Spanx are underclothing similar to footless pantyhose which ‘slim’ and streamline all those unfortunate lumps people seem to acquire. The brand Spanx has recently developed different types of their product to include bras, tanks, and shorts, all to be worn under dresses or other clothing to squeeze the life out of whoever wears them. Oprah endorsed the brand on her show several ago. Since, pretty much every celebrity wears Spanx at their events.
The way it works is extremely similar to control top tights, if anyone is familiar with those; the material is designed to be a modern, polyblend corset which tightens against the wearers skin and flabby bits to make the person appear thinner and fitter. In an age of photoshop, people, particularly women, are pressured to achieve the impossible. No person is completely free of lumps or cellulite, yet every woman tries to hide them. Cellulite itself wasn’t even an issue until we put a name to it and declared it something to hide. Photoshopped magazines argue consumers and even celebrities themselves into believing Spanx are a necessity because society today strives for impossible perfection. Even the picture above, an advertisement on the Spanx website, is altered. It is a ‘pursuit without terminus’, as Bordo would say. Spanx’s sole purpose is to cover up flaws which are mainly imaginary anyway.
Spanx encourage ‘double-bind’, two clashing actions which make both impossible. American culture is particular requires both perfection and an outward appearance of this perfection to be effortless. A corset can make women appear thinner and more fit, but Spanx can hide under clothing much more easily without notice. The desire to look effortlessly beautiful causes women to become docile bodies; they focus on unimportant, minute physical flaws. Negative body practices such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa are quite possibly encouraged by products such as Spanx. Products who boast clothing line titles such as “Trust Your Thin-stincts” and “Skinny Britches” argue consumers into believing that something is the matter with their stomach or legs which can only be fixed with Spanx products.
Does anybody own Spanx? I don’t myself, but I’m very curious as to whether they are comfortable or not. They don’t look too painful, though one of the Real Housewives of Whatever City almost fainted because her Spanx were too tight. Kiera Knightly fainting scene in Pirates of the Caribbean, anyone?
My mom bought a pair of those when they first came out on the TV ads. She said it was so tiny she couldn't get it on, and she bought the size it said to for her dimensions. I'm guessing she may have been able to squeeze it on, but certainly not comfortably. I don't think that the point is to be comfortable, the point is to appear thinner. No pain, no gain, right! I think that a better method to appear thinner would probably be diet and exercise, but that involves quite a bit of effort and pain as well. My philosophy is that the fat has to go somewhere, so if it's not there, it'll go to your lower thighs and ribcage. I definitely saw the scene in Pirates where Kiera Knightly fainted, and I would say that spanx are a modern day example of such a breathing restriction.
ReplyDeleteMy mom looked in to buying a pair of these for my sister's wedding, but she had the same problem. They were all so tiny and tight. She said it took her like half an hour just to squeeze into them, so I'm assuming they would be painful to wear for long periods of time. I love that you mentioned the Pirates of the Caribbean scene! That is such a good example of the extremes women go to just to appear thinner. I'm assuming spanx arent that painful, but I guess I won't know until I actually try them myself, which I'm not planning on doing anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteAhhh, spanx. I own a pair and don't wear it that often, only under dresses where my love handles might feel courageously bold and want to venture out. They definitely work/feel like a corset, although you wouldn't think so because of how different they are from each other. I heard somewhere that some stars wear two pairs of spanx for double protection, but I don't know how that's even possible because of how tight they are on the body.
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