“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” could be hijacked as the maxim for many of our backsides these days. Genetics, aging, excess body fat, and “gluteal muscle atrophy” have been declared the primary culprits for our droopy condition. The published solution is to simply make lifestyle changes in our diet and exercise. But for many of us, and this includes me, we’ve already done this. And yet, when orienting our multi-mirror system to catch a back view, it’s still there! Our oh-so sad and sunken bottom is bubbling out below the periphery of our underpants.
But despair no more! I bring good news. There are panty solutions out there that can give us a curvier, more uplifting, and flattering posterior. It’s really just a matter of making the right choices when selecting our undergarments.
Defining The Problem (Pictures speak louder than words)
It wasn’t easy, but we found a model willing to be our example for this talk. But she agreed under the strict condition of anonymity. A middle-aged mother of two, she has exercised all her life. But for giving birth twice, her life has not seen any major weight fluctuations. She currently takes Pilates three times a week with specific emphasis on her glutes and eats primarily plant-based. She has therefore executed all the recommended preventative measures, and yet she too has acquired a saggy bum. The far right image shows where her buttocks used to hang.
Wrong Panty Choices
If you wish to mask a wilting backside, here are some panty choices (and probably swimsuit styles as well) that need to be avoided.
Hi-Cut – A leg opening defined as hi-cut gives a flattering look from the front. It’s also a great and comfortable choice for women with significant thighs due to its larger leg opening. But…turn around, and you’ll see that a hi-cut style does not give enough back coverage to catch a low-hanging hiney.
“Cheeky” – Any panty claiming to have “cheeky” coverage translates to almost no back coverage. A cheeky style is a great and attractive choice for women with very little bottom flesh or women with a nice round bubble bottom. But on low-settled back cheeks, what’s meant to look cheeky could wind up looking weepy.
Now, here’s the good news. There are winning panty styles that can mask and even uplift your derriere to pacify our “double bottom” dilemma. Here are some of the champions. But, they are only effective when you put them on and place them correctly. Think about it. We pull our panties up and down throughout our day. Are you placing them back where they belong? Many women pull them up too high. A quick second should always be given to check for correct placement on your body. And this usually means, adjusting a little bit downward and quickly checking for proper back coverage.
A Full Brief – If you still think this style is a “granny panty”, you need to think again. Many manufacturers have dusted this panty style off, redesigned it, and are using new fabrics and details. They are now universally attractive on all. Hands down, a full brief is the most comfortable panty to wear while giving enough coverage to eliminate most visible panty lines (VPL). For us droopers, a full-cut brief gives good back-end coverage. The best will be those with elastic along their back leg edge – this helps collect, contain, and cover all our back flesh.
Boyshort – This panty style first arrived on the market and was embraced by the young. But no more. This is a style for every age and shape. It has become commonplace to wear this style while lounging and sleeping. It’s also become a workout silhouette in lieu of wearing workout leggings. The boyshort is another great silhouette solution for our lowrider bottoms. It has more fabric in the back, so it not only covers, but can also give us a little lift if the leg hem is elasticized or has some built-in stretch. And a boyshort style, too, can eliminate VPLs.
While searching for boyshort examples, I came across this very interesting rear lifting boyshort panty made by Ilusion. Its unique design gave our model a very comfortable backend lift along with some separation. She also said it was very comfortable and felt totally natural.
Center Back Seam & Ruching – Any panty with a center back seam gives the wearer a more natural looking backside and reduces the look of a uni-bottom. And some ruching (gathering) up the back seam, or added to the center back, will give you even more derriere definition.
Slip Short – This is a rather new panty style. Originally a biker short, the shapewear industry adopted it and added control levels. Women, not wanting to have so much layering, learned it could act as both a piece of shapewear and be a panty – most come with an all-cotton crotch. This panty silhouette has thus been growing in popularity.For us saggers, the slip short is yet another great option. Our model is wearing one with light control, and not only does it give her a completely smooth line, but it also has enough support to lift up her back cheeks.
I personally have a drawer full of this style in various control levels and leg lengths. It’s my go-to style that keeps me looking completely smooth under form-fitting clothing.
While discussing this panty silhouette, I want to include this popular Rhonda Shear option to demonstrate that the previous features I mentioned can be combined. This slip short also has a ruched back seam and a nice 2” wide decorative lace leg elastic. It helps the legs to stay put while also creating a horizontal barrier to prevent the most southerly parts of our bottoms from sliding further down.
Silicone Edge – You’ve probably seen the Soma commercials for their stay-put “vanishing edge” panty feature. Well, our manufacturer TC Fine Intimates is both the inventor and manufacturer behind this silicone edge technology. HerRoom carries their original design. Their leg edges are fused in the front for smoothness, and the back contains small parallel rows of silicone grippers inside along the edge – just enough to keep your panty where you put it and not ride up in back. Sizes 5 – 9.
Specialty Panties – While putting this Talk together, I found we have a few very special panties designed specifically to reshape ones’ buttocks. I think they are worth a mention.
This is the “Truly Undetectable Comfy Shaping Panty” by Leonisa. It’s categorized as light control and with interesting features. This is the only back design I’ve seen like this. It truly gives your bottom separation and lift along with the rather sexy illusion that you might have on a thong. The sheer panels make it look like less coverage, and this panty even has tummy compression. Comes in 6 colors: Sizes S – 2X.
Panties with added rear padding have been around for a while. But, I want to call out the padded butt lift panty by Leonisa for a couple of reasons. First, it’s attractive looking. It’s also very comfortable. Made in microfiber, it’s stretchy, breathable, and comes with a sleek surface to prevent clothes from clinging. Best of all, it gave our model a great back shape – not a crazy big one, just a nice one. So much so, she bought this panty after the shoot. All of us in the photoshoot agreed – it was surprisingly natural looking.
Called the “Fanny Fabulous Shaping Brief” by Va Bien, this panty is truly a celebration of clever engineering and loaded with features. Specific to our discussion topic, I turn your attention to its 2” wide internal elastic band. It’s attached towards the front waistband, wraps underneath your bottom’s cheeks, then back up to attach to the other front side – sort of a heavy-duty hiney hammock. But wait! There’s more! This brief also has a front tummy control panel, a molded seat design, rear ruching, and a 2” wide supportive waistband. Our model easily put it on. Said, it gave her the greatest feeling of back uplift amongst all styles we had her try on. She walked around, sat down, then stood up, concluded it was a win, and put in an order. Sizes S – 4X.
All these examples, I hope, give you the confidence to figure which ones will meet your needs. My final comment would be to take the time and utilize HerRoom’s great filtering options, if you so choose, to shop for an uplifting solution. Not only is size, color, and brand available to search, but we have an extremely comprehensive “feature(s)” filter that lets you select as many features as you desire. In our panty department, they include “rear lift”, “back seam”, “no-VPL”, “ruched”, and “slip short.” You’re guaranteed to find the panty style you’re looking for.
Final Thought…
Valentine’s Day is on its way. If you’re as tired as I am of “comfort food”, “comfort clothes ” and “being too close for comfort”, perhaps you might enjoy wearing a little something that’s more on the sweet or spicy side. Have fun shopping our Valentine XOXO Collection.
YIKES! & YEAHS!
It’s that time of year when so many of us invest in a new sports bra. For this month’s quiz, I’m sharing images of great and not-so-great fits. Click through to see the answers and be sure you are ready to gear up in the perfect fit.
Fondly,
Tomima Founder & CEO HerRoom.com