I played enough sport growing up to have worn every kind of strap, sleeve, and brace a physiotherapist has ever invented. Nobody on my team ever looked at the brace I was wearing, and no one asked, “Why’s he wearing that?” It was understood that the brace was doing a job.
And that's the only way to treat anything functional in your life. Use it if it works, move on with your life if it doesn’t. This is the closest I'll ever come to talking like an economist.
But we’re men, so obviously, things aren’t that simple. We are governed by unspoken cultural and gendered rules that turn the adoption of ideas and culture into a small crisis, because the ego and society will always try to convince you that you’re wrong.
Unfortunately, these unspoken rules are changed for convenience and without consulting you.
I remember when the neighbourhood salon had exactly four items on the board. Haircut. Fancy haircut. Shave. Head massage. Walk into a salon today, and you're handed a menu card with more pages than a restaurant filled with hair spas, facials, the lot. We got here because men finally realised that it’s okay to walk out of a salon feeling like a Bollywood hero.
The same silent shift happened with our clothes. We replaced the generic t-shirt, trousers. We layer now. We accessorise. For the first time, we have given ourselves the cultural permission to reach for things that used to get filed under girly or feminine, no questions asked, no apology owed.
So tell me, are we made to feel bad about wanting to look good in what we wear? Why do we feel ashamed of buying a tool or a compression vest to look good for the day?
I want someone to explain to me what exactly is shameful about wanting to wear my favourite shirt without worrying about everything jiggling in it.
There's a pyramid models in economics and psychology that map human needs. The one we all remember is probably Maslow’s hierarchy, in which he talks about self-actualisation at the top.
I am fully aware I have no business reaching for it here, and that's exactly why I'm doing it. Because somewhere underneath the joke is a real point: once the roti kapda makaan part of life is handled, what's left to fix is genuinely just this: wanting to feel good in your skin and wanting to have the freedom to wear what you want. Wanting to have the confidence to wear something you’ve always dreamed of and not worry about the comments and the side eye from everyone around you.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. It’s not sensational. It’s not feminine. Wearing shapewear for a date, wedding, or meeting is me seeing inherent value in something that lets me put out the best version of me into the world.
Shapewear does a specific, boring, mechanical job under your clothes, which is why it's boring.
That could be the actual marker of a society growing up. Not some grand cultural realisation, but a more honest, quiet revelation that it's okay to want a tummy tucker for men and feel good about yourself.
It’s like the knee brace from back in the day. If enough of us start using it, eventually nobody will notice it. Trust me.
FAQs
Q. What is men's shapewear, and what does it do?
A. Men's shapewear is a form-fitting undergarment designed to compress and contour the body beneath clothing, targeting areas like the abdomen, chest, and back for a slimmer, more structured look. It can also support posture.
Q. Will shapewear make a man look slimmer instantly?
Yes, shapewear can make a person appear slimmer by reducing visible bulges through targeted compression.
Q. Does shapewear improve posture
Shapewear with posture-focused construction supports the back and core muscles, helping reduce slouching.
Q. Can shapewear be worn all day at work?
Yes, shapewear can be worn all day at work. The right fit should allow natural movement and comfortable sitting throughout the day.
Q. Is it safe to wear shapewear every day? Are there any side effects?
Yes, shapewear is generally safe to wear daily, provided it is the correct size.
BY UMAIRE EFFENDI...
About the author: Umaire Effendi is a writer and film & television professional with over a decade of experience across India and Canada. His cross-cultural background gives him a distinct lens on modern Indian lifestyle, one that understands how India doesn't just follow global culture, but absorbs it, integrates it, and sends something entirely new back out into the world. He writes about men's fashion and culture by taking things apart, the why behind what Indian men wear, and what it says about where we're headed.
