Do you wear shapewear on Christmas Day?

OK, so shapewear or lingerie might be on your Christmas list as a gift, but is it part of your Christmas outfit for the 25th December? We know, we ask all the big questions here! It’s a funny thing, and actually pretty interesting because it’s probably all to do with how you “do” Christmas. The big day looks a bit different to each of us, and either directly or indirectly, this will have a bearing on whether you don your shapewear on Christmas Day. 

Christmas day traditions

So, what happens in your house on Christmas Day? Do you have family traditions that you’ve carried on in your own home with dogged determination? Or maybe you’ve gone the other way and are adamant that you won’t do certain things after hating them as a child. Anyone who’s argued with a partner about whether you open presents first thing or after breakfast (and don’t get us started on what constitutes a festive breakfast!) will know what we mean here. 

The structure of your Christmas Day can normally be summed up by what you end up wearing. After a straw poll over a cuppa in the office, we’ve come up with these categories. Comment with all the ones we’ve missed!

All day PJs 

Ideally festive themed, you’ll be in your PJs all day long. This means that you don’t plan to leave the house – your Christmas Day is all about comfort and warmth, snuggling up with your nearest and dearest. You’ll have an all-day picky tea in the guise of Christmas dinner. There’s going to be movies aplenty, and hopefully a new pair of slippers wrapped up under the tree. The great thing is that your PJs allow for lots of festive indulgence so you’re unlikely to want much structure to your pants. In fact, your knickers are probably Christmas themed too. Nice!

Dressed for the great outdoors

Whether it’s pre-lunch to work up an appetite or post-lunch to work it all down, your Christmas Day is built around a massive family hike. It’ll be a couple of hours at least and you’re utterly unfazed by what the weather has in store. Maybe your family traditionally heads to a remote cottage in the Lakes for optimal fresh air potential. You’ll have a merino base layer to envy and indestructible walking boots. Your underwear needs to avoid chafing at all costs and a sports bra is a must!

Party best

For you, the party starts at 8am. No one opens presents until they’re shiny and sparkly with a glass of fizz in hand. It’s never too early in the day for you to get into your party dress – after all you spent hours choosing it so want to show it off for as much of Christmas Day as possible! For this reason, you probably do wear shapewear on Christmas Day. How else can you ensure a smooth silhouette through all the eating and drinking that’s to come? And then there’s the dancing, you’ll need some decent support. The important thing to remember here is to keep the compression light – no one wants to feel squished and uncomfortable!

Christmas jumpers

Yes, you might end up boiling hot while you’re cooking up a storm in the kitchen, but nothing comes between you and a classic Christmas! It’s all about the trimmings in your house, so the kitchen opens for business at the crack of dawn. You work really hard on your festive menu and nothing is left out, from pickled walnuts to cranberry sauce. Each year you hope to make it to the cheese course, but it very rarely happens! There will be speeches on the TV, games and silliness. You’re on the go so you’ll want some structured underwear – whether it goes as far as shapewear remains to be seen. 

What about Christmas dinner?

Whatever the format of your Christmas, it’s likely to be a scoff fest. It’s the one thing that holds us all together despite our weird family traditions! Whether you have chocolate for breakfast or practice superhuman restraint, we all get a little bit greedy and our underwear will likely tell on us. If your festive outfit requires some streamlining, or even just support for comfort, try to maintain a bit of give. Or maybe just have a quick change planned for later on in the day!

Your festive shapewear 

We’ll finish off with a little run down of key pieces of shapewear that covers most Christmas Day needs that we can think of…

• Bodysuits – these provide comprehensive coverage and shaping. They’re fantastic for fitted dresses or jumpsuits as they smooth your entire torso while offering bust support.
• High-waisted briefs – great for tummy control and midsection shaping while offering the flexibility to wear your favourite bra. They work well under skirts, trousers, and most dresses.
• Shaping Slips – ideal for bodycon dresses, slips hug your body and smooth everything from bust to hips. Many come with adjustable straps for a customisable fit.
• Open-bust shaping – versatile options that allow you to wear your own bra while providing shaping and smoothing around your midsection. They’re anchored from the shoulders so they’re not going to budge!
• Tights with structure – If you’re wearing a dress or skirt and it’s a chilly Christmas Day, shapewear tights can serve a dual purpose by keeping your legs warm while shaping your tummy, hips, and thighs.

If something here fits with your Christmas outfit and your day, then great – we’re happy to help. But you might just prefer to grab whatever is to hand and get downstairs to see if Santa’s been! Happy Christmas from us all at Elle Courbee.

Becky Hinshelwood

Becky is a content manager who writes informed industry based articles for businesses and consumers. She’s written for Elle Courbee on women’s issues and fashion for a number of years.