Girdles
From LoveToKnow Lingerie
Girdles used to be an everyday garment for millions of women. Nowadays, most young women wouldn't even recognize one. They do have a place, though, both as slimming undergarments and as fetish lingerie. Read on for the history and future of this particular piece of underwear.
What Exactly Is It?
A girdle is designed to shape your waist and tummy and, usually, also your buttocks and thighs. Some versions look like high-waisted briefs, some like short skirts. Some come with garters for attaching old-fashioned stockings. Panty girdles look like shorts, ending midway down the thighs or at the knees.
Early girdles were advertised as an alternative to lace-up corsets. Instead of needing a maid to help tie a corset, women could slip into these undergarments on their own. They weren't exactly designed for comfort, though. In the 1950's, Playtex made a popular version entirely of rubber. This contraption had hundreds of tiny holes to allow perspiration to escape. When removed, the holes left a polka-dot pattern on the woman's skin.
Modern body-shapers are usually made with Lycra or other stretchy fabrics. They're meant to be stiff enough to be slimming, but not uncomfortably tight. Some have hook-and-eye closures similar to the fasteners on a bra. Panty girdles usually just pull on like a pair of stretchy shorts.
Modern Fashions
In the past, girdles were meant to make women's bodies conform to a fashion ideal. Stylish clothing had unforgiving dimensions. These days, clothing is more relaxed and we're encouraged to see beauty in a broad range of figures.
Still, a girdle can be a woman's secret weapon against premenstrual bloating or those few extra winter pounds. It can give a sleeker, more shapely look and make your dress, skirt or pants fit just a little better. It won't duplicate the tight, toned look you'd get at the gym, and it won't make you skinny if you're not. But it can help disguise flab and cut down on jiggle, which may be all you need.
A few men find them useful, too, although they're traditionally women's undergarments. We're used to women changing their bodies with push-up bras, control-top pantyhose, and the like—but the average woman would be dismayed to find that Spandex underwear was responsible for her date's trim waist. Still, men who wear them swear by them. Not only do they improve appearance, but the elastic in a high-waisted version can provide support for an aching back. For more information, check out Guys in Girdles.
Lingerie and Fetish Wear
What makes something sexy? It's all about what turns you on. For many people, girdles are very sexy. Some women enjoy the feeling of the tight, elastic fabric against their skin. Some men like the look of a girdled woman. They may like being the only ones to see this secret undergarment. They may enjoy seeing the woman willingly bound in a tight garment and find it very sensual to be allowed to take that garment off.
For an in-depth exploration of these body-shapers as erotica, visit Zona, a web site created by a man who finds them alluring. The site includes a fashion history, comments from both men and women, and advice on shopping and finding the right fit.
You can also find sexy versions for sale at online shops and at the racier lingerie stores. If you're searching on line, though, be aware that there's a brisk trade in pornographic pictures of women in these undergarments. If porn sites offend you, be careful where you click!
Girdles vs. Corsets
Corsets are sometimes confused with girdles. Corsets are popular both as lingerie and as sexy tops to be paired with a skirt or pants. They usually lace up and often have stiff boning to help hold their shape. Most corsets stop at the waist and don't have any sort of panty or legs. Many have bra cups or high boning to make the breasts more prominent. Some corsets also have garters for stockings.
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Comments
Girdles can actually be comfy and give fabulous support. The young ladies of today don't know this, after about two months they become part of you, and you get to like the snug hug too and adore your figure so you won't want to take it off. My girdle is part of me, I feel loose, shabby and 'all over the place' without it. And a lovely bonus are the suspenders (garters) and especially luxurious fully-fashioned nylon stockings. The men just melt :-)
-- Contributed by: Gilliane MoxhamThis page has been accessed 19,917 times. This page was last modified 16:57, 24 January 2007.
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