Dressing for Confidence: The Influence of Hourglass silhouettes and Slimming designs on Women’s Body Image

Abstract

This mini study explores how hourglass silhouettes and slimming features in dress design influence women’s confidence, perceptions of their body image, and decisions regarding whether to own or wear a particular dress, demonstrating that such decisions extend beyond simply evaluating whether the design itself is beautiful or attractive. This study uses a strappy, double-layered wraparound mini dress as the main research object to gain deeper insights into participants’ relationships with their bodies and levels of self-confidence. A dress without slimming features or a defined hourglass silhouette may have limited the depth of the research, as participants’ responses could have focused mainly on negative perceptions of their bodies without allowing for a more detailed exploration of how body-enhancing design features may influence both positive and negative perceptions. For this research, five classmates (S, N, R, J, and A) were interviewed about their views and first impressions towards the dress, and their answers about if they would own the dress if they were given a chance to get one. The findings show two main themes that are closely interconnected: Enhanced Confidence and Positive Body Perception, and Body Image Concerns and Limited Wearability. Although there were some positives from the interviews, most interviewees expressed concerns about whether the dress would suit their own bodies. Despite its slimming, tight-fitting wraparound construction designed to create an hourglass silhouette, many believed that it would appear more flattering and fit more comfortably on slender figures. Overall, the findings suggest that women’s perceptions of the dress were strongly influenced by how they imagined it would look like on their own bodies, and comparing this with women who have preferrable standards of attractiveness.

Full revised manuscript

The author-supplied revised edition is available as a complete 16-page text-only PDF below. Figures and externally sourced images are omitted from this archive while reproduction rights are checked. The author-hosted illustrated PDF is linked separately and is not covered by the text license.

Read or download complete revised text (PDF)Author-hosted illustrated revision

Publication record

Article ID: ODCS-V0-008
Issue: Vol. 0 · Founding Issue
Received: 2026.09.17
Language: English
Status: Final published edition (revised manuscript); editorial decision, not independent peer review
License: CC BY-NC 4.0
Revision posted: 2026.10.01
Text-only archive DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23073134
Final editorial decision: 2026.10.01

Editorial decision: this is the final published version. Earlier screening notes and signed comments remain dated records; publication does not imply independent peer review.

Citation

Htwe Ei Ei Win. (2026). Dressing for Confidence: The Influence of Hourglass silhouettes and Slimming designs on Women’s Body Image. Open Design & Card Studies. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23073134.

Current revised text-only PDF Author-hosted illustrated revision

Earlier editorial note

First posted 2026.09.17; author-revised edition posted 2026.10.01. The author added interview recruitment and consent information, methods, analysis, and references. The revised text-only PDF is the current journal manuscript. The external illustrated PDF is author-hosted; CC BY-NC 4.0 applies only to the author's original text. This article remains open to signed post-publication review; no completed independent peer review is claimed.

ODCS-V0-008 · Publication record

Editorial and review record

Dated editorial notes and signed comments are preserved as publication history. New public reviews are closed.

Closed

Published records 2

Editorial screening note

Open Design & Card Studies Editorial Office

Editorial screening

2026.09.17

The manuscript presents a clear design object and a focused exploratory question about body image, confidence and wearability. The web edition retains the submitted wording and PDF as supplied. The notes below are invitations to make the evidence and scope easier to evaluate in public discussion.

Clarify the sampling frame and participant context. Five classmates can support an exploratory classroom study, but the manuscript should state recruitment, consent, participant characteristics relevant to the question, interview setting and how notes or recordings were handled.
Separate participants’ interpretations from claims about women generally. The findings describe this group’s responses to one dress; avoid implying that all women evaluate hourglass or slimming features in the same way.
Explain how the two themes were produced. A compact table linking each theme to the number of participants, representative excerpts and the design feature discussed would make the analysis more traceable.
Check and strengthen the reference list. Several claims rely on web pages, media reports or recent sources. Please verify each citation, add stable bibliographic details where available, and connect important claims to the source that actually supports them.
Discuss the design object more concretely. A clear image, pattern or construction description, size range and material information would help readers assess what is meant by double-layered, wraparound, body-friendly and slimming.

Revision and publication update

Editorial update

2026.10.01

The author submitted a revised 16-page manuscript. It now describes an exploratory group of five classmates, recruitment, interview consent, materials and construction of the dress, and two themes in greater detail. The original editorial questions remain visible as a revision record. The small, convenience sample and self-reported responses do not establish general effects on women or prove that the design changes confidence. Image reproduction rights have not been verified, so the current journal archive is text-only. Signed public review remains welcome.