Spanx and such ...

To be honest when skirts were short or I felt my tights might fall down I wore knickers under my tights and over them. I have always been a better safe than sorry type of person!

My step mother made me were a panty girdle once I left school and I really can't imagine why because I was thin as a rail then! It was so uncomfortable and hot in the summer that as soon as I left home at 17 it went in the bin and have never worn anything 'controlling' since! If you can see lumps and bumps under your clothes then they're too tight, so do what I do and go boho - nice loose cotton tops and trousers ? , heaven!

Thank you all for making me see sense. Spanx,bought for DS2 wedding, 5 years ago, are consigned to the bin collection for tomorrow. Why have I held onto them? Vanity, thinking that I might wear them again. But, no I won't ... I have grown, they definitely haven't. (On thinking about it, the wedding was 7 years ago.)

I remember my grandma insisting I wear a 'roll on' when I got to about 13. Apparently this was to stop my womb dropping!!
Bought a pair of spanx aged 40ish but wore them only once as they made me feel claustrophobic

..just tights(no knickers) or commando..no bumps at all then!!!?

I have light control short knickers, which are quite comfortable from m&s but can't wear Spanx got. Two in my underwear drawer which I have only worn about once, not comfy.

Wore control pants once, didn't realise it takes so long to pull down you need to go to the toilet an hour in advance and so had the sort of 'accident ' I hadn't had since I was a toddler!

A friend recommended a kind of Spanx thing to wear under my outfit for DD's wedding.
You could dislocate your thumbs trying to pull those things up and down.
I wore it for the ceremony then went back to the room and took it off!

Lots of negative comments about shapewear, but I have to say that I often wear a body suit because it does make a difference to how I look and that makes me feel better. It does not make me any thinner but smooths lumps and bumps so clothes hang better.
Check out Vercella Vita on QVCUK.com. They are pricey, but worth it. Just make sure you step into them, don't pull over your head.

Gilly bob...that's so funny!!!! ha ha!!!

f I bought a body shaper thing from M and S. it is an all in one but you wear own bra. It is low cut in the front. I am really pleased with it as it smooths out the lumps and bumps. It doesn't seem to cut in like I remember the girdles did when I was younger. It has soft edges at the leg tops. I only wear it with some straightishbdresses I have. Have worn it all day with no problems.

FionaC I wouldn't be without my shapewear,dont know why people are so negative about it,if it makes you feel better then why not,its not as though its harming you or anyone else.

If you want to be trussed up like a chicken and not be able to breathe go for it. I personally just about wear a bra during the day. Don't wear knickers, as rarely wear a dress/skirt (would if I did). No mid bulge going on

Wear clothes that flow. A line are good.

In my early 40s I had a pre-job interview. I wanted to wear a particular dress which buttoned up the front and pulled. So I decided to wear a body thing to smooth me out. I couldn't find the straps, but it seemed OK.
It meant a train ride then taxi. I was late and dashed into the office by which time the bloody thing had slipped down below my bosoms so I ended up with 4 bosoms. I was immediately shown into the interview and carried out the entire interview with my arms folded. No one mentioned it!!! One of the more embarrassing episodes in my life.

at whitewave. I tried the gok one a couple of years ago. I get the pull up stuff but this was a bodysuit type thing with half legs, how on earth do you pee? no little pull over flap going on. You had to take all your clothes off struggle out of it. Never again!

I can't imagine why anyone would want to wear control underwear. From age 14 to 21 I wore a horribly uncomfortable roll-on or a panty girdle because you had to keep your stockings up with something and that was what my Mother and sisters wore so, it seemed the grown-up thing to do! Suspender belts were for school. I suddenly realised one day that I was being conned and never wore anything like that again. The , hooray, in came tights! I have got so used to holding my tummy in and standing up straight that it has become second nature. I'm 72 and most of my similarly aged friends are in a similar position. Don't eat too much, keep active and you don't need to wear these ghastly garments! Anyway, women should have little round tummies!(Or so my husband says!)

As i mentioned I have found the modern shapewear much more comfortable than the panty girdles of yore. The material gives but seems to firm. My problem is that I don't have one nicely rounded tum but two. I have a waist and a bulge above and below! I know, too much information.

I wear M and S control pants occasionally, they're not the most comfortably garment but they're ok worn now and again. sunlover is right, make sure they fit, I buy a size up and then they're ok.

Completely agree with all the pluses and minuses mentioned here and there's no doubt they work if you can persuade the fat to spread itself rather than gather in an interesting hump on your back. However, if footage of me struggling to lever my ample frame into my Spanx was ever posted on Instagram no-one would ever have sex again. World population problem solved!

It is very easy to find clothes that flatter without the restricting underwear

theo is it! Once I got past a certain age, everything I put on will"do" nothing looks good. Not that I'm really terribly bothered. That's the joy of age -sod the lot of them!!!!!

I have light control knickers from M&S. They are not tight, heavy or uncomfortable. I didn't buy them to look slimmer, but to help feel more comfortable as I had a prolapse.

Well, I'm happy with my Spanx 'Structured' leggings. They have a soft, wide waistband that doesn't cause a roll of flesh over the top. They feel supportively firm but not tight and have lasted for wash after wash. They require a little bit of a 'wriggle' to pull them into place but not excessively! Under a neat tunic or baggy tee shirt, they make my legs look good and resist unwanted wobbles! Yes, they are expensive but I can still look good in them in my late 60s. I wear them to Pilates classes as well. I have two pairs in different colours and different lengths.

I have suffered in the past from shapewear being uncomfortable and causing extra bulges though, so have some sympathy for those who are against.

Tried the all in one last year as I was going to a wedding it was fairly comfortable once I'd wrestled it to the floor to get it on but the toilet was a bit of a nuisance all the little hooks I stick to my cotton sloggis with the tummy control panel