High-waist shaping briefs with seamless tummy control

I was already smiling when I opened the box. Four years of sit-ups every morning, convinced I was helping my body, and the tummy was still there. Nobody had told me the truth: the support has to go all the way round, not just at the front. The crossover band guides the muscles back where they belong, day after day. The jeans I hadn't done up since my daughter was born went on first try with these underneath. I've still got the before photo on my phone.

I'd tried everything. Shapers that dig in, briefs that roll down, corsets you have to take off after an hour. These are different. I wear them from morning to night and forget they're on. The tummy is held, not squeezed. For the first time I looked in the mirror and thought: "There I am." I wasn't waiting to lose weight. I was waiting for these briefs.

The first thing I noticed is the crossover band: gentle 360° compression, all the way round, not just at the front like the usual shapers. You can tell they're built to actually support you. I put them on before a family lunch. Nobody knew I was wearing them. But I did. All day: sitting, standing, at the table, without a second thought. That's worth everything to me.

I was sceptical. I'm 47 and I've tried enough things to stop believing promises. I ordered them almost by accident. The first time I put them on I stood in front of the mirror longer than usual. The waist, defined. The tummy, held. And above all, I can breathe. I'm not squeezing myself into something that punishes me. I wore them on an ordinary Tuesday to go to work. Ten minutes later I'd forgotten about them. That's the whole point.

I'm 56 and with menopause all the weight went straight to the middle: that tummy I never used to have. These briefs don't try to hide it, they support it all the way round. The waist, defined; the tummy, held. I put them on in the hotel before an important dinner and walked out with a confidence I hadn't felt in years. No diet. Just the right pair of briefs.

I'm 34 and in photos I always faced the camera straight on: side-on, that tummy scared me. With the high-waist briefs, side-on doesn't scare me any more: bum lifted, tummy smooth, waist defined. I wore them under a dress to a christening and, for the first time, I wasn't thinking about how I was sitting. These aren't ordinary briefs: you can feel they genuinely support you.

After my C-section I was left with that little "apron" hanging over the scar, and I hated it under every dress. With the Lemuvia high-waist briefs it disappears: no seams, no bulge, and gentle on a sensitive area. That fitted dress I hadn't worn in two years, I now wear everywhere.

This dress had been in the wardrobe for three years. I'd bought it for "when I was ready". My niece's wedding was on the Saturday. I tried it on the Thursday night with the Lemuvia briefs underneath. It zipped up. It sat properly. No odd creases. I looked at myself in the hallway mirror before heading out. It was me. The old me. Without losing a single kilo.

I'm 63 and I have a body that has lived a lot. For years I chose clothes for what they hid. Never for what I loved. With the Lemuvia briefs underneath, this dress sits differently. On Sunday I sat down at the table with the whole family. I ate. I laughed. I was in the photos. Without thinking about it once. I wasn't after perfection. I was after feeling like myself. And I found it.