Part Three: Characteristics of The 'Ideal' Girdle -March, 1966
This is the third consecutive and concluding installment of a marketing report on girdles commissioned by the Flexnit Corp. and released exclusively to INTIMATE APPAREL. In it, the opinions of 70 women respondents are condensed into a concise but diversified statement on what the "ideal" girdle is like and how they react to test samples provided for them. The women range in age from 25 to 65, are of all figure types, and their interviews are possibly the most comprehensive ever obtained on this subject.
3-1. The "Ideal" Girdle
Here is a checklist showing the major features of the "ideal" girdle, as indicated by the interviewees:
It noticeably enhances the wearer's appearance:
- "A girdle that just seems to pull you all together."
- "I want something that does pull me in but doesn't look it . . . something more natural."
- "I feel dressed up and more like a lady with a girdle."
It is very comfortable:
- "I find girdles too confining and uncomfortable."
- "I can't forget I'm wearing a girdle it is so uncomfortable."
- "I never had one I felt comfortable in."
It has a therapeutic effect on tired in muscles:
- "I guess that after a while your muscles lose the desire to stay tight and a girdle pulls you all back together again."
- "Heavy work makes me fall apart; then the girdle pulls me back together again."
- "I had to stand up to iron for 3 children and the girdle would relieve the sagginess and tiredness in the back."
It is of spandex:
- "I like the spandex because it holds you in and keeps its shape no matter how many times you wash it."
- "The spandex just doesn't stretch. I've washed mine and bleached it and it still looks great."
It compensates for unusual figure problems:
- "I can't wear anything with a band on it. It rolls right over."
- "I think they roll if you are shortwaisted."
- "I like a long-leg because I have heavy thighs."
It is tastefully decorated and is available in pastel colors as well as black and white:
- "I like girdles with simple lines and some decoration that doesn't look heavy."
- "I'd like something like a rosebud on it."
- "I'd like it in different colors."
It is feminine and dainty:
- "The daintier it is, the more feminine it seems."
- "Most of us go for something a little dainty, a little feminine, a little fancy looking."
- "I have one that is black with lace and it's so lovely I prance around in it for at least 20 minutes before I get dressed."
It has no seams:
- "I have a problem with the seams on the long-leg you can see them when I wear slacks, and the slacks aren't tight."
- "I had a girdle with stitching thatheld the panels on the sides and after a few washings the seams would tear."
- "I think any girdle you wear under white or yellow will show, unless it has no seams."
It has no protrusions:
- "I don't like the snap crotches because if you wear bermudas you see the snaps."
- "I'm afraid the garters for the stockings will show through my clothes."
- "I like the zipper one except that if you wear something tight. it shows."
It is durable:
- "I've been wearing them for years with the backing to them, but they ripped quite easily."
- "Lately they don't seem to last long at all."
- "My daughter wears those teenage girdles that are just like stretch panties - they don't last at all."
Each woman apparently has her own idea of the "ideal" girdle. But while the relative importance of the features vary from woman to woman, it is safe to say that a girdle with as many of the above features as possible will satisfy the needs and desires of the majority of girdle wearers.
The next three sections shall explore consumer attitudes toward specific girdle designs and toward sample girdles provided.
Continue to Reactions to the Absence of Front-Panel Stitching
Return to "What and Why of the Girdle Buy" Index
Page designed and maintained by 
Originally Posted April 20, 1997