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Marks and Spencer, one of the UK’s most long-established and trusted brands (who we’ve discussed before here on Zelda Lily), has this weekend announced that it is to launch a range of body-enhancing underwear for men, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The ‘Bodymax’ range features ‘front enhancement’ boxer shorts, which claim to result in a 38% visual enhancement in size – apparently the result of an ‘integral shelf’ – and ‘bum lift’ pants which promise to raise the buttocks by a fifth thanks to seam-free tailoring.
The new pants are currently available in selected M&S stores and online, and will go on sale nationwide this Friday, 15h October. They are the follow-up to M&S’s Bodymax vests, which are designed to enhance the chest and torso and have sold well since their launch in January. Dave Binns, head of M&S’s men’s underwear said:
‘Women have been wearing and enjoying the benefits of shapewear for many years now and we saw such a positive response from men when we launched our Bodymax shaping vests earlier this year. Pants are the next natural addition to this range and our technologists have worked hard to engineer two styles that are comfortable to wear and that give real results… we think they will prove popular with our customers.’
So … my initial reaction to this news was to snigger and giggle in a childish manner. But, after this, I sort of thought well why not? From an equality perspective, women have been wearing clothes to subtly enhance their figures for decades – from corsets to Bridget Jones-esque ‘big pants’ that suck the spare tyre in … so why shouldn’t men do the same?
But then, thinking about this some more, I’m not actually sure these new pants are quite the same as the enhancing clothing that women wear. Women usually wear clothing to disguise what is there – a wobbly tummy or an expanding waistline – whereas these pants promise something that is not there. And there’s the rub. These come off; there’ll likely be disappointment for the partner involved. Given this, and men’s anxiety about this, ahem, issue of penis size, I’m not entirely convinced these pants will be a success.
Mentioning male anxiety about penis size, I think that a man who is anxious about his size in the underpants department would likely be just as anxious about buying these pants in the shops. After all, they’re not exactly a mainstream product just yet in the way that, say, a padded bra is.
But then in saying this, the padded bra also promises something that isn’t there, so maybe this is just the same and M&S are simply offering men something to enhance their figure in the same way that women have these garments to choose from. Maybe these pants will really take off and become just as mainstream and acceptable as the Wonderbra.
What do you guys think? Totally ridiculous and snigger-inducing, or actually not a bad call? I’m torn.
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Hey, I only wear push-up bras (it sucks to be a 32B), so I’m not in any position to say it’s stupid.
I would consider this the same as push-up bras, makeup, or other enhancements.
And just as I feel about push-up bras, it’s really silly to wear something which advertises falsely, when you’re just going to leave it on the floor and disappoint.
Erin, the day they invent body part easy trades, I’d be happy to ‘help’ you out. :)
Haha, all of my close friends are really well endowed, so between you and the 3 or so of them that have offered I think I could break a world record.
and I have enough flatter friends to work my way down to a still-feminine, but comfortable and non-athletics-preventing B. Now we just need the technology…
As a guy I’m would be more concerned with what comes after it hits the ground. When you know your women uses a push-up its just not a big deal. In-fact the topic barely even ‘meh’ inducing its so normal. Will women take away from it that their Men lacks confidence?
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