Celebrities and ordinary women alike are embracing shapewear as a way of looking svelte under eveningwear without having to resort to boring diets or – even worse – plastic surgery.
According to figures from retailers in the US, slimming knickers have made a whopping $720 million (£498 million) there in only the last 12 months.
Celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Katherine Heigl, Jessica Alba and Cate Blanchett are all known to be fans, with the recent Oscar ceremony likely to have been a hive of hidden Spanx pants.
A recent convert is Isla Fisher, currently starring in confessions of a Shopaholic, who described them as “amazing” for holding in any lumpy bits.
Alicia Kawalsky, director of a company which distributes Spanx in Australia, said they are better than the girdles of previous generations, as they are safer and more comfortable.
“It doesn’t feel restrictive. You don’t have the feeling it’s closing in on you,” she remarked.
Slimming pants can take the wearer down a dress size, although anyone shopping for them should not purchase them in too small a size, as they may find them uncomfortable.
Spanx Power Panties and Higher Power varieties are both available on lingerieplease.co.uk.