This shaping underwear from Uniqlo is better than a diet and only costs 990 yen

Who needs to lose weight when shapewear can do the work for you?

Let’s be honest–body positivity is a great thing, but it’s not always possible for everyone, and when you’re unhappy with the way you look, it’s hard to feel happy in general. But there are lots of little things you can do to make yourself feel better, like putting on makeup, wearing flattering clothing, or getting a nice haircut. For our Japanese-language reporter Mariko Ohanabatake, Uniqlo’s affordable shapewear might be that thing.

Mariko doesn’t have much experience with shapewear because, for one, it’s generally very expensive, and for another, it generally looks kind of old maid-ish, making her feel like she’s older than she is. That’s why Uniqlo’s shapewear, which sells for the affordable price of 990 yen (US$7.86), was the perfect introductory shapewear for her.

It’s called Aerism Body Shaper, part of Uniqlo’s breathable summer line of casual wear, accessories, and underclothing. Altogether there are four kinds of Aerism Body Shapers, which are sold in the underwear section. One is a tank top (which comes without cups), which Mariko was able to get for a sale price of 790 yen.

It works to tighten around the waist while keeping the bust from being compressed. It maintains a light comfortableness while also making you look more slender. Even though it looks like an ordinary tank top, it really squeezes you in when you put it on.

The “Smooth” shorts work to tighten the lower belly area and mold your booty and hips to give your body lines a more shapely look.

The waist is made of mesh and the hems are flat to keep them from revealing any panty lines underneath clothing, so no one would know you’re wearing them.

The “Support” shorts secure the abdomen area tightly, making your body look beautifully curvy. It’s much more effective at tightening the belly than the “Smooth” variety, but sometimes that results in the waistband digging into the belly.

The leggings, which Mariko also got for the sale price of 790 yen, work to shape the legs. They have a gradual compression up the leg to make them nice and shapely.

Each product sounded great to Mariko, and they all sold for less than 1,000 yen each! What a deal. But it also makes you wonder if they really do what they claim to do, so Mariko decided to brave showing herself on the Internet to show how they really work.

“Right now,” she said, “I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been.” She says it’s so bad that one time when she wore a dress to meet a friend she hadn’t seen in a while, her friend congratulated her on a pregnancy that didn’t exist. Needless to say, that was pretty awkward.

But with the Uniqlo shapewear, her body lines changed quite a lot. Take a look at the before and after images, which show Mariko without shapewear (before) and with the tank top and smooth shorts (after).

At first glance, it might not look like much changed, but if you look carefully, the shapewear underneath the dress made it fit Mariko quite a bit more nicely. The area around the hips, especially, had a nice silhouette, and the dress even seemed to fit higher on the waist.

The difference is more visible from the side; her stomach looks much flatter when she’s wearing the shapewear. You might be inclined to say, “That’s just because her posture is different!” And you might be right, but that’s thanks to the shapewear too. The tank top has such powerful compression on the muscles of the back that it made Mariko’s spine straighten. As Mariko has a tendency to slouch, which makes her look much older from behind, she was appreciative of this unexpected side effect.

Next, Mariko tried the tank top and support shorts with a pair of skinny jeans and a T-shirt. The difference here was even more clear. The area around the stomach looked much flatter, which was enough for Mariko, but the shorts also gave her booty a nice lift, which she also appreciated.

From the back, her bottom also looked a bit smaller than it did without shapewear, possibly owing to the fact that the shapewear distributed the flesh a bit more evenly. It certainly made her look a bit slimmer.

Each of these items made her look as if she’d lost about two kilograms (4.4 pounds), and since they each cost less than 1,000 yen, Mariko thinks they were well worth the price. If she had to come up with some kind of downside, she’d say that wearing the shorts every day might cause strain on the organs, since they compress the abdomen area so thoroughly. That and they’re very likely to stretch out in the wash over time. But since they only cost 1,000 yen, they’re easy to replace. You can’t deny the cost performance of this shapewear.

We should have known, really, because Uniqlo’s undergarments are generally well worth the reasonable price they charge. They also have great thermal underwear, which even holds up on a motorbike ride in the winter!

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