Today I want to introduce you to a great garment for belly dancers.
It’s sheer…. and it’s fitted…
And it can be worn by belly dancers of all styles.
Can you guess? (Did you see the title of this post? 😉 )
It’s the bodystocking.
Some people already love bodystockings, and others may not feel the need for them. It’s all fine, but recently I realized what an amazing garment bodystocking is for belly dancers. There are so many benefits of wearing a body stocking!
Let me show you how FUN body stockings can be in this post.
Check out the DIY Bodystocking here!
6 Reasons why you should try bodystockings
Reason #1: INSTANTLY slims down your body
Our costuming often exposes a lot of skin, and it’s only natural that you don’t feel comfortable about showing some parts of your body.
For example, I’m in my 30s now and starting to realize it’s easier to gain fat around my upper arms these days. And some days my belly could use some tucking in!
A well-fitted body stocking can give just enough hold in these soft tissue areas. It’s made of very stretchy yet strong mesh, and it hugs your body nicely. Here are before and after photos:
It’s not like a corset or body shaper, so it doesn’t shape you into a certain shape, but instead, it tones up and contours your body without restricting your movement. It’s comfy!
Reason #2. INSTANTLY hides marks on your body
The mesh is lightweight but enough to give your skin a veil that covers marks.
For example, I have some stretch marks from gaining and losing weight in my teenage years. In a big venue or on camera, they may not show well, but in a close venue performance, I’ve felt uncomfortable about showing them.
Here’s the before and after comparison:
It’s like foundation for your body!
Reason #3. (If it’s not embellished) You can wash body stockings in a washing machine!
Most unembellished body stockings are machine washable! That’s great news for us belly dancers – how many pieces of costumes can we actually throw in the wash!?
Make sure to wash it in a cold water setting, and your body stocking will be nice and clean each time you wear it.
I love low-maintenance things like this!
Reason #4. Body stockings come in different styles
There’s the leotard style, which gives you a tanktop top and belly cover.
Or there’s the underbust cut-off style if you don’t want anything around the shoulders.
Or you can have sleeves.
Or you can have leggings.
Or skip all those things and just have a partial belly cover.
Depending on your needs, you can find the style you want!
Reason #5. Body stockings come in different colors
You can match the color of your body stocking to your skin color. It can be tricky, and you definitely need to sample a few to find a great match, but a nice matching body stocking is quite invisible!
Or you can match the color to your costume! Some are made from stretch lace, so you can add the beautiful texture to your costume.
Reason #6. You can embellish the body stocking!
This may be my favorite reason for wearing bodystockings…. you can have sparkly legs!!!
Decorate your body stocking to match your costume!
You may have seen this kind of costumes by modern costume designers. A body stocking lets you extend the decoration beyond the outlines of bra top and skirt.
And you can create the look yourself! In my next week’s tutorial, I’ll show you how I decorated these leggings.
Enjoy the more professional and expensive look!
BONUS Reason. You feel more secure.
I don’t know about you, but I sometimes feel vulnerable when I take off the cover-up right before performance, and all of a sudden a lot of my skin is exposed.
I may feel fine when I’m just in my class with other dancers, but when I’m seen by general audience, it can feel scary.
The body stocking only offers 1 thin layer of coverage. BUT this one protective layer really makes me feel more secure and comfortable. I don’t feel so naked.
You may not really understand this feeling until you try it, but I wanted to share it here because this might be one of the most important benefits of wearing a body stocking for some people!
Some of you may think, “why should you wear a body stocking if you love your body?”
If you feel that way, that’s fine!
But there are definitely some dancers who don’t feel as comfortable on some days, and I’m one of them.
And I’m all about creating solutions to help dancers feel more beautiful and more confident. 🙂
It’s like makeup. If makeup makes you look healthier and more beautiful, and makes you FEEL gorgeous on stage, why not! We spend an hour doing our hair, because great hair makes us look and feel beautiful!
You shouldn’t feel ashamed for wearing one. It’s just a costuming option.
Also, if you’re a professional or semi-professional dancer, your audience may expect a certain image. Or you may want a more consistent look for your troupe members.
Those external factors aren’t such a fun reason to wear a body stocking, but it’s definitely a quick solution, and you can move on. You can focus on your beautiful choreography instead of what other people may think.
And when you feel confident, you can let the features that you’re proud of – your beautiful shimmy, your lovely smile, your joy of dance – come out more easily 🙂
So that’s what I wanted to share today! I’m hoping it’ll give some dancers more confidence and more costuming options.
But finding a well-fitting body stocking can be another challenge.
….until now 😉
In 2 weeks, I’m launching a brand new course on how to make custom body stockings!
A brand new Sparkly Belly course on how to make custom bodystockings has been launched!
It’s called Mirage Bodystocking Premium Course, and I’m super excited about it because I’ve been able to eliminate common body stocking problems. 3 big ones are:
- The pattern is custom made to your measurements, to maximize comfort!
- The pattern is designed so that it will NOT create panty lines around the hips! This was VERY important to me.
- The Mirage Bodystockings come with snaps at the crotch, so you can take a bathroom break in between sets without taking off your costume 😉
Specifically, in the course, you will:
- Make a custom pattern for your very own body stocking
- Make a leotard style body stocking with snaps at the crotch
- Make a unitard style body stocking (belly cover + leggings)
- Learn to add sleeves
- Make a underbust version belly cover (no sleeves at all)
- Make a partial belly cover (a panel that covers a part of the front of your torso)
- Even make a full professional dress with the bodystocking called Mirage Dress!
SO MANY POSSIBILITIES!
If you’re interested, I highly recommend you click the link below!
Click here to check out the Mirage Bodystocking course!
Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!
P.S. As mentioned earlier, I’ll show you how to embellish leggings in next week’s tutorial! I’m super excited about this one because it’s SO PRETTY!!! Sign up for my newsletter below so you won’t miss it 😉
P.P.S. Pin this image on your costuming tip board 😉
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