Shapewear

Bianca Lyons, in a corset, in the 1920s.

Wolford shop in Feldkirch, Austria, displaying different kinds of shapewear, in 2012

Shapewear is the name for special clothes that form the human body so that it is closer to some beauty standard. Most of the time it is underwear. People often wear it as their main clothing. These clothes are also known as foundation garments or shaping underwear. Originally, shapewear was developed for plus-size models, but now it is also available in other sizes.