This story was updated in January 2019.
Which girl doesn’t dream of a trim waist and to-die-for abs? But let’s face it, we love the idea of having a flat stomach as much as we love pizza! Come on, we get one life and it’s absolutely unfair to not eat pizza or binge on chocolate cake! And while all of us may not be blessed with a naturally flat stomach, there are a few fashion tricks to help you fake a flatter looking tummy. Follow these sneaky dressing tips to fake it until you make it! From Indian wear to western wear, we’ve got you covered ladies, so go on, live a little and enjoy another slice of cake!
Ways To Make Your Stomach Look Flat
Fashion Tips & Tricks To Make Your Stomach Look Flat
Befriend Dark Colours!: Now that’s a no brainer! We’re pretty sure all of you must’ve already tried experimenting with darker shades to give your tummy a flattering look. Darker colours are the best options when you’re planning to wear a well-fitted top or dress.
Highlight Your Waist: Empire waist tops and A-line dresses are perfect for you. You can also team up your basic shirt dresses with a belt around your waist and up your style game instantly! All of this help make your waist look smaller and add an hourglass effect to your frame, which is perfect!
Layer Up: Layering up will forever work for you! Especially when you’re in the mood to wear a well-fitted top or a dress. Pair it with a structured blazer or a jacket and see how your look goes from drab to fab in no time!
Accessories Are Your Best Friends!: Accessories play a huge role in drawing attention away from the tummy area. A statement necklace will attract all the attention and you won’t have to worry about your tummy anymore. So don’t forget to dress up your neck or flaunt shoulder-grazing danglers.
The Perfect Posture: Your posture goes a long way in making your tummy look flatter because a bad posture can cause your stomach to bulge. Always sit with your back straight and butt out to create the illusion of a slimmer stomach. This technique will also help you tighten your stomach over time. Plus, slouching never looks good!
Give Body Shapers A Shot!: Because, why not? There’s a reason so many people trust body shapers with bodycon dresses and well-fitted tops. They do a great job at minimizing the belly bulge and accentuating curves. So go ahead and invest in a corset or two. It’s time to give them a shot, ladies!
Invest In Good Footwear: The right footwear will take you a long way! Stilettos or high heels are perfect to help hide that little extra fat. This is because heels give the illusion of length to your body making you look more ‘in shape’.
Choose The Correct Lingerie: It is a given that you’ll wear the correct lingerie but we cannot stress on its important enough. While choosing your bra, choose one that helps improve your posture and gives your body definition, because we know posture makes all the difference. If you’re a little sceptical about body shapers and don’t want to go through the hassle of fitting yourself into something that can, at times, be uncomfortable then you can opt for high-rise underwear, which works well too.
Go Vertical: If you’re trying to make your stomach look flat, or any other body part for that matter, go vertical with the pattern! Horizontal patterns make you look broader than you are, which is why vertical ones are a perfect option since they add length to your body, and make you look slimmer than you are.
Show Off Some Skin: Whether it is Indian wear or western wear, don’t be scared to show off some skin! Wearing a deep V-neck will distract the focus from your tummy as this inverted, open triangle will create a higher focal point. This moves the attention to your neck and collarbones and will help make your stomach appear flat.
If You Have It, Flaunt It: This is a general rule of success and it works in this case too. Play to your strengths and don’t concentrate on your weakness! Instead of worrying about covering up your stomach, show off other parts of your body that you love. If you’ve got toned arms, wear sleeveless tops, if you have collarbones to die for, wear deeper necklines, a short skirt or dress will show off your legs and so on. This will attract attention to the right places and everyone will forget about your stomach, including you!
Bags Can Come Handy (Pun Intended): Purses with longer straps can help distract the eye too! The bring the focal point down to where the bag ends, helping make your stomach look flat. Crossbody bags, satchels with long handles, and hobo bags work amazingly well too!
Ways To Make Your Stomach Look Flat In:
While the above-mentioned tips were more generic and apply to both Indian and western outfits, we couldn’t stop at that, now, could we? We’ve promised to help you out a little more so here are tips to keep in mind while wearing what you want to!
In Western Wear
- Hello, High Waist!: Never invest in low rise pants or skirts. Choose mid or high-waisted bottoms instead! They minimize the trouble areas, making your waist look smaller and give more definition to your curves when paired with slightly loose tops.
- Try Some Pep(py)lum Stuff: Peplums are every curvy girl’s saviour! While they may be ideal for girls with a pear-shaped body, they also do a good job at hiding belly fat stylishly. A peplum top with high waist pants or a peplum dress, for instance, will accentuate your curves and draw the attention to all the right places!
![2-flatter-looking-tummy]()
- The Correct Top A Day, Makes Tummy Fat Go Away: While peplum tops may be awesome, we can’t wear them every day. For daily usage, you need comfy yet stylish tops that make your tummy look slimmer. Slightly loose V-neck tops that cut off at your hips are made for you! Dramatic tops with frills around the tummy area will also work for you!
- There’s Nothing Skinny About Jeans: Skinny jeans will make your tummy look bigger in comparison with the rest of your body. Instead, go for bootcut or straight-fit jeans that make your body look proportionate, and minimize the tummy area. A high-waisted version of these pants will also add a few extra inches to your height, making you look several pounds lighter instantly!
- (Don’t) Tuck In: It may look super appealing to you to tuck in your tops or shirts into your trousers and then add a belt to the look, but this is something you need to avoid. It’ll only draw immediate attention to the one area you’re trying to hide – your stomach. If you really want to do it, only try it with a pair of high-waisted trousers or jeans, and never with mid-rise or low-rise bottoms!
![5-flatter-looking-tummy]()
- Belt Them, Yo: Wearing your belt right on your tummy is a huge no-no. It won’t do anything to hide the fat but in fact, will attract more attention. Instead, try adding a belt a little higher on your dresses – on the slimmest part of your waist.
- Leggings Are Your Buddies: Not only are leggings super-comfortable, but they also help tuck in the little extra fat around your midsection! You can pair them with slightly longer tops and you’re good to go! Asymmetric tops or draped cardigans work wonders as they not only take your style game up a notch but also help make your tummy look flat!
In Indian Wear
- Empire Line Silhouettes May Be The Best Bet: If you’re aiming to hide that tummy fat, straight cut suits may not be your best bet. Even extra lose silhouettes with no definition wouldn’t do anything for you. Opt instead for empire-line kurtas or anarkalis that will shift the focus from your tummy!
- Wear It At The Right Spot: Whether it is a saree or a lehenga, where you wear it matters. The correct spot to conceal your tummy fat is right under the ribs, a little above the navel because that is the slimmest part of your torso. Wearing your outfits here instead of a little lower, right on the belly will help hide that tummy fat.
![flatter looking tummy 3]()
Image: Instagram - Start From The Bottom: For bottom-wear, the logic of fitting is quite opposite to what you’d think. For salwars and pants, you should opt for slim-fit ones rather than loose ones. Narrow-waisted salwars will make your waist look a size smaller and also help camouflage your tummy! Cigarette pants are also an amazing option to pair with shorter kurtis!
- Saree Fabric & Drape Matters: These are the two things that matter the most when it comes to making your stomach look flat. Wearing heavier fabrics like organza, silk, cotton etc. add a lot of volume to the body, especially the stomach area because that’s where you tie your saree. Instead, opting for fabrics that are lightweight like chiffon, crepe or georgette will create the illusion of a slimmer body. The good thing about sarees is that they can easily hide a few extra kilos, if draped properly, so make sure the pleats of your pallu are crisp, well-ironed, and placed for maximum effect!
- The Single Colour Wonder: Monotones create a wonderful slimming illusion. A lehenga with a blouse and dupatta of the same colour or a suit in a single family of colours will create an uninterrupted vertical line, hiding the areas you’re uncomfortable of!
![flatter looking tummy 2]()
Image: Instagram
Why Do You Need To Embrace Your Body
For the longest time ever, we’ve been sold this idea of a perfect body. The only flaw in the system is that, apart from in the media, this perfect body does not exist. In reality, there are so many kinds of bodies – in all different shapes and sizes – that you cannot fit them into one box of beautiful. Everybody has imperfections and insecurities, some think their arms are too flabby, some don’t like their noses, and some hate their thighs.
But no matter how flawed or insecure, it is high time that we women realize that we’re beautiful as we are. To aim to look like the model on a cover of a magazine just means that you’re disrespecting yourself because there is a high possibility that the model was photoshopped to fit into that box. In fact, she may have insecurities of her own, and that is something we need to see and accept.
Constantly working on yourself to be the best and fittest version of yourself, for yourself, is a great thing, but doing it to please someone else may not be such a brilliant idea after all. Try as hard as you like, you won’t be able to stop that one random person from pointing out a flaw. So, in the end, it’s important to remember that the only person who needs to accept your body is you. Don’t let anybody undermine your effort or your self-worth with their words.
While you may be looking for answers on how to make your stomach look flat, all we’re saying is just make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. The tips and tricks listed in this article are only general guidance. They’re not set in stone so, feel free to break as many of the rules as you like!
Internal Images: Shutterstock
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