(CNN) -- Adele, who won big at the 2012 Grammys, once told Karl Lagerfeld off when he said that she was talented and pretty but a little too fat. Maybe his words got to her. The British pop star made news this week when she admitted to wearing four pairs of Spanx under a dress that wowed the audiences at the Grammys. Apparently, this was an improvement over her original dress that featured a built-in corset and in which she passed out when she tried it on. Spanx is a line of undergarments that offers solutions for women of all sizes and shapes. You can target bulging stomachs, jiggling upper arms, aging breasts and any other body part that may need some enhancement. No longer an item of fantasy play or a secret amongst plus-sized women, Spanx products have become prized accessories flaunted by the Kardashians, Oprah and suburban moms.
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British pop star Adele wore four pairs of Spanx at the Grammys
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Orit Avishai: Girdle-like garments were symbols of oppressive beauty standards
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She says embracing shapewear gives women an impoverished sense of empowerment
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Avishai: We can blame ourselves for supporting the very object that constrains us
(And restrict they did; it's hard to ride a bike, perform surgery or even breathe, as @placeholder learned, when your midsection is squeezed tight).