"Smooth Body Slimmer" v. "Insta-Slim Shirt"

I received an ad in the mail today (along with my usual pack of junk mail) for a "smooth body slimmer" from DreamProductsCatalog.com. The ad caught my eye for a few reasons:

1. The woman's sexualized stance. Sure, the idea is that this'll make you look "sexier," but since I've started reading Sociological Images I can't help but notice any instance of an unnecessarily "feminine" stance in advertising.
2. The ad is simultaneously fat normalizing and fat shaming: it speaks of "female 'fat zones,'" as if there are areas of the body where women are just fat in general, but then of course it tells you that those zones aren't okay, and you should be trying to look 20 pounds thinner.
3. The idea of owning one of these things kind of made me giggle. I tried to imagine bringing a guy home from a date, getting into the bedroom, him pulling my dress over my head to find... this thing? "Ooh, baby, I love your, uh, smooth body slimmer?" I don't think so.

Out of curiosity, I went to the website, and was surprised to see a somewhat similar male garment prominently featured. The contrast is interesting. The male ad admits that this kind of thing for men is uncommon--the copy reads, "Finally...a slimming garment for men!"

Yet the ad reproduces the women-diet-to-look-good-while-men-can-only-be-interested-in-health-because-they're-active dichotomy. While the women are evidently worried about "look[ing] up to 20 pounds thinner," the men should be "feel[ing] and look[ing] years younger." The male garment provides a behavioral and emotional boost (there's a big difference between "feeling" different and just "looking" different)... but more importantly, the desired state for women is "thinner," while the desired state for men is "younger." The former is purely cosmetic, while the latter suggests improved virility and vigor. This difference is emphasized in the little bullet points that tell you what the products do. The female garment "lifts your bust & butt," "flattens your stomach," and "slims your hips and thighs" (so that you can stand there and look pretty, of course!), whereas the male garment "promotes perfect posture," "trims and tightens," and offers "back support" (so that you can go out there and be an active, trim, tight, weight-lifting man's man).

Of course, the idea that your body isn't good enough is universal.