# Do women still wear girdles? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 16, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035 "2006-05-16T22:54:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RCGDC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@RCGDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RCGDC)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/1 "2006-05-16T22:54:02Z")
Do women still wear girdles? When I was growing up in the 70s I would see ads for them. I don’t see it now. But do they still wear girdles and just not talk about it. Or has something else replaced the girdles? ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/2 "2006-05-16T22:57:57Z")
I would say that most women don’t wear girdles as a matter of course, but that there are some who have worn a girdle to make the lines of an outfit flow right for a special occaision. I know I have before, and you can still [buy](http://shopping.yahoo.com/search;_ylc=X3oDMTFncmo3bG5vBF9HA2dsb2JhbF9ncm91cARfUwMyNzE2MTQ5BHNlYwNzZWFyY2gEc2xrA2J1dHRvbg--?p=girdle&fr=FP-tab-prod-t-t400&toggle=1&cop=&ei=UTF-8) them at various places, including Wal-Mart. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/3 "2006-05-16T22:58:40Z")
yes, but they’re called [“shapewear”](http://www.makemeheal.com/mmh/product/shapewear/index.vm;jsessionid=AB59DFE75CA27862805B7ACA0A715AF1?procid=30) or “body shapers” now. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/4 "2006-05-16T23:02:32Z")
They still have them. You don’t see them advertized as much because they mostly go under other names like the Shapewear **WhyNot** mentioned (which I notice is also a google ad in this thread). In addition, you see “tummy control” features built into more normal looking underwear eliminating the need for an actual girdle. This thread brings back memories from my childhood of a company that had a line of girdles where you could choose to have a “shapely” rear end or a “flat” rear end. I used to laugh like crazy at those ads! ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/5 "2006-05-17T00:12:59Z")
Not the women I see in the Shop Rite, _that’s_ for damn sure. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/6 "2006-05-17T01:24:54Z")
In some ways, it could be a generational thing. I have known some women who wear girdles, but they tend to be older than the population as a whole. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/7 "2006-05-17T01:26:05Z")
> [@RCGDC](#): > > Do women still wear girdles? When I was growing up in the 70s I would see ads for them. I don’t see it now. But do they still wear girdles and just not talk about it. Or has something else replaced the girdles? Not a girdle in the sense of those paneled jobs I remember my mom struggling into in the late 60s. I wear Spanx, which are _the_ greatest shapwear on the planet. Their “Higher Power” panty would hold back the Hoover Dam. If they repaired the levees in NO with Spanx, they’d never have another problem. After losing 152 pounds (and waiting on reconstructive surgery next year), I had to find _someplace_ to put the … “stuff”, and Spanx are it. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/8 "2006-05-17T04:18:23Z")
To a certain extent girdles did double duty, as body control, and as garter holders. So those of us who grew up with panty hose didn’t use them as much. And then, too, those of us who grew up in the era of jeans didn’t learn to wear them all the time, either. The six years between my older sister and me were like a whole generation. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/9 "2006-05-17T04:44:27Z")
> [@MaddyStrut](#): > > They still have them. You don’t see them advertized as much because they mostly go under other names like the Shapewear **WhyNot** mentioned (which I notice is also a google ad in this thread). In addition, you see “tummy control” features built into more normal looking underwear eliminating the need for an actual girdle. > > This thread brings back memories from my childhood of a company that had a line of girdles where you could choose to have a “shapely” rear end or a “flat” rear end. I used to laugh like crazy at those ads! The old style girdles used to be made with rather non-stretchy material, and the wearer simply did her (or his) best to stuff all flesh into the garment. Many of these girdles had no crotch. Often, they had side zippers to help the wearer get into them. Once upon a time, no proper lady would consider herself fully dressed unless her outfit included a girdle. Those suckers (the girdles, not the ladies, mostly) were SCARY. The newer style girdles are made of a soft, stretchy material. The goal of these garments is to lightly compress the flesh, smooth the body outline, and control the jiggle factor. These garments are comfortable enough to easily wear every day. When I was working at a women’s clothing shop, we occasionally sold some of these items to men who had to stand all day at work, they’re very good for the back. I wore them every day. We called them shapers or control panties. They still sell the “curve enhancing” girdles. I have no idea who buys them, though. Tip: wear the girdle/control panty OVER the pantyhose, it will prevent the crotch of the pantyhose from creeping down. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/10 "2006-05-17T05:01:04Z")
My mother was a packrat, and saved some of the most interesting things. When she passed away, one of the most uncomfortable things I have ever done was going through her dresser drawers. Girdles? I swear this woman had things that had **stays** in them. I will never understand… Some of that shit had to hurt. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/11 "2006-05-17T05:11:33Z")
> [@Snakescatlady](#): > > My mother was a packrat, and saved some of the most interesting things. When she passed away, one of the most uncomfortable things I have ever done was going through her dresser drawers. > > Girdles? I swear this woman had things that had **stays** in them. I will never understand… Some of that shit had to hurt. My Grandma Bodoni used to wear girdles with stays in them. She was famous in the family for reaching her limit, and taking out her stays, no matter where she was. One of my Aunt Bodonis used to take her bra off once she got home…she just didn’t take her top off to do it. She’d slide the shoulder straps down out of her sleeves, slide her arms out of the straps, unhook her bra, reach into the front of her top, and pull out the bra. ---
**Author:** ![mrklutz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@mrklutz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrklutz)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/12 "2006-05-17T14:02:59Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > One of my Aunt Bodonis used to take her bra off once she got home…she just didn’t take her top off to do it. She’d slide the shoulder straps down out of her sleeves, slide her arms out of the straps, unhook her bra, reach into the front of her top, and pull out the bra. I’ve seen feats like this before, from a number of women. It makes me wonder if women in the audience watching Houdini thought, “So what? Yeah, he’s hanging upside down in a straitjacket and he can get out. But can he take a bra off without undoing the straitjacket first?” ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/13 "2006-05-17T14:12:34Z")
Removing a bra without taking your top off isn’t hard to do at all. I do it all the time. However, I do it in private. It’s a little scary to think about Aunt Bodoni doing it in sight of Niece Bodoni. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/14 "2006-05-17T14:15:16Z")
In damn close to 40 years of wearing a bra, I have never done that particular trick. It seems like way more trouble than it’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/15 "2006-05-17T14:26:30Z")
Pepper Mill does this trick all the time. It never ceases to amaze me (although it’s really the same topological trick as “Taking Your Vest Off Without Removing your Jacket”, which mathematicans used to do, and you can find in the old Time/Life book “Mathematics”. They don’t seem to do it anymore. Probably don’t want to brin g up the similarity to a bra. And people don’t wear vests as much.) It showed up in the syndicated comic strip **Rhymes with Orange** as one of the great Women’s Tricks. **Lynn Bodoni** wtites: > [@](#): > > The newer style girdles are made of a soft, stretchy material. The goal of these garments is to lightly compress the flesh, smooth the body outline, and control the jiggle factor. Some of us _like_ the “jiggle factor” [B[Veuve\*\* writes: > [@](#): > > I wear Spanx, which are _the_ greatest shapwear on the planet. Whoever named those is asking for trouble… ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/16 "2006-05-17T14:54:30Z")
In old movies, I’ve heard references to something called a snood. What is that? From the context, I’ve gleaned that it was some sort of ladies’ undergarment or accessory. And I’d like to say hooray for shapewear, especially the aforementioned Spanx. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/17 "2006-05-17T14:56:01Z")
I think there’s probably more choice in the Strap-all-my-flab-in garment than ever before. There are bras, panties, shorts, traditional girdles, waist cinchers, bottom lifters, pantyhose, camisoles, slips, “body tubes” and all sorts. Thank good ness for Lycra. See, a seemingly endless [choice](http://www.figleaves.com/uk/nsf/qwiseranswered.asp?page=4&searchhandle_rhs=DADBDADHDADADDDGDHDGDBGCGBDCDDGDCNDJGCDCDICNDEDGDGDJCNGCDJDEDICNDHGFDEDCGCDADDGCDADJDGGDDADADADBDDDADADADJHDGIGBHAGFHHGFGBHCDADADADEDADADADADADADADBDFDADADADBDADADADADADADADADADADADADBDADADADADJHDGIGBHAGFHHGFGBHCDADADADBDB&sort_order_rhs=&sortorderrequested=&originalquery=Shapewear&size=&spellercorrections=&colouranswerselected=&hd=&match=&fid=&sort_order=1&selectpagesize=12) of underwear to control your unwanted podge! ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/18 "2006-05-17T14:58:24Z")
Sorry for the double post. **cbawlmer** , a [snood](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snood_%28headgear%29) is a type of headscarf. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/19 "2006-05-17T15:00:29Z")
A snood was a type of hairnet, sometimes crocheted, and sometimes made of fabric. Sites like [tznius.com](http://tznius.com) sell them. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035/20 "2006-05-17T15:06:52Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > It showed up in the syndicated comic strip **Rhymes with Orange** as one of the great Women’s Tricks. Not to mention one of the first ‘Friends’ episodes. > [@](#): > > Not that big a deal? It’s amazing. Ok, you just reach in there, there’s one little maneuver, and bam, a bra right out the sleeve. All right, as far as I’m concerned, there is nothing a guy can do that even comes close. Am I right? (which then touched off an argument about whether men or women were ‘privileged’ with the ability to do more incredible things.) IIRC, Helen Hunt also did it onscreen in ‘mad about you.’ Sounds like someone running Must-see-NBC was obsessed with the idea. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-still-wear-girdles/357035.md?page=2)