Is shapewear really worth the hype?

It’s a multi-billion pound industry with celeb fans – including Bridget Jones – but…

- FRANCES LEATE

NO

‘We should love our bodies the way they are’

Jacynth Bassett, 27, lives in south London and is the founder of the-bias-cut.com, an independent, designer online boutique. Wriggling around uncomfortably, I tugged at the Lycra shapewear under my skirt as it pinched my skin and squeezed my body uncomfortably. ‘I must look ridiculous,’ I thought, longing to slip off to the ladies and peel off the skin-coloured bodysuit I was wearing under my evening dress.

I was at a glamorous work event I’d been looking forward to, and I’d worn the body shapewear, with built-in bra and stretching down to my thighs, in the hope of hiding lumps and bumps.