THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 3, 1994 TAG: 9411020073
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MONIQUE WILLIAMS, SPECIAL TO THE DAILY BREAK
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
WANT TO KNOW the latest method to tone your hips without having to hear that giant sucking sound?
Run to your favorite department store and ask for it by name.
Thigh Tamer. Tummy Terminator. Waist Nipper.
It's the latest weapon in the war against gravity and vanity: Undergarments made to minimize what you already have or maximize what you don't have.
Invented by a misogynist who thinks that blood deprivation is a small price to pay for beauty, these torturing and tormenting devices are back in style now that the curvaceous silhouette is in.
``As curvy silhouettes and fitted fashions make a comeback, women will turn to under fashions enhanced with Lycra brand to minimize figure challenges,'' says Joan Persic, vice president of marketing for Vanity Fair.
Thighs too heavy? Try a body shaper. Too little fanny? Get a butt booster for a teensy-weensy lift.
Whatever their names - don't kid me - they are no more than good old-fashioned girdles, the kind everybody's mother used to wear.
Not so, say the cognoscenti.
``The magic is in the fabric,'' says Kathy Smith, segment manager for intimate apparel at DuPont. ``The new body shapers are made of high-tech fabrics with Lycra brand spandex, which works wonders to shape and sculpt the figure but are lightweight and move with the body.''
Body shapers, they say, are made for the woman who is body conscious and self-assured.
And the principal purchasers of these garments are the baby boomers - the same ones who burned their bras during the 60's and who are now realizing that they can no longer afford the luxury of going without one.
``There is an enormous market for fashionable shape wear with the aging baby-boomer customer,'' says Smith. ``This customer is looking for an ally in her intimate apparel - a garment with beautiful styling and body toning support.''
Shape-wear manufacturers report sales increases of 50 percent to 200 percent over last year.
To be sure, the overweight woman will not look thinner by wearing a body shaper, but for the average woman, body shapers can give the illusion of being toned.
Here's a glossary of styles that will shape, sculpt, define, control, flatten, reduce, enhance and support your top, middle and bottom:
Tummy Terminator: with this terminator, cellulite remains in a French dictionary.
Thigh Tamer: the cyclist's shorts.
Body Reformer: the all-in-one body weapon.
Waist Nipper: Victoria doesn't have any secrets anymore.
Cleavage-Enhancing Bra: as in Wonderbra - the mother of all bras.
Butt Booster: what you see isn't always what you get. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
The Waist Nipper is modeled after the classical corset. Made of a
blend of nylon and Lycra, the garment sculpts the waistline.
by CNB