As someone who has worked in fashion magazines and consumed a lot of fashion and beauty content, I’ve always been surrounded by images of skinny models. It didn’t matter to me at that time, because I’d always been thin growing up and easily fit into UK size 8 clothes. However, by the time I hit 25, I was diagnosed with PCOS, which left me gaining weight that I was unable to shake off. I soon had bigger thighs and my once-flat stomach suddenly became poochy. That’s when I decided to get shapewear.
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It was the noughties and curvy women in the public eye were few. It was also the era of Spanx, the revolutionary shapewear product that made your stomach look flatter and your thighs smaller. Celebs were flocking to get one.
Copycats soon emerged and I soon found myself buying a waist corset, and a tummy tucker to ensure that I looked thinner. It left marks on my skin, peeing was a pain and I could barely breathe. But I didn’t care; I felt skinny and looked like my old self in my Zara dresses. Every trip abroad, I would get my hands on some sort of shapewear. Nude-coloured seamless underwear? Check. Thigh-controller underwear in black? Check.
Even on my own wedding day, I wore one, stopping liquids at 12 p.m. so I wouldn’t have to remove that painful tummy tucker to go to the loo with a veil. Thank god Christian weddings just last for a few hours.
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However, as my waistline increased and my body changed post pregnancy, the world also changed. Beyoncé introduced us to the word ‘FUPA’ and we soon started seeing the likes of Ashley Graham and Shikha Tilsania unapologetically strut their stuff. If these women could be proud of their bodies, be proud of their bigger butt and stomach, why couldn’t I?
Owing to my postpartum body, I couldn’t wear shapewear and frankly, I was tired of it. After a very long time, I was okay with how my body looked. I didn’t mind that my poochy belly was noticeable while wearing a dress. After all, that tummy housed my son, and that FUPA will always be regarded with much pride.
Credit: Instagram/savangexfenty
In the past few years, we’ve seen brands really cater to being more inclusive. Instead of the thin Victoria’s Secret models, we have Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty showing us diverse body types. The recently concluded Milan and Paris Fashion weeks had more plus sized models than before. The world is becoming more accepting of natural, real bodies and it’s time we did too.
Photo credit: lead: Pexels, social Instagram/skims, iStock
