Shapewear maker Spanx tries to loosen up its image

New York

SPANX, the flab-obscuring, body-sculp-ting line of bras and bodysuits, helped a generation of women squeeze into ever-tinier dresses.

Now it's struggling with its own image problem.

"Compression is just so 15 years ago," said Jacqui Stafford, a fashion editor and celebrity stylist in New York. "Women today just don't want to be squeezed into something uncomfortable. And they're more comfortable with real bodies."

As the conversation around women's bodies evolves, from chasing the perfect figure to embracing "real beauty", what is a body-sculpting, figure-contorting brand like Spanx to do?

Even company executives acknowledge that the thinly veiled fat-shaming that has long dominated its ads feels outdated. So, instead of gut-squeezing agony, a new line of Spanx pants and bodysuits offers an easier, less-constricting fit, something the brand says has more to do with sm…