When it comes to fashion, men don’t self-harm the way women do

Yes, the corset gave me an hourglass figure, but that hourglass turned back time. As I lay in a whimpering, panting heap, all I could think is: did Emily Pankhurst really tie herself to the railings for this?

Boosting, lifting, hoisting and hoiking are not verbs we’ve needed through the pandemic. During lockdown, lingerie companies reported that more than 60 per cent of women switched to non-wired bras or simply let their boobs swing free.

Loading

So, why now contort ourselves into these agonising contraptions? None of my male friends worry about their paunches. For blokes, a beer belly is nothing more than a “veranda over the toy shop”. Most men I know look as though they’re mid-way through their third trimester of pregnancy, yet it’s only women who get saddled with the dreaded “muffin top” moniker and are forced to squeeze into Spanx or corsets until our internal organs run up a white flag of surrender.

When it comes to fashion, men just don’t self-harm the way women do. Blokes would never totter around in toe-squashing stilettos or brave wintery nights in backless, strapless sheaths. I doubt any teenage boy ever lay down on his bedroom carpet as his mates yanked up the zipper of his skin-tight jeans with a coat hanger, often performing an impromptu appendectomy en route. So, girls, until fellas start strapping on the corsets, why don’t we just let it all hang out.

To read more from Sunday Life magazine, click here.

Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our Live Well newsletter. Get it in your inbox every Monday.