Girdles with their advantages and disadvantages have been a beauty tool for women since ancient times who always want to look good, stay presentable and pleasant in the environment where she works; using different tools to achieve their goal among which are makeup, hairstyle, jewellery and other accessories, perfumes, and of course, clothing.
That dynamic and daring woman who does thousands of things at once is a mother, wife, friend, worker and professional; she does everything possible to fulfil her roles without leaving her beauty and presence aside; so she uses elements or accessories in many cases that help her to have that style that favours and makes her slenderer, beautiful and attractive.
Talking about the history of girdles involves going back to 1700 BC when we found their most faithful predecessor known as the corset. This was initially used by the Greek civilization especially on the island of Crete, where the Greek women, trying to stylize their figure, tighten their waist and lift the bust and buttocks, wore these garments on a daily basis. The materials that were generally used were pieces of wool and leather hardened by various methods.
However, it is known that the first garments related to girdles as we know them today come from ancient civilizations called Mykonos or Creck, and that later in the sixteenth century became popular, thanks to an influential, millionaire and powerful family with surname Medicci, who lived during the Renaissance period in Florence, Italy.
Later on at the height of the Industrial Revolution, a process of transformation and evolution of girdles was carried out, and they began to be elaborated in elastic fabrics, generally being fastened with hook zippers, which gave women more comfort, due to which they were previously elaborated with crossing rods that were very uncomfortable.
This is how, for centuries, women have used girdles as a very special tool that has allowed them to wear tight-fitting dresses that make their figures stand out and look slenderer. But these garments have evolved, since between 1920 and 1960, these were elaborated in a rigid way; even the designers of those times resorted to their use to present their collections in models with “wasp waist” and dresses with voluminous skirts, which caused a beautiful effect for that time.
After the 60’s, girdles undergo another change, and it is that they were made with accessories such as pantyhose, made with elastic and thick tape to cover not only the waist but also the upper part of the legs, thus causing an overall visual effect of the figure.
This way, girdles as garments used to mould the figure and make women look slenderer have been evolving little by little, until being placed today as one of the tools mostly used by women and men with the purpose of hiding overweight, to go to the gym, or to wear this dress that no longer fastens and requires a trick to be able to wear it, making that miracle that otherwise would not happen. They are those faithful friends who take women out of trouble, but whose use must be careful not to overdo because of the contraindications that exist in this regard.
Likewise, the designs have also been changing to offer a range of models in different materials, which cover not only the waist, but also the lower part of the abdomen, in order to achieve a more complete moulding of the figure.
It is also important to note that in recent years this exclusive use of the girdles to highlight the figure and look slenderer has been replaced by a less frivolous concept due to the fact that models have been developed to be used in medical treatments, which include the correction of postures, as well as post-surgical and therapeutic treatments.
In this context, we should suggest to women who read us that they become aware of the correct use of girdles, as well as other resources or beauty tools; for example, the abuse of dyes that can cause hair loss, the excess of very high heels that cause back, leg and foot pain. With regard to this, very tight girdles used for long can cause ailments and affections in some parts of the body.
For these reasons, and considering the importance of the subject, next we will explain the advantages and disadvantages of the use of girdles, as well as how they should be used correctly to avoid such affections.
One of the aspects that must be taken into consideration is the fact that the shaping girdles that cause the visual effect of greater slenderness and beauty of the figure do not work to achieve weight reduction as many people believe, since its only objective is the improvement of posture and the moulding of the figure.
At this point, it is important to mention an investigation carried out in the Mayo Clinic, in which it was concluded that the key of girdles is moderation because they do not produce sustainable results over time. Considering these statements, we will explain below the advantages and disadvantages of wearing girdles in a prolonged way.
It should be noted that apart from looking slenderer figures, one of the main advantages of the use of girdles is their contribution to the processes of deep tissue healing after having performed surgical procedures such as a tummy tuck or a liposculpture, for which they are used according to the recommendations of the doctors and during a determined period of approximately one month, the reason why its use should not be prolonged too much because complications can arise later.
On the other hand, these shaping girdles that are special for this type of cases make the adherence of the tissues and the reabsorption of inflammatory and post-surgical fluids easier, avoiding abdominal distension and flaccidity, thus contributing to the reaffirmation of the skin.
From the point of view of beauty, shaping girdles are beneficial for occasions such as parties, meetings and / or those ones when you need to look splendid, so this garment will help you to lift your bust, hide those little rolls or extra pounds, also reducing the abdomen, which is a latent concern of most women, especially when the model of the outfit that will be worn requires an abdomen as flat as possible.
Now, just as we talk about the advantages, we must describe the disadvantages of the prolonged use of these garments, since a body exposed to very strong adjustments can suffer from respiratory diseases, constipation and weakening of the muscles.
Another disadvantage of the prolonged use of girdles is that the pressure of the belt around the waist is prone to cause a gradual increase in gastric reflux, which causes constant acidity, which in turn can cause other major problems associated with the digestive system.
On the other hand, if the person suffers from gastrointestinal problems, irritable bowel or food intolerance, the level of constriction of the girdle for a long time may worsen his situation, and if the garment causes a very high pressure, it may cause a condition called paresthetic meralgia, which occurs in the nerves of the thighs and manifests itself through numbness and tingling, as well as burning pains on the outside of the thigh, which can hinder the mobility of the person over time.
Another disadvantage of the prolonged use of these shaping girdles is that they usually worsen the appearance of varicose veins, which is uncomfortable, painful and negative for appearance for most women, thus causing an example contrary to what every woman wants, as it is to look splendid; so it is advisable to regulate the use of these garments, wearing them only on very special occasions and not very often. Don’t you think that it is better to undergo an adequate diet, exercise and not to expose your bodies to harmful and unhealthy effects?
If your girdle is made of synthetic fabric, it can cause a rash or even an infection. From what we have said, it is obvious that the disadvantages are more than the advantages, and we continue to enunciate them. For example, the elastic fabrics which shaping girdles are made with generally trap moisture, so the sweat produced when it is used for prolonged periods could cause skin infections and abscesses, in addition to the abdominal muscles have very little activity and therefore, they lose their elasticity.
Likewise, the intra-abdominal pressure of these shaping girdles could cause incontinence problems, causing in turn compression of the nerves that cause very strong pain and the appearance of an affection called “tight pants syndrome”.
Another example that we should highlight is the tight-fitting girdles that are worn to go to the gym, which are worn with the purpose of burning fat in the abdomen through exercise routines and an adequate diet as complement, which can bring very satisfactory results. However, you must be very careful because when training with this type of girdle, you can acquire inappropriate postures that cause pain, discomfort and muscle weakness.
Therefore, it is not a matter of not wearing girdles that help us so much to obtain that image we want, but not tightening them very much, since it is preferable to achieve the effect halfway than to suffer later from ailments and conditions that could put health at risk; it is better to look a little plumper and healthy than to look slenderer but with ailments. On the other hand, the frequency in the use of girdles is crucial because you could be causing an irreparable damage to your body by wearing them daily. So think very well when wearing this type of trick to look more beautiful.
ALFA