In 2025, shapewear has become one of the most hyped products on social media, especially on TikTok. With its body-shaping qualities and confidence-boosting effects, shapewear has garnered millions of views through user-generated content, influencers, and personal reviews. The popularity of shapewear has gone beyond a fashion-related phenomenon, and opens up discourse on body image, self-expression, and inclusivity.
TikTok’s algorithm has amplified for shapewear brands in promoting their lines. Clips of influencers and regular users featuring their shapewear under various outfits, sharing their stories, and providing reviews have garnered millions of views. TikTokers typically demonstrate how shapewear creates a slimmer silhouette or enhances curves. Many of these videos feature real people wearing shapewear for daily activities, making the product appear accessible and relatable.
Some of the most well-liked TikTok content for shapewear includes “before and after” videos, where users compare their natural shape to their shape while using the product. Influencers show how the product can improve the appearance of everyday clothing, such as dresses or tight-fitting tops.
Shapewear brands also engaged more with influencers on TikTok, partnering with them to showcase their products in creative and innovative ways. Influencers, especially those focusing on body positivity or inclusive fashion, have also helped reshape the way shapewear is being marketed. Rather than only showcasing perfection or extreme before-and-after outcomes, many influencers have taken a more inclusive approach, sharing how shapewear can offer a slight enhancement that boosts their confidence. Some influencers demonstrate how shapewear fabric feels, others show the comfort and flexibility of the material.
Though shapewear has garnered a positive response, it is not without its criticisms. The body positivity of clothing promotes the idea that beauty has a variety of forms and what you wear is supposed to make one feel comfortable. One of the major criticisms is that the popularity of shapewear has the potential to reinforce unrealistic beauty standards by extending the narrative that one needs to have an idealized body shape to be confident. For critics, the focus on body shaping could perpetuate the practice of making people hide their natural bodies’ “flaws”, exacerbating body dysmorphia or feelings of low self-esteem.
Many critics point out that dramatic “before and after” videos might pressure people to meet a specified look. The videos portray extreme changes in body shape, which can send the message that people’s natural bodies are undesirable. While it’s being marketed as a confidence booster, for some, this could potentially send the unintended message that one’s body is not enough to be confident in by itself.
The popularity of shapewear in 2025 is reflective of just how significant impact social media has been on how we consider fashion, beauty, and body image. TikTok has allowed shapewear brands to gain a platform and opened a debate on body-enhancing products. Lastly, TikTok’s role in shapewear’s rise demonstrates a revolution in how advertisements are made and consumed. No longer are social media users passive consumers; instead, they are actively shaping the conversation and giving accurate, reliable reviews. Shapewear’s social media presence has shown how “viral products” can go beyond simple consumerism and can create a space for conversation on broader ideas.
