The pants that really do take back control: As Katy Perry bares her shapewear, LIZ JONES celebrates the unveiling of so many women’s guilty secret
- Liz Jones says spandex pants were for many years a woman’s guilty secret
- She loves the photo Katy Perry, 36, shared of herself wearing shapewear
- She says picture is needed to silence glimpses of celebs who lost baby weight
How much do I love this photo of Katy Perry, who gave birth to her daughter, Daisy Dove, just over three months ago?
The image, taken to offset the one taken moments earlier of the pop star strutting her stuff in killer heels and a blue trench coat, is set to be as iconic as the photo of Marilyn Monroe standing over a subway grate, in my view.
The worm has turned. No more pretending to be what I’m not. No more shaming of women who just aren’t trying hard enough. This is a real body, a postpartum body, a fulfilled body, a loved body. Deal with it. And it’s a body that proudly, and unashamedly, relies on ‘shapewear’.
Who hasn’t got a pair of these enormous nylon and spandex pants tucked away at the back of their underwear drawer? They were, for many years, a woman’s guilty secret, never, ever to be pegged publicly on the washing line, or revealed in the early stages of a relationship.
Liz Jones believes Katy Perry’s photo wearing shapewear (pictured) is what we need to silence the wail that goes up every time we glimpse a celebrity who has lost their baby weight
They tucked her in, smoothed her bumps, and allowed her to enjoy a party without having to concentrate on holding her tummy in all evening. But the first rule of the control pants club? Never talk about control pants.
Now, however, no one’s ashamed. Everyone from Princess Beatrice and Zara Tindall to Jennifer Lopez and Amanda Holden has been spotted with a telltale little band of heavy-duty elastic peeking out from under their clothes. They all need a little help, too.
The shapewear industry is enormous — big knickers are very, very big business. Some analysts predict the industry will be worth around £4 billion, globally, by 2022.
When Kim Kardashian West launched her shapewear brand, Skims, in September 2019, it sold out within minutes of going live. The collection offers new designs such as asymmetric sculpting shorts, which can be worn under high-slit skirts.
Most of the brand’s pieces, which all retail for under $100 (£75), sold out as fast as they hit the shelves again when they became available in Selfridges in October.
She was riding the tide of brand leader Spanx, which launched 22 years ago. It was founded by an American saleswoman, Sara Blakely, who hacked a pair of tights into shorts to give her a smooth bottom while wearing white trousers and became the saviour of women everywhere.
Kim Kardashian West’s (pictured) shapewear brand Skims, sold out within minutes when it went live in September 2019
Today, she is said to be worth more than £400 million. Now, there’s controlwear for just about every part of your body: arms, legs, bellies, bottoms, boobs. Everything can be hoiked up and held in place for hours.
I’m reminded of the moment nearly 20 years ago when Renee Zellweger, as Bridget Jones, struggled to compress her dimpled flesh into her frankly enormous pants at the very first screening. Every woman in the audience stood up and cheered. We felt buoyed, vindicated, seen, absolved. We were good enough. We weren’t alone. We wore those things too.
Isn’t this picture of Katy Perry just what we need to silence the wail that goes up every time we glimpse yet another cadaverous celebrity who has lost the baby weight? Or see a 60-something posing in a bikini?
But here, the scales fall from our eyes and we can see exactly how she’s ‘done it’.
And isn’t this photograph of the 36-year-old pop star, whose almost cartoonish, perfect image has until now been as important as her music, so much more heartening than a celebrity boasting they got their figure back by being beaten over the head with a stick by a personal trainer?
Liz said there’s something reassuring about controlwear and she can’t wait to see what Katy (pictured) does next
The idea that women’s bodies need no help from undergarments is a fairly recent one. Flick through Vogues from the 1950s and 1960s and there are numerous adverts for girdles and corsets. Unfortunately, the fashion for a boyish figure coincided with the boom in cheap, ready-to-wear clothes that got rid of darts, facing, even lining, which had helped tame wobbly bits.
When I was a stocky 11-year-old, I tried on my grandmother’s chemise. I couldn’t do it up, made as it was for an 18 in waist. I had no idea she only achieved that by wearing a corset, which were mass-produced by the turn of the century. This is why I spent the next 30 years on a diet. If only Katy Perry and her giant pants had been around then.
There’s something reassuring about controlwear. Posture is improved. Clothes fit better, even if you’re a size 10. If your skirt is lifted in a strong wind, no one sees your kidneys. You feel pulled together. Strong. I can’t wait to see what Katy does next.
So which would flatter your wobbly bits?
TRIUMPH: The beautiful designs are stocked at retailers including John Lewis. This True Shape Sensation bodysuit has a seamless finish
triumph.com
SKIMS: Kim Kardashian West’s brand’s range features bodysuits. The sculpting body smooths and shapes chest and tummy and enhances your bum
selfridges.com
COMMANDO:Seamless style favoured by celebrities
matchesfashion.com
HEIST: A second supportive layer applies clever compression
heist-studios.com
WACOAL: The Beyond Naked collection is perfect for every day. The shaping dress is designed to smooth
wacoallingerie.com
MAIDENFORM: Designed to shape and smooth, this bodysuit combines control and comfort for everyday wear
zalando.co.uk
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