Tragic news for the legions of women who have been squeezing themselves into the corset-like anti-cellulite pants which have become so popular – they don’t work.
Nicknamed ‘magic pants’ they promised to help women look thinner, with no extra exercise. Packaging claims that the pants, stocked by M and S, “smooths, slims and shapes’. The company saw customers flock to buy them and sell three times as many as regular pants. John Lewis and Debenhams also stock versions of the knickers.
Which? magazine however say that women are being misled by the packaging. They consulted two plastic surgeons and a dermatologist to see whether the pants, with their special ingredients of aloe vera and caffeine embedded in the fabric, could actually banish cellulite as promised.
They concluded that it was doubtful that the knickers were actually effective and said that any underwear as tight as them would in any case smooth skin. They also questioned whether the magic ingredients were present in sufficient qualities to have any effect.
A spokesperson for Marks and Spencer pointed out that the packaging did not claim to get rid of the cellulite itself, but rather diminish its appearance. She added that the ingredients are widely used in anti-cellulite creams.
If anyone saw the ravaging hoards of women buying up the pants when they were first released, there is no doubt that this will be a huge blow to women eager to look slimmer. Personally, the horror of trying to cram myself into them only to see something in the mirror strongly resembling an over-stuffed sausage skin will live with me for a very long time. I’d take cellulite and giant granny pants over revisiting that particular trauma anytime.