Two Massachusetts women have filed a class action lawsuit against two companies that make shapewear for promoting false promises about their product.
Annique Bellot and Tara Stefani claim that Maidenform and Wacoal lied to customers when it marketed shapewear guaranteeing to "permanently change women's body shape and skin tone," Yahoo! Shine reported.
The products in question are Maidenform's Flexees Instant Slimmer line and Wacoal's iPant. Shapewear products have grown popular among women for their ability to tuck in and smooth out parts of the body, creating a slimmer appearance.
The Wacoal iPant, available for $60, claims to "reshape your lower body in 28 days with lasting results," by releasing anti-aging ingredients like Vitamin E into the skin, according to the lawsuit obtained by Yahoo! Shine.
The plaintiffs are demanding to be awarded damages and are asking for an injunction to stop both companies from making money from the products.
"There are a lot of false claims about their weight loss products and we believe, as alleged in the complaint, that the Maidenform and Wacoal products are misrepresented," Matthew Pawa, the plaintiffs' attorney, told Yahoo! Shine.
"We're doing this to change corporate behavior and avoid misleading claims in the marketplace."
But it was the material both products were made from, produced by an outside company, that turned out to be misleading. The products are made from a nylon microfiber material called Novarel Slim.
Maidenform released a statement about the fabric, which was made by a Spain-based company called Nurel.
"The manufacturer of the fabric used in certain shapewear products marketed by Maidenform may be unable to provide the level of substantiation for advertising claims that Maidenform expects," read the statement obtained by Yahoo! Shine.
Body hugging products like shapewear and spanks have drawn criticism for reasons other than the products not working. Health experts say that wearing the corset-like clothing is harmful for the wearer's health.
