Like most plus-size, Black women in America, I’m a Lizzo superfan. When I heard she was dropping a shapewear line, Yitty, I was excited, but to be honest, I was also a little conflicted.
Between wanting to support the icon who puts on for us Big Girls and my disdain for the fact that people seem to keep offering plus-size women more and more shapewear options when all we really want is for society to leave us and our bellies alone, I didn’t know what to do. Don’t get me wrong, I love to support the launch of a new brand, but as a plus-size woman, I’ve been burned by shopping too early (and because of that, I tend to wait it out for a second launch). Usually, the sizing is inconsistent, the patterns are stretched out in weird ways, or it’s just plain uncomfortable—and often slightly unfashionable.
These are the reasons I’m so late to trying Yitty. I almost didn’t cave in, but then I thought about how I’ve supported numerous brands that definitely don’t care about, cater to, or uplift the plus-size community the way that Lizzo does and I had to reevaluate my stance.
After giving Yitty a try, these are my unfiltered, real-time reactions to the four pieces I ordered. For reference, I’m normally somewhere between a 14 and 16 and am wearing a size XXL in the shapewear and an XL in the loungewear.
The nitty gritty on Yitty
Co-created by Lizzo, Yitty is a shapewear brand designed for every body in mind. Ranging from size XS to 6X, they’re taking the shame away from shapewear and making it fun and approachable for everyone, with pieces that you look forward to putting on.
Yitty is a Fabletics brand, which means that you can buy it at its regular price or sign up for a VIP membership to get it 20-50% off (if you sign up for a membership, you can skip any month you’d like, with no limit on how many you can skip).
When I pulled these on, I was surprised that I didn’t have to fight to get them over my belly. Weirdly, that made me feel like there was no way they’d achieve the type of smoothing I need from my shapewear because I’m used to (not to be dramatic) being a little squished in most shaper shorts. When I looked in the mirror, I was wow’d. Not only did I love the shape it gave me, but I also really liked how it didn’t feel or look like traditional shapewear. The mesh is really cute and surprisingly smoothing; however, I’m hypothesizing that it serves a greater purpose. Because the material is light while the stitching is tight, the shaper shorts don’t roll up and dig into my thigh area. Is mesh the shapewear of the future?
The lining in the front makes these shorts so sexy, but if I could change something, I wish it extended to the back. It could be so cute to wear something like this around the house with just a crop top as loungewear (yes, it’s that comfortable to me), but,I wouldn’t want to flash anyone in the process. Moreover, while this shaper is super-duper high-waisted, it still rolls down a little bit (though definitely much less than any other, similar short I’ve worn). I don’t know if that’s a side effect we’ll ever escape with shaper shorts, but a girl can wish!
Whew, let me tell you, when I put these on, I felt sexy! These leggings are so fun. Conversely to the shaping short I tried on first, these leggings actually had lining in the back and the front, but I’m not sure it’s enough lining for me to just wear by itself. If I were to wear this piece alone, I’d love for the lining in the front to be a tad less high-cut. However, I ended up styling it with an oversized button-up shirt dress, and I loved that though the leggings were sheer, the oversized shirt kept me from feeling too uncomfortable or exposed.
Lately, I’ve been shifting away from bright colors in my wardrobe, but something about this shade (aptly named “Bright Ass Blue”) really drew me in. I was super into the way this looked on me, and even more so, I loved the way it felt. Usually, with this kind of logo waistband/bra-band trim trend, the band folds over on itself and the logo gets eaten in the folds. This waistband didn’t move or fold, which was exciting to say the least.
The best part about this loungewear that’s pretty dope if you ask me is that it’s not so thick that it’s suffocating but not so thin that it makes me feel exposed. It’s somehow both light and smoothing at the same time, which is pretty unheard of.
I’d run errands, go shopping, or even host wine night in this, but I don’t think the bra is supportive enough for me to actually work out in. I’d love to see a smidgen more lining and support in the bra area in the next version of this style.
TL;DR
Y’all, I will definitely be ready with my credit card for the next drop. I’m normally a size 14/16 so I went with a size XXL for the shapewear and a size XL for the loungewear, but I think I might size down when I order again. Because these styles are made with Big Girls in mind, they fit true to size—which is not normal for me!
Despite a few minor changes I’d make to some of the styles, I definitely will be ordering from Yitty again for these reasons:
- The shapewear is lightweight yet still smoothing
- The styles are sexy (much sexier than they appear on the site)
- The pieces are made with our unique curves and bodies in mind
