  Light control styles will smooth out lumps and bumps, and help to disguise cellulite.  Comfortable Firm ® control choices will make your flesh more toned and compact, and less wiggly and jiggly.  Extra firm control pieces will deliver the benefits of both light and Comfortable Firm® control, but will redistribute fat to a greater extent and transform your shape.

Often pears have trouble wearing long leg girdles or thigh slimmers because, traditionally, such shapewear has been made with elastic bands at the bottom of the leg hems to prevent the legs from riding up.  For a pear-shaped woman these bands typically result in the creation of reverse mushrooms, or reverse muffin tops, on the legs.  A great solution for such overspill is shapewear made with a silicone finish applied directly to the fabric.  It performs the same function as traditional elastic, but, unlike elastic, doesn’t restrict the stretch of the fabric itself.  Garments made with such silicone finishes are more comfortable for large-legged women because their flesh doesn’t become constricted.

When getting dressed, every body shape poses its own unique set of challenges.  But, if you understand how your body stores its fat, you can tame those challenges with the right shapewear garments.  For some excellent tips on outfitting your pear-shaped body, please check out this article at LifeTips.com.

CC Image courtesy f_trudeau on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/papa-t// CC BY 2.0
CC Image courtesy jking89’s buddy icon
jking89 on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/jking89// CC BY 2.0
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