Clothing designed to fit closely to and show off the shape of your body, like tight shirts or leggings.
Compound of 'body' and 'wear' (clothing). A contemporary marketing term created in late 20th century retail to describe form-fitting fashion as a category.
Bodywear is a relatively new word category that reflects how fashion increasingly focuses on emphasizing the body rather than concealing it—something that would have been shocking in previous centuries.
Bodywear marketing and design have historically emphasized women's bodies as visual objects, while men's bodywear is marketed functionally without equivalent sexualization.
Use 'bodywear' functionally; avoid marketing language that reduces bodywear to aesthetic display only for one gender.
Functional bodywear design (compression, moisture-wicking) should serve performance equally regardless of gender, moving away from appearance-first marketing.
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