Kardashian curves: M&S launches £28 bodysuit with exaggerated hip padding
Guardian AU Business
•Sat, 05 Sep 2026 11:00:36 GMT
📰 What Happened
Marks & Spencer launched a £28 'hip boost' bodysuit, the Body Sculpt Hip Boost All In One, which features exaggerated padding at the hip designed to create an hourglass silhouette. The suit has pockets on each side that allow the wearer to add enhancing pads, similar to how bra inserts add extra volume. It is part of an emerging sub-genre of shapewear that aims to add inches rather than compress, following M&S's padded bum shorts and stick-on nipples.
🔍 The Backstory
Charlotte Davies, the director of lingerie at M&S, said the idea stemmed from customer interest in solutions that offer subtle enhancement alongside everyday comfort and confidence, with the trend driven by the catwalks and celebrities. Kim Kardashian's shapewear brand Skims launched shorts with hip padding last year, and many users online say such padding can help minimise 'hip dips.' The emergence of enhancing shapewear comes at a time when bodies and what they can look like are increasingly scrutinised, from the widespread use of GLP-1 drugs onward.
🎯 Why It Matters
The product shows a notable shift in shapewear retail from slimming to enhancing, a change that mirrors broader cultural debates about bodies and augmentation. For consumers, it is a visible sign of how celebrity-driven trends are reshaping a mainstream high-street retailer's product range.
Marks & Spencer launched a £28 'hip boost' bodysuit, the Body Sculpt Hip Boost All In One, which features exaggerated padding at the hip designed to create an hourglass silhouette. The suit has pockets on each side that allow the wearer to add enhancing pads, similar to how bra inserts add extra volume. It is part of an emerging sub-genre of shapewear that aims to add inches rather than compress, following M&S's padded bum shorts and stick-on nipples.
Charlotte Davies, the director of lingerie at M&S, said the idea stemmed from customer interest in solutions that offer subtle enhancement alongside everyday comfort and confidence, with the trend driven by the catwalks and celebrities. Kim Kardashian's shapewear brand Skims launched shorts with hip padding last year, and many users online say such padding can help minimise 'hip dips.' The emergence of enhancing shapewear comes at a time when bodies and what they can look like are increasingly scrutinised, from the widespread use of GLP-1 drugs onward.
The product shows a notable shift in shapewear retail from slimming to enhancing, a change that mirrors broader cultural debates about bodies and augmentation. For consumers, it is a visible sign of how celebrity-driven trends are reshaping a mainstream high-street retailer's product range.