Gals, do you wear girdles?

[UrbanChic]

I don't. I hate them. With a passion. I'm not of the mindset that girdles are another invention of men to repress women, either. I just find them extremely uncomfortable.

Conversely, I know people who wouldn't dream of leaving the house sans a girdle. Something about not jiggling.

So, how 'bout you?

[cher3]

I have never worn a girdle. I can't think of a single female of my acquaintance who has worn one since about 1972. I can't even remember the last time I saw one in a store.

[Eve]

Since I hit maddle age and am becoming increasingly Bea Arthuresque, I have become more and more a believer in Foundation Undergarments (indeed, I wholeheartedly hope hats with veils come back into fashion!).

I have been fervently looking for not a girdle, but an old-fashioned corset. Not one of those candy-ass "French maid" things, but a real, working canvas-and-whalebone CORSET. The kind you have to be laced into by Hattie McDaniel.

Sadly, my search has come to naught.

[Shera]

This is going to sound extremely naive, especially coming form a woman, but, what exactly is a girdle?

[Athena]

Originally posted by cher3
I can't even remember the last time I saw one in a store.

They're not called girdles anymore. They're called "shapers". Same thing, though.

The only time I wore anything like this was to a company Christmas party a couple years ago. I bought a very slinky velvet dress, and felt a little, um, fat in it, so I bought a "shaper" from Victoria's Secret. I dunno if it made any difference, but it made ME feel better. It was mainly lycra, no whalebone or anything like that.

[GeorgeBushTheSecond]

I want to tell Shera that a girdle is one of the prime motivating factors behind the women's liberation movement, but Laura tells me I'll get smacked.

I took a girdle off once. Man, it was like trying to crack a brazil nut with a crescent wrench.

[Ethilrist]

Well, not to take any steam out of Eve's preferences, but a girdle is basically a milder form or corset--think of it as an ace bandage for your torso. It compacts everything in and keeps it squished in place so you have a thinner body and there's not so much jiggling going on.

Rumor has it that they are not particularly comfortable; another rumor is that they were driven out of popularity by Coco Chanel when she began designing clothes for women of A Certain Age who no longer had the bodies of 20-year olds; her clothes were soft, flexible (knit) and flattering for the mature woman.

[UrbanChic]

gir·dle (gûrdl)
n.

A belt or sash worn around the waist.

Something that encircles like a belt.

An elasticized, flexible undergarment worn over the waist and hips, especially by women, to give the body a more slender appearance.

A band made around the trunk of a tree by the removal of a strip of bark.

The edge of a cut gem held by the setting.

Anatomy. The pelvic or pectoral girdle.

[GKW]

I read in a history book that this torture device was banned in 1968.

[FairyChatMom]

I wore them eons ago, but I can't remember the last time I forced my buns into one. I have become an advocate of truth in advertising - I am as I present myself, a fan of comfort over appearances.

[Eve]

Ethilrist—Don't even get me started on that Nazi whore Coco Chanel! Not only should she have been hanged as a collaborationist, but SHE'S the one who took curvy, mature women and made them try to look like undernourished teenage boys in the 1920s!

[fish in the sky]

Color me naive, but I had no idea people even wore girdles anymore. Seriously. 22 years on this planet and I've never once heard anyone, anywhere talk about wearing a girdle.

So of course, no, I've never worn one. I like my body to look like actual flesh - curves & jiggles & all - and not like a wooden mannequin.

[porcupine]

Ugh. No.

I don't think they call them girdles anymore. Probably "shapers" or something like that, at least that's what I remember my boobologist friend saying. Ok, she's a fitter for Wacoal, but "boobologist" sounds much more interesting.

[jlzania]

Ah yes, I distinctly remember Mumsy getting ready to go out cica 1962.
First came the girdle, then the really pointy toed high heel shoes, and finally the hair piece which was held in place by a zillion bobby pins. Plaster on the lipstick, pull on the stockings, strap 'em in the torpedo bra.

Thank you Gloria, thank you Betty for saving me from a similar fate.

[Pencepon]

I feel compelled to relate a little object lesson here, even though I am a dedicated lounger and bon-bon eater myself.

My great-aunt Jessie (and she was a great aunt, too!) had worn what she called Foundation Garments for - oh, I'm not sure - probably about sixty years or so, until in the early 1970s when they became pretty scarce on the ground. So she called me up and asked me to drive her to a bigger city where she might be able to locate one, because she was physically unable to go without it! The Foundation Garment completely took over the role of her abdominal muscles, so that she had no muscle tone at all and could barely stand or walk without the external support.

Ohmigosh, this was very scary for me, young as I was at the time. Even if I do nothing else for my muscles, I will let them go free. (On the other hand, tight jeans have a certain chub-compressing quality that is sometimes welcome...)

[Caricci]

My mom used to wear them till the late '60's. I think women used to wear them as commonly as they wore bras. Even women who had nothing to flatten wore them. They had garters on them to hold up stockings.

I have worn a hip slip and a long line bra, but never a girdle.

[romansperson]

I have a couple of the Nancy Ganz thigh slimmers:

http://www.sierrablue.com/nancyganz.html

I like to wear them under nice pants when I dress up - you wear them in place of underwear because they have cotton panties inside. Eliminates VPL and makes my fat butt look about as good as it's ever going to look. And they're not uncomfortable, either. I find pantyhose to be the single most uncomfortable piece of women's clothing in existence today. Especially here in the South when it's 99 degrees and 110% humidity. It's much more comfortable to wear the thigh slimmer with pants and either knee-highs or no hose at all, depending on the shoe.

I don't think I could ever wear an old-fashioned girdle like my mom used to wear. I remember her trying to put the damn thing on - like stuffing 10 pounds of sh*t into a 5 pound bag. And I think the thing was made out of whatever the predecessor to Kevlar was ...

I'm sure she was very glad when they went out of fashion.

[Moirai]

Yes! I have several lyrca undergarments in the drawer right now!

I am not old. I am not fat. I am not obsessed (at least about my shape). I weigh about 115-120 when I'm not pregnant, and I'm 5'2" and 34 years old.

After the birth of my first child, I found that the pleasant little "pooch" on my belly had changed for the bigger. In my more self-critical moments, I thought it looked like I had a fanny pack on front-wise, even when I was naked. Really, I don't look like that, but I am a woman conditioned by my times, sometimes I can't help it.

So I got a couple of pairs of "girdle undies." They compress and shape, and I love them. I don't wear them all the time, but I do wear them.

I also have a shaper teddy with boning that I wear post-partum. Partly because I look skinnier faster and partly because support for those poor, abused abdominals is very good for them while they are recovering.

It ain't false advertising, and it ain't repression. I feel prettier in slinky outfits when I have a little extra support, and so it's great! What matters is how I feel about how I look.

I wear WonderBras too. Is that bad? I love cleavage and might not have a lot otherwise.

[Gala Matrix Fire]

I've gotten the impression that about every woman in America wears a shaper (girdle) under her wedding gown. I've been in stores where they have 'em heaped in a basket for trying on gowns, and also been advised to bring my shaper to the store with me.

Everyone's just willing to go the extra mile when it comes to that special day. Not me though. I wore an ordinary party dress with ordinary undergarments. I have to admit I didn't look very glamorous.

[Breezy]

Today (not everyday) I'm wearing my "granny panties". They are Victoria's Secret underwear with a "pooch guard" in the tummy area. I also have on control top pantie hose, and the control top part of another set of panty hose who lost their legs. haha

Surely that adds up to at least one girdle.

I wear it all when I wear tightish clothing so that my pooch isn't as big.

I weigh about 125-130, and I'm 5'5". I'm not FAT, but I like a little support when I want to look extra thin...

[Guinastasia]

Originally posted by Eve
Since I hit maddle age and am becoming increasingly Bea Arthuresque, I have become more and more a believer in Foundation Undergarments (indeed, I wholeheartedly hope hats with veils come back into fashion!).

I have been fervently looking for not a girdle, but an old-fashioned corset. Not one of those candy-ass "French maid" things, but a real, working canvas-and-whalebone CORSET. The kind you have to be laced into by Hattie McDaniel.

Sadly, my search has come to naught.

You're just not looking in the right places.

http://www.sensibility.com

Ask about corsets and corset making kits (if you can sew-if not, find someone who can).

Also, it is a MYTH that corsets were torturous cages and broke your ribs and made you unable to breath. If worn PROPERLY, it should gently hug your figure, and the stays (whalebone-now plastic), support your back. Corsets can take quite a few inches off, but you have to do what's called waist training-meaning, you start off with it loose, and after a while, tighten it until you get used to it.

Seriously, if you're looking for a real corset-check out the message board at Sense and Sensibility-I post there under my real name, Kathi, and the gals there are VERY helpful. If you're serious, there are links to costumers and seamstresses. I also know of a place where you can order a corset making kit, but I have to ask the woman I'm interning with-we have an exhibit that allows two corsets for try-on. Repros, of course. I've tried them on every time I go in and you would not believe how nice your back feels.

I too am dying to get a corset.

[JavaMaven1]

I occasionally wear girdles. I've got a figure that looks more like I have a beer gut, so for special evenings out, I'll put on a waist shaper to tuck that baby in. It just makes me feel a little better if I'm wearing something clingy.


About corsets, I've made and worn a few in my lifetime. Spending quite a bit of time at Renaissance Faires makes the leap into a tight lace rather easy. Most of the corsets I've made have been for the particular time period, and actually work well with my figure, since I'm terribly short waisted. Honestly, if you really do want a corset, talk to a seamstress that can make one that will fit your body comfortably. A properly fitted corset doesn't cut off your breath nor does it crush you--like Guin said, it's more like a good, snug hug. Also, make sure if you get one, get one with metal boning, not plastic. Plastic warps and breaks with use.

Just one thing... when wearing a corset, don't lie down on your back... you'll end up making an excellent turtle impersonation.

[amarinth]

I'm shortwaisted, so I can't. Especially girdles (or shapers) with boning - the things expect about 2 more inches of body than I actually have, so instead of creating a smooth line, they buckle and create even weirder looking bumps than going without one would.

Luckily, being under 30, it hasn't ever been an actual issue, and only a very few times been a pretend (as in the I want to look thinner for a certain dress) issue.

Also, it is a MYTH that corsets were torturous cages and broke your ribs and made you unable to breath. If worn PROPERLY, it should gently hug your figure, and the stays (whalebone-now plastic), support your back. Corsets can take quite a few inches off, but you have to do what's called waist training-meaning, you start off with it loose, and after a while, tighten it until you get used to it.

Guin, what I've read says that it depends on the type of corset. There were the types that were just gently hugged in someone's figure - and there were the types that would constrict breathing, and that they were very frequently abused.

[medstar]

Like FairyChatMom, I let it all hang out. I just try not to move around too fast; I find that I can hurt people with my flab if I swing around too fast. I never wore girdles, but when I was a waitress during college several years ago, I wore support hose with control top panties. In hot, humid weather it was a job in itself getting this garment on. It felt like a girdle from my ankles to my waist. I'm so glad that I'm a slob now.

[SylverOne]

On occasion, I will break out the tummy-tucking, gut-busting, up-lifting, hip-smoothing Lycra torture device that was so inaccurately labeled "Shaper" and squeeze myself into it. Squeeze being the operative term in that sentence.

B/F loves it because it gives me cleavage.

I love it because it gives my back my pre-baby figure.

But then again, taking it off gives my back my circulation, which is probably more important in the long run.

All in all, it only sees daylight (figuratively speaking) 2 maybe 3 times a year. Otherwise it stays in the back, back, back of the closet.
Out of sight... Out of mind... Out of pain.

Syl

[elfkin477]

The only person I know who has ever admited to wearing one was my great grandmother. Besides hers, I've never seen another. I've always wanted to try one some time, or maybe a corset instead, just to see what it would look like.

[Rysdad]

Originally posted by Caricci
My mom used to wear them till the late '60's. I think women used to wear them as commonly as they wore bras. Even women who had nothing to flatten wore them. They had garters on them to hold up stockings.

I remember my mother wearing a girdle, and she was as skinny as a toothpick.

Weird.

I also remember dating a girl who was wearing a girdle. Or maybe it was body armor. Felt like it, anyway.

[butter pie]

Eve, I had a corset made for me, according to my measurements, at a place called Gallery Serpentine. It was a couple of hundred dollars Aussie (they're in Sydney, I believe, but will ship to the US) but they let you pick the style, fabric, and all other sorts of good options. I chose the hardcore steel boning, and it laced up the front. I could cinch myself from a size 9 down to a size 4 (although I have since slimmed down a bit and wear a 5). You could crack your ribs with it if you wanted to. I'm sure a quick search with Google would find you their web address.

For what it's worth, mine was black satin brocade with a floral pattern, with black lace trim (I obviously wasn't wearing this one /under/ anything). I have a picture of me wearing it before I sold it (don't ask) here if you want to see: http://www.jinwicked.com/temp/corset01.jpg

One thing you should keep in mind about something like this that covers your breasts and hips is that you have absolutely zero bendability in the waist area, so sitting down is kind of awkward until you get used to it. They also take ten-twenty minutes to get into, depending on how much lacing they have and how much you want it cinched in.

[butter pie]

Here, I found the address for you (they didn't used to have their own domain.) They also make all kinds of reproduction, theatrical & gothic clothing and underwear, but you could easily have them make you something more plain that would be suitable for wear underneath everyday stuff.

http://www.galleryserpentine.com.au/

[Creaky]

Sigh!

Yeah, every once in a great while I still wear the same girdle I wore in my finishing school days (don't laugh!) when I was 12-14 years old... when we were all supposed to be sleek and slim and stuff and pay particular attention to looking especially good in what we wore.

This particular evil, itchy little arrangement is essentially a tight, white, spandex and rubber thing that looks like a pair of "boy-leg" bathing suit bottoms. Unlike the stuff my mother wears, it's a "junior" version... and so lacks the extra Killer Presser Panel That Smashes Your Stomach In across the front.

I'll tell you, though, it does give ya a nice smooth finish inside fitted clothing! As to where you'd buy a new girdle, I'm sure you can... maybe from the Sears and Roebuck Catalogue? I'd have to ask my mother.

[romansperson]

JC Penney has some of the more old-fashioned kind of girdles in their catalog, with a few modern improvements (like a side zipper, so you don't have to struggle to get the thing on).

[Guinastasia]

Again, it depends on the type you get. There are so many many many varieties out there.


Some, like the one I want, are very brief, cut under your bust and above your hips. Some are cut longer, and some have shoulder straps, etc etc.


ANY corset can be abused, but when worn correctly, it should not hurt a person.


http://www.costumes.org/pages/corsetlinks.htm

[elfkin477]

Originally posted by Creaky
As to where you'd buy a new girdle, I'm sure you can... maybe from the Sears and Roebuck Catalogue? I'd have to ask my mother.

Since they stopped producing the catologue about 10 years ago, not likely.

[Creaky]

Originally posted by elfkin477
Since they stopped producing the catologue about 10 years ago, not likely.

Wow, did they really? I honestly didn't know that. I guess I'm showing my age!