Zona - The What and Why of the Girdle Buy

2-5. Specific Attitudes Toward The Appearance of Girdles

In general, there was little spontaneous mention of the appearance of the girdle itself in initial descriptions of the girdles which are purchased and worn. However, about 20 percent of the women did include esthetic appeal among the salient reasons for buying the girdle:

"My best one I bought at Sak's. It was by a famous designer and was a beautiful brown-and-orange color. When I put it on, I think it was the first time my husband ever noticed my underwear. So I always look for something a little gayer now."

"I happen to like a pretty girdle. Most of them are very heavy looking and strictly for utility. There is just no daintyness in it. I like a pretty color, a little trim the lace, rosebuds, a little embroidery on the panel, a bow at the waistline."

Many women are somewhat sensitive to girdle appearance and design. As such, they report that they can be and on occasion are swayed by the designs and decorative effects on girdles. However, note that consumers do not necessarily think of a girdle with a few decorative touches as being one with a "design." This distinction appears to be important because as the boldness of the design grows, the number of women repelled by it increases.

If the design on a girdle is executed with good taste and conveys daintiness and femininity, the majority indicate they are favorably disposed toward buying the girdle. There is an important minority, however, who react unfavorably toward the idea of adding purely decorative features on girdles.

Positive Reactions To Decorative Girdles

The majority of women are aware of the appearance of their girdles and display favorable attitudes toward decorations and a moderate amount of frills. One may speculate that these women can be swayed by pretty designs and patterns, providing the basic requirements of fit and comfort are met. Interestingly, some of these women give the impression of being willing to sacrifice a small amount of durability for adornment. In general, the women who felt this way were the most attractive respondents and usually displayed good taste in both their make-up and clothing. The most distinguishing characteristics of this group was their tendency to indulge in impulse buying, a concern with looking sexy and a relatively high degree of openness and humor about themselves. These women were very informative about girdle appearance mainly because they spent so little time denying its relative importance.

In addition to focusing concern on specific decorative effects, many of the women who are concerned with the appearance of their girdle indicated a desire for girdles in various pastel shades. Indeed, most of these women reported owning at least one pastel girdle, the purchase of girdles in different colors being seen as a way of changing the monotony of the girdle wardrobe. However, the staples of the girdle wardrobe are still black and white. (There was a tendency among some women to consider black girdles and other black undergarments as being more sexy.)

Some examples of how these women feel about girdles in various colors:

"If a girdle has all the features I require and I have a choice between a pretty one and a plain one, I will take the pretty one. Girdles and bras were thrown in the bottom drawers years ago-- remember that horrible pink brocade material? Now they are not as heavy and look a little nicer and do the same job. I buy mostly white."

"I had a blue lace one for a sheath that I bought because of the material. I liked the criss-cross panels, too."

"I have the white and black girdles, but if I could choose I would get a lovely shade of lilac. And if it had the support and comfort, a panel or two of lace might make me feel a little more feminine. My first thought is comfort, but if I'm comfortable in the girdle, they could put a pattern or two on- I wouldn't object- I think it would perhaps make me feel more feminine. Anything toward that end would be good."

"I like colors; I like fancy things. But I buy black, white or pink."

"We had a fashion show last year and some of the girdles and bras were colors and they were very sexy looking. It's a shame to hide them."

Although women express approval of matching colors of undergarments, they do not seem to practice what they preach. While these women were agreed that it is a good idea to match undergarments, few were willing to put in the extra time and effort. Respondents appear to be lazy about matching the colors of their undergarments:

"A few years ago, if I had a gray outfit, I would go and buy a gray bra and gray girdle. But today, I don't know . . . maybe it was because I was single. Now I have a white set and a black set."

"I think it goes according to age. A younger person would want more colors; as you get older it is predominantly black and white because white goes with everything and I save the black for special occasions because then I usually wear a black dress. And when I put the black one on I feel a little sexier."

"I love matching undergarments but just never get around to buying them. I look at them but the bras and panties and slips never seem to match the type girdle I always wear. And I just have white girdles, even with black underwear. I wear black slips with it so you can't see."

"I always think of single girls with matching bras and slips. If I had them, I wouldn't be able to find them. Everything is all white, so they always match."

In sum, the majority of women hold favorable attitudes about decorative effects on girdles. There is, however, a fairly large group of women who are against these decorative features.

Negative Reactions To Decorative Girdles

Findings indicate that those who are opposed to girdles with prominent designs can be characterized in three ways: the practical women, the "plain white underwear" women and the obese women.

The "Practical" Women. Those who would avoid purchasing a girdle with an elaborate design or an obvious stress on "prettiness" seemed of a more practical nature than those who were positively inclined toward attractive girdles. They evinced some suspiciousness of a garment that was frilly or decorated. The decoration indicated that the girdle might not hold up under repeated washing, might not give strong support or might tear while being put on. They saw the girdle as a "basic" item worn out of necessity, with no need to magnify it into something beautiful or stylish

"I don't think it is a question of how it looks really, I think it is what suits you best . . . the plainer it is the better is the support."

"As long as it does the job and is not cumbersome then I think it really doesn't matter how it looks. I prefer fancy slips and bras."

"I always think how pretty the lace-trimmed girdles are, but I don't think they last as long. I know you can't just throw them in the washing machine if they have lace on them."

"I don't pay attention to the appearance. As long as it is what I am looking for I buy it. I always feel that anything that is too fancy with lace and things wouldn't be made for the purpose of holding me in. I know I want satin panelling because it holds you in better. Appearance doesn't matter because nobody knows what I am wearing underneath. It would be a shame to have something pretty you couldn't see."

"I'd rather buy a dress and shoes that are pretty."

"The ones which are built for support are almost never built for beauty and it would be nice if they did something about that. But basically I think you are going out to see what the girdle will do for you and not how it looks."

In this group, which included about 15 percent of the total, there was a predominance of lower income women, who were restricted financially from buying on whim or taking risks with money merely to indulge themselves. They did not cite expense directly, but were in favor of garments which lasted a long time or were bought on sale. While suspiciousness of the sturdiness of a decorated girdle was their major reason to avoid one, some also felt no need for adornment where no one could see it.

Shopping for the plainer garments seemed like a well-ingrained convinction and habitual shopping principle, although it might also be viewed as a rationalization for inability to purchase expensive items. In general, however, note that these women value daintiness and femininity as much as other women. The major difference is that, to these women, a plain girdle is somewhat synonymous with their view of a good girdle.

The "Plain White Underwear" Women. There is another group of women who apparently wod also avoid the purchase of girdles with highly noticeable or unconventional design. These women habitually, and somewhat rigidly, wear only plain white underclothing. Generally, they could not justify this habit other than to say that they feel "clean" in white undergarments. (These women are most appropriately described by the words "refined" and 'ladylike." They sat straighter, spoke in more modulated tones, and dressed more conventionally than other respondents.)

These women are not against elaborately designed girdles on principal. They do not feel, as in the case of the "practical" women, that an elaborately designed girdle is an impractical one. But designs, colors, frippery on girdles, or on any other undergarments, just does not appeal to them. When these women were exposed to some sample designs, they tended to prefer the dainty ones as opposed to the more noticeable patterns.

The Obese Women. As a group, the obese women were the saddest to observe and the most difficult to understand. These women tend to focus their views solely on comfort and fit of clothing and undergarments. Obese women were usually very reticent or sullen about discussing girdles. They seemed to be very far removed from the whole problem.

Obese women's attitudes toward girdle design seems to be one of indifference fostered by despair. Most of them said that girdle appearance and design means nothing to them, and that they were uninterested in this area. One may speculate that these attitudes stem from guilt over their excess weight which prevents them from indulging in any frivolity connected with their physical appearance.

An example of their attitudes toward decorative girdles follows:

"I never go for style. Mine are plain cotton material girdles with paneling and stitching. I don't notice any design on them."

In summary, it has been shown that personality factors play a major role in formulating both positive and negative attitudes toward girdle styling. In a future issue, women's attitudes toward the "ideal" girdle will be examined, along with consumer reactions to specific design concepts and to a variety of test girdles that were presented to them.

Continue to The "Ideal" Girdle

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Originally Posted April 20, 1997