As early as the 16th century, women wore corsets to flirt with their bodies. The panty girdle, on the other hand, only celebrated its big breakthrough in the 20th century as a more comfortable alternative to the classic girdle. In principle, shapewear is actually the same and means: figure-shaping underwear. However, the term is associated with a new fashion trend that is said to have replaced the staid corsetry. Even if, strictly speaking, both trends deal with the same topic: hiding unwanted spots and dents. And that doesn’t just apply to women. It was only a matter of time before men’s shapewear hit the market. You can find out everything you need to know about the abdominal undershirts here in advance.

Figure-shaping underwear for men has the advantage that it has a high compression effect – especially in the stomach area. This makes it easy to cheat off a few pounds, so that your stomach automatically looks tighter and narrower. Nevertheless, the purchase also entails some risks that you should know in advance in order to avoid a bad purchase or health consequences:

1. The shapewear is designed to make the body look slimmer. However, that doesn’t mean that if you buy a smaller size, you’ll look even thinner. However, a size that is too small can irritate the skin and put uncomfortable pressure on your body. For this reason, you should go for your usual size – the shaping effect also occurs here.

2. Depending on the manufacturer, there are also shapewear for men with different levels of shaping. This means: The higher the level, the less elastic the material is – and the greater the figure-shaping effect. If you don’t want to constrict your stomach too much, go for a low or medium setting. The highest level is only for true fashion professionals.

3. To ensure that the figure-shaping underwear does not lose its shape, the material must be gently cleaned. Wash the shapewear in the machine at a maximum of 30 degrees Celsius and it is best not to use fabric softener – it makes the fabric softer and the figure-shaping character can quickly be lost.

4. You can wear the figure-shaping undershirt during sports or in your free time without having to pull a t-shirt over it. The fine-meshed fabric makes shapewear breathable, so moisture is transported away from the body more quickly without making you sweat. The smooth seams ensure a high level of comfort.

Another important note: If you suffer from circulatory disorders, a vascular disease (e.g. thrombosis) or respiratory problems, wearing shapewear is not recommended. The tight-fitting material may make you uncomfortable or sweat profusely. In any case, it is not advisable to wear a figure-shaping undershirt.

This article contains so-called affiliate links. There is more information here.