How does your underwear make you feel?
Underwear is a key ingredient to our everyday wardrobe, and it can help to change how we feel wearing an outfit. Sexy undwear gives us an increased feeling of confidence.
But it seems that we're getting our knickers into a twist when it comes to purchasing our smalls.
According to new research from online retailer isme.com, three quarters of British women say they struggle to find the right pieces for their shape, and one in eight report finding shopping for lingerie more stressful than childbirth.
Women rated undwear shopping as more stressful than public speaking, jumping out of a plane and even being trapped in a room with a snake. I know which I'd prefer to do.
A staggering 80 per cent said that they find shopping for undergarments traumatic, with more than half of women willing to put up with ill-fitting bras if it means they can steer clear of the lingerie department all together.
The top underwear issues caused by ill fitting bras include ‘the squoobs’ (squashed boobs) as seen on Christina Hendricks, suffered by 41 per cent of women. 28 per cent of women admit to sporting the Madonna-esque cone effect. While 24 per cent report balconette styles causing a ‘ledge’ underneath tops.
And it’s not just bras causing havoc. It seems knickers and shapewear are just as bad, with 60 per cent of women suffering ‘overhang’ around the midriff and 22 per cent modelling a far from desirable VSL (visible shapewear lines) undoing all the good of wearing it in the first place. More than a third reported that wearing shapewear was so tight that they struggle to get it off and have difficulty breathing when wearing it.
The survey also found that ill-fitting underwear makes one in four feel unhappy and insecure, and a third of women said unflattering underwear makes them feel fatter than they actually are. A further 58 per cent admitted they constantly feel embarrassed and uncomfortable wearing ill-fitting under garments which has a negative impact on their day.
Three quarters admit to not being sure about how to choose the right underwear for their shape, with 62 per cent saying the wrong underwear stops them from wearing a particular outfit. 95 per cent of women admitted to wishing they knew more about choosing the right shape underwear so that they could get the right fit.
Commenting on the survey Ruth Start, Brand Manager at isme.com said: “Far from being the sex who can’t get enough of retail therapy, it seems many women dislike splashing out on lingerie and some even find it quite stressful. It appears they would rather avoid buying underwear altogether and instead put up with ‘the squoob’, overspill and other annoyances.
“Most women tend to think that it’s accessories that make a difference – and while they do ‘complete’ a look, it is underwear which is the real key. Get the right underwear to suit your body shape and its will make a real difference to how you feel, the silhouette you create, and the clothes you try on.”