Spanx, is it worth the pain? My personal experience

I tried Spanx for the first time this summer. I wouldn't usually spend so much on an item like Spanx but I purchased it for my wedding day. It did smooth out my silhouette and like promised there's no panty lines but wow was it uncomfortable after wearing it for several hours. After watching the Spanx  infomercial on TV I got the impression that Spanx were very comfortable and that you can wear them anywhere. I think not!

It was hard to figure out which size to buy, and I even received sizing advice from the Spanx sales lady. On the day of the wedding they kept rolling down and I'd have to run off somewhere to and go pull them back up again. Getting them off and on was difficult to say the least, and I wouldn't plan on going to the washroom without some help if you don't want to break every one of your nails trying to pull them back on again.

I believe that the problems I experienced were because I purchased the wrong size (which is why they were so uncomfortable). If your weight falls right in the middle of two sizes (like mine did) I would recommend going to the larger size so you're sure to get a comfortable fit.

Oprah Winfrey absolutely loves Spanx and so do many of her guests. I'm not sure it it's true or not but I recently read somewhere that actress Gwyneth Paltrow doubles up on Spanx (that she wears 2 at the same time) to get an even more slimming effect. Hey, if you can actually breathe like that, then why not. But I personally prefer comfort over beauty (sad, I know).

I would recommend Spanx because they do work but they are best worn for a few hours at a time because you're not going to be completely comfortable. For a very long special event you might be better off with your control top pantyhose. But if you want to look ten pounds thinner for a night out on the town or that school reunion Spanx will do the trick, and the greatest part about Spanx is how they smooth out your silhouette (that's right, they hide those fat rolls).

Comments

[Charlotte]

I find that women are all over the map when it comes to Spanx. I love them and wear them all the time. My sister hates them and only wears them when she absolutely has to. It all depends, I think, on how a particular woman responds to the way they hold you in. I do feel "girdled" by Spanx, but comfortably. I feel a kind of relief when I take them off, but I forget about them in the course of the day. And the slight discomfort of that girdle feeling is more than made up for by the improvement in the way I look in my dresses and skirts. All I can say is: To each her own!