A new generation of swimwear, credited with the ability to knock up to two inches off a woman’s waist, have been flying off the shelves as British women seek a flat stomach.
Sales of the swimming costumes incorporating the latest figure enhancing technology have soared, with high street retailer Debenhams reporting a rise of 87% of their shapewear bikinis and swimsuits since they hit the store a month ago.
The built-in tummy-tuck technology helps reduce unwanted inches, smooth bulges, lift buttocks and create curves in the right places to boost women’s body confidence as they prepare for the holiday season.
The inner lining of the shapewear swimwear is similar to spandex which is also used in the majority of tummy control underwear. With its great elasticity, yet light and comfortable wear ability, it is a quick fix for ladies who are fleeing abroad for warmer weather this summer.
British women keen to emulate celebrity Mums who have worked hard at their post-baby bikini bodies such as Lily Allen, Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé Knowles, but without the time or budget for personal training sessions, are happy to get a little extra help from the best-selling, instant tummy-tuck swimwear.
Natelle Baddeley head of accessories at Debenhams said: “There are very few women that don’t feel even a little self-conscious in a swimming costume, not just those that are new mums. Shapewear swimwear is fast becoming a woman’s secret weapon helping those of all shapes and sizes reveal an instantly slimmer silhouette – our best-selling sizes are 16-20.”
Baddeley continued: “Most women will tell you that being seen in a swimming costume becomes much less daunting if you know the one you are wearing actually flatters your figure, rather than highlighting every lump and bump.”
Fans of the body-shaping swimwear have the Ancient Greeks to thank. They introduced the world to the first figure-sculpting aids. These “shapers” were a form of girdle made of wool and later of leather. They looked very much like wide belts or even ropes.
Girdles in ancient times were often claimed to have magical powers. For instance, Ishtar, a goddess of Babylon, wore a girdle of fertility and Aphrodite’s girdle was associated with poetry. These predecessors of modern shapewear played an important role in the long history of garments used to shape and strengthen the body.