If you thought the girdle had gone the way of the dodo, think again! While the vintage girdles of the 60s might be no more, there are plenty of alternatives that are offering the exact same thing, under a slightly more modern name. But what is a modern girdle, and what benefits could you see by using one? We wanted to find out, so we did a little digging, and this is what we found.
What is a modern day girdle?
In ‘vintage’ terms, a girdle was essentially a type of partial corset. It’s also the term that’s used for the cassock belt worn by priests of Christian faiths, but let’s not go down that route in this blog – it won’t do much for your waist! Made from elasticised fabric and boning, the aim was to enhance a woman’s figure by smoothing and pulling in her waist, hips and thighs. They started high up on the waist, and most were open bottomed, which meant they ran down the outside of the thigs and into a skirt – perfect for wearing underneath dresses in the 1960s! They were a common daily wear item for many women, which is why they came with straps to attach your stockings to, and tightly cinched in the waist to give more of a ‘pin-up’ girl look. Adverts also claimed that vintage girdles could improve posture by encouraging you to ‘stand taller’ and could show off your assets and hide your ‘liabilities’ accordingly.
Of course, today we don’t use the term ‘girdle’ often. Though we still wear them, the word is considered old fashioned, so instead, we call them ‘waist trainers’ – or ‘shapewear’ if we want to be less specific. A modern-day girdle or waist trainer will help slim down your natural waistline to create an hourglass figure, with a tiny waist and curves over the hips. They were made popular again by the likes of the Kardashians (mainly Kim and Kourtney), Nicki Minaji, Jessica Alba and even Lindsey Lohan.
Why should you wear one?
Given that they are so popular among celebrities, there must be some reason that the modern-day girdle should be in our underwear drawers, right? Well, it turns out that there are many benefits to wearing a modern girdle including:
Immediate slimming results: At its core, this is a compression garment, and its goal is to help you looks slimmer. So when you put it on, you will instantly see slimming results. You’ll likely see a nice hourglass curve at your waist that eliminated the muffin top and any sticking out belly problems you may have. Just putting on a waist trainer can take 4 inches off your waist straight away, which makes it the perfect shapewear for a big day/night out.
Long term waist change: A lot of people use waist trainers as just one part of their weight loss regime, and find it actually speeds up their results. Since your waist is being held in a certain position all day, your body starts to naturally conform to it. Used properly over long periods of time, you will notice your waist getting slimmer and staying in that hourglass shape on its own.
Enhanced workouts: If you really want to supercharge your workouts, then hitting the gym while wearing a workout waist trainer can be a godsend. These are specifically designed to be worn during exercise and provide firm compression during vigorous movements. This will help you sweat harder and provide a more effective workout, giving you the shape you want, quicker.
Post-partum support: For women who have had a child, the baby weight can be a real problem point. Depending on how you carried, you might find yourself with a brand new ‘apron belly’ that hangs in places it didn’t before. Post-partum belly bands are a great way to help you get back to your natural shape after giving birth, promoting healing and giving you a hand back to your firm abs. Jessica Alba swears by it!
Corrected posture: It’s true that most of us now have bad posture. Years of sitting at computers or slumped over desks have given us hunched spines, and back problems are now one of the most common ailments you will come across. But a waist trainer forces you to sit up straight and provides you back with more support. This means you get into the habit of sitting properly even when you aren’t wearing it, alleviating a lot of back pain problems. Not only that, but many women feel more confident in the way they carry themselves – all because their back is straight, their shoulders are back and they are standing a little taller.
At Elle Courbee, we want all of our customers to feel happy and confident in their own skin, and in every piece of clothing they own. But we also know you live a busy lifestyle, which is why we have designed our services so that you can buy online, try on at home and return any items that don’t work, no questions asked. If you’ve been looking at trying out a waist trainer for a while, there is no better time (especially with summer right around the corner. Just take a look at our plus size shapewear range today. And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
