Tight clothes without a flat stomach

[Suseal]

Bare with me, I know this is a weird question, hence why I can't ask anyone irl. It's my own messed up thinking and not a great relationship with food and self image.

My whole life I've been a size 8 with a completely flat stomach. I'm
in my 40's and now a 10, so still slim but my stomach is a bit rounded, definitely no longer flat. No matter how hard I try the shape won't change, so I'm just trying to get used to the new shape and come to terms with how my body has changed.

Does it look ok to wear a tight fitting dress, so that from the side you can see my stomach curves? It's so ingrained in me that it should be flat, but I don't think it does, does it?

I have a dress I really want to wear to the Christmas party but I need to get past this to wear it.

You look lovely, it's totally unnoticeable!

You will look lovely, that looks a perfect healthy shape. I’m similar but my tummy is still much larger (literally, I have been asked how far along I am) once I get it to your size I’ll wear anything!

I think you look great. I’m coming at this from the opposite direction currently - have lost quite a bit of weight and am starting to wear more close-fitting things. Not because I’m now thin, I’m still 14 stone and a size 16ish, but because I just feel differently about myself and my body. I don’t mind if someone can see my ‘curves’. I suppose it really does come down to how we feel about ourselves. Anyway hope you wear the dress or something else that makes you feel
good!

I only know one person who has managed not to get the peri menopause body. I asked her how she has managed it (we are friends) and she said she really limits calories and avoids lots of foods. She looks great but I realised I couldn’t take that sacrifice so I’ll embrace my tummy knowing I’d rather that than limiting food.
I exercise about 20 hours a week so I am not giving up the cake 🤣
Wear the dress x

I think most women have a slightly rounded tummy. Wear the dress ☺️

I think wear it as long as you're going to feel confident wearing it. It looks good, it's just a bit of tummy, which is completely natural, but if you're going to spend the event feeling self conscious and trying to hide it, then what's the point? Better to choose something else. If you are the type of person who can overcome that original feeling of wanting to disguise it, then great! Wear the dress. But don't push yourself into wearing something because you feel should, special events should be spent enjoying the situation, not worrying if someone is looking at your tummy.

And life is definitely too short to wear sucky in pants to a Christmas party. You need to dance, eat, drink, move!

Even when I was a skinny teen pre children (5 foot 1 and 6 and a half stone) I had a wee rounded tummy - for many women that is their natural shape. The gentle curve that you have now is lovely and feminine and does not mean you are overweight or untoned. Our uterus and organs have to go somewhere!

Something that I bear in mind is that I'll never be as young again as I am right now. So you have to seize the moment and do the things, because if you look back you'll just wonder what you were thinking and why didn't you just do it. This might be the flattest your stomach is now (or it might not), but why would you let that hold you back? What does it really matter?

I've always had a slight curve in my stomach. Even at size 6 or 8 in my 20s early 30s but then kids happened and I also have the c section overhang 😂 it's taken time but I've accepted it now. Our body just gets softer as we age and I workout a lot lifting weights as well as intermittent fasting. The curve in your picture is totally natural and totally beautiful. Also its tiny.

@somanybooks

Great advice from @somanybooks

Women's uteruses have a little fat around them to protect them, I wish I'd realised when I was younger that a slightly rounded stomach is normal.

It's only in Western (and some other societies) that expect women to have flat stomachs, go look at any of the hunter gatherer tribes left and the women have rounded stomachs and evidence of post pregnancy overhang and these are usually very active women.

It comes down to personal preference and what you feel comfortable in. I’m a former flat tummy person but I simply no longer feel comfortable in form fitting clothes, so I don’t wear them.

I agree with PP, as someone who previously had a flat stomach and still generally slim all over except for my C-section overhang, I feel uncomfortable in tight fitted clothing. I've ditched all my bodycon clothing and much prefer the comfort and confidence that slightly more oversized clothing gives me. But it's all down to personal preference.

Totally fine.

Like a PP I've a csection overhang and whilst I'm slim you can always see it.

Meh who cares

Thank you, really really appreciate the responses. I am going to embrace it and fake it until I make it.

I had a flat stomach for about 20 minutes in 2002. 🙄

You look lovely, honestly.

it is natural to have a curve stomach. I have always wondered how Kate Middleton manages to have a flat stomach at the age of 40 and she has had 3 children and in some of her photos she looks very thin with no hips and the smallest waist I have ever seen on a woman of her age with 3 kids

I personally don't like it, but every man I've ever been with has said they think it's nice, natural and feminine (this is me, critiquing other women so they're not saying it to please or compliment me)

I think it's more of a bump you have than a curve and I wouldn't wear a fitted dress like that. It's not flattering. I might wonder if you were in early stages of pregnancy but would be too polite to say.

Sorry to be harsh, OP, but I don't think people have been honest.

How do these threads pop up again??

It's from 2022.

Because you have a posters who don’t notice it’s a zombie thread - probably new here/ not able to read properly as they’re too busy typing out some vitriol. 🧐🙄

I have seen women wear hideous outfits and I saw a really overweight woman wear a tight dress. These are people I know and I have not said anything because it is their life and their body. However in this thread the poster has asked for an opinion and if any of the people I know had asked for my opinion, I would have given

Someone asked for my opinion the other day about a dress she was in and I did not know what to say. I just said she looked fine and she looked ok but would have looked better with different shoes but its her life and not mine and she was not aiming to please anyone but herself, but she did ask me for my opinion/ The dress itself looked a bit frumpy and I felt it would have been rude to say so so I just said you look fine

@Missingmyusername OP would have long made her decision about Xmas party dress 😆

At least less than nice message missed the boat (year).