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Base garments, such as corsets, bras, and Spanx, are worn to change one’s shape and showcase the figure to its best advantage. They have evolved over time, with modern versions being lighter and more comfortable. However, some women still prefer more restrictive garments to achieve the ideal shape. Ultimately, the choice to wear undergarments or not is a matter of personal preference.
When Miss Scarlett instructs Mammy to tighten her corset strings tighter in Gone with the Wind, she essentially wears a base garment, the corset, to achieve the smallest waist in the county. Base garments of many kinds are worn to change one’s shape so that the clothing worn over them showcases the figure to its best advantage. They can range from the highly restrictive corset to simple bras, girdles, or support garments like the popular Spanx.
Base garments, which may alternatively be called girdles, have undergone many changes over the centuries, but all provide a foundation for the body, upon which clothing is built. They are by no means miracle workers. If you wear a size 14, a girdle will not make you wear a size 2, no matter how much you would like it to achieve that effect. But some undergarments can slightly flatten the waist, make the thigh or buttocks appear lifted or smoother, and of course lift the breasts, making them appear supported and smaller or larger.
Some typical base garments you can find today include the following:
Jumpsuits: Typically long-sleeved garments that have a quick inseam. These may contain some stretch but provide minimal support.
Shapewear – Long and short legged undergarments that usually have panels to hold up the stomach, lift the rear, and make the upper thighs a bit smaller. These can fit slightly above the waist to minimize love handles.
Body Briefers or All in Ones: similar to a jumpsuit but without sleeves. They typically feature a cup bra, are underwired, may have boning, a quick crotch, and stretch or lycra panels to pull in the buttocks, tummy, and waist. Body briefs may feature a boyish short leg or a typical full undergarment leg.
Bras: of any type, made to provide at least some lift to the breasts, and also some stability.
Control Undergarment – Similar to the girdle, but stop at the top of the leg instead of covering the legs.
Control Panel Nylons: Nylons with a Lycra panel that helps keep your tummy in. Spanx is built on this same principle but hits above the waist by an inch or two, and features no feet, ending just above the knee.
Some base garments are uncomfortable, while others, when properly fitted, are enjoyed by women as a means of concealing what they consider to be figure flaws. In general, the trends in foundation garments have moved away from highly restrictive garments like everyone’s, towards much more minimal garments like Spanx or control top underwear because they are lighter and more comfortable to wear.
On the other hand, building support into women’s bras can still be quite restrictive, and the current “look” many women want to achieve is gravity defying. Bras like the Wonderbra were celebrated for providing cleavage where very little existed. For women with large breasts, achieving adequate support can only be achieved through the underwire, which, depending on the bra, can be uncomfortable.
In all cases, the basic garments tend to move the female towards the figure that she considers ideal. In every generation, there are people who want nothing to do with the ideal shape. From the 1920s flappers that eschewed restrictive base garments, the 1970s bra burners, and the modern young woman who can laugh at corsets, deciding what the “ideal” shape really is, is a matter of of opinion. Some women prefer to be seen in more natural light, preferring not to wear undergarments or undergarments of any kind and others wear minimal undergarments. Yet others would not feel properly dressed without an all-in-one iron lining supporting their form.
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