Plenty of women absolutely swear by them, but would you believe there's a new report going around saying Spanx are hazardous to your health? Yep. Spanx. The shapewear that smooths, sucks, and makes us appear thinner than we actually are.
According to medical professionals, Spanx literally squeeze your organs when you wear them, which can lead to things like acid reflux, heartburn, and can interfere with digestion. Oh, and supposedly shapewear can restrict your breathing too. You know, kind of like back in the olden days when women wore corsets. (Same concept.)
And while I'm not 100 percent convinced that wearing something to suck in your gut and smooth out your cellulite for an evening can really be detrimental to your health -- the uncomfortable picture the possibility of it paints in my head is just one more reason why I probably won't be wearing Spanx anytime soon.
Here's the thing -- I don't even own a pair. Never have. That's right -- I've never worn any sort of shapewear ... not even once. But don't get me wrong, I'm fairly certain my appearance would benefit greatly from it. At 36, I'm no spring chicken anymore and things aren't as tight and toned as they used to be. And while I may not have needed any sort of smoothing and shaping back when I was 25 and a size 2 -- I should probably think about venturing into Spanx territory now.
But something about giving in to shapewear makes me feel like I'm giving up on my body entirely. Like I'm saying, "Oh hell, I'll never be thin again, so I might as well just try and fake it by cramming my ass into this Spandex ... whatever the heck it is."
Then again, as every year passes, gravity and I become bigger and bigger enemies -- so maybe shapewear will eventually find its way into my lingerie drawer. Until now, I think I'll just enjoy being able to breathe in what I wear even if I appear to be a bit on the chubby side.
And at least I won't wind up having to pop Tums after a decent meal.
Do you wear Spanx?
Image via Spanx