Wear Cropped Tops to Cover Up Your "Big" Tummy

boxy shirt

I hear a lot of females complain about having huge tummies. I would tell them, "I don't think it's that big." or "It doesn't look as big as you say." It's true. Unless the person is really chubby, girls who complain about their tummies don't really have big ones. Their figure still looks proportional to me. And a great figure is all about proportions. Girls would tell me, "You're so lucky you're thin!" While I don't deny that, I think there are disadvantages to being thin. Aside from being weak and easily pushed around by people in crowded places, thin people like myself grow disproportionately large tummies whenever we gain a bit of weight or when we're full. Sure, I can wear tight-fitting shirts without those "ugly" flabs that heavier girls complain about, but after having my lunch, my tummy would bulge out. It's a rather unpleasant sight. I look like 3 months pregnant! It makes me extremely conscious and I would cover my tummy with whatever I could find.

My sister suffers more than I do. In my older posts, I've mentioned that she's a bit meatier than I am. Her weight looks more normal, but her tummy size isn't. Even ordinary T-shirts make her tummy look big. While my tummy is big only when I'm full, hers is kind of permanent. And she says she's too "busy" to do some abs exercise.

As I look around the web, I became interested with these short loose-fitting T-shirts that women usually wear over tank top. They are known as boxy shirts or boxy tees or cropped tops. They come in many forms. They can be huge cropped T-shirts, shirts with cuts on the shoulders, boxy tanks, off-shoulder boxy tops, or shirts with mesh panels that lets you see the clothes (or skin) underneath. Why am I so intrigued with these? Because I think these are the answer to my sister's huge tummy problem! Cropped tops make the wearer appear slimmer around the waist. Some bloggers abhor these cropped shirts. They say these fashion items don't flatter our figure at all. Well, it may be true, but it depends.

While I may not be a fashion expert, here are my observations:

Shorter boxy tees look better. The purpose of of these clothes is to give you an illusion of having smaller waist. The hemline have to be in the midsection of your torso in order to achieve the smaller waist effect. But, do try out different boxy shirts to know the ideal length for YOU.
Mesh or crochet cropped shirts are sexy! They're see-through. 'Nuff said.

AX Paris Knitted Crochet Top

Huge boxy shirts that fall around your waist are a no-no. This type looks just like an over-sized T-shirt. It completely defeats the purpose of creating a slimmer look. But, as I've said, it entirely depends on the wearer.

Wearing boxy shirt with a concave hemline can make your tummy look bigger. I don't understand why it exists. The concave hemline emphasizes the roundness of your belly. It exposes exactly the part of your body that you've been trying to hide - your "big" tummy. I don't like how it looks even on skinny models.

G by GUESS Brynn Crossover Tank

I know cropped shirts are risky. You may either look good or look terrible in them. Some of my observations may even be contradictory. But if wearing the right kind can make our tummy look smaller, it's worth giving a shot! All you need to do is to try out different cropped shirts and ask for a few honest opinions from loved ones. To test my theory about boxy tees' slimming effect, I let my sister try out a few of them at the mall. I am right! She looks a lot better and her big tummy is less apparent. Too bad we're on a saving-like-crazy mode now, so we didn't buy any of them. I guess we'll just wait for a sale.:)