Ok, I have a confession. As much as I bitch and moan about not being thrilled with my body right now, I still refuse to purchase any sort of shapewear, like Spanx, to wear underneath dresses and skirts because the idea of having to resort to wearing something to suck me in only makes me feel fatter and more self-conscious. (Yes, I know I kind of have a self-image issue right now. I'm dealing with it, ok?)

And that's why I'm sitting here scratching my head after hearing that Katy Perry actually feels fat without her Spanx -- leading me to wonder if there's really more to slimming shapewear than meets the eye.

Do you feel like you’re caught in the rut of rolling out of bed, donning the "Mom Uniform" with a ponytail, and heading out to start your day? 

I don’t! That's because I make a conscious effort not to get stuck in the "mom trap."

Look, I’ve let go of lots of things: workouts with any regularity, my ability to have a glass of wine midday, my affinity for "me time." But I refuse to give up the glam! I don’t care if I’m at the park with my stilettos digging into rubber mulch -- I simply won't let my style go (it’s all I have left!).  

And in that spirit, this week on The Jenny Isenman Show, I’m the expert. Watch after the jump and I’ll share a couple of my favorite tips for going from forgettable to fabulous, like:

Unless you're a supermodel who survives on lettuce and had your trainer working with you mere seconds after you delivered, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and just plain gravity have likely taken a toll on your figure.

Lucky for us, the lingerie department holds the key to smoothing you out, lifting you up, and holding you in. Sarah James talks with "Lingerie Goddess" Margaret Shrum about avoiding the post-baby sag, sucking in those stubborn bulges, and avoiding the dreaded VPL in the latest episode of The Sarah James Show. Check out the video below, and read on for tips.

Well, hallelujah! Can I get a huge round of applause for Bethenny Frankel for using real women instead of models to launch her new shapewear line? I gotta tell ya -- I am getting so sick and tired of seeing pin-thin models demonstrating how to wear shapewear for figure fixes that they most certainly don't need.

And even though she's about as skinny as they get, Bethenny had the good sense to put her "Skinnygirl Smoothers n' Shapers" line to the test using women she knows in real life, who have real bodies. Isn't it great that even though she's a size 0, or size 2 at most, she still realizes that not all women fall into that size range?

Rapper Fabolous wasn't kidding when he called it "shoe-icide." We ladies are totally wrecking our feet and more when we put on heels over two inches high. But those lovely, sky-high Louboutins aren't the only problem. You could also be wearing Spanx or superskinny jeans, and out of the blue, you're suffering from acid reflux ... or numbness in your leg!? We've all experienced it: That moment in which you kick yourself for ever wearing such impractical, health-compromising clothes or accessories. But then, for the love of fashion, or looking slimmer or appearing taller, you rinse, repeat, and take the risk that you'll end up in pain. Guh!

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal explored some of the common sartorial missteps women make that turn them into fashion victims. Apparently, we need to be warned against apparel and accessories that are too tight, too loose, too heavy, too high, or too floppy. 

There's no ideal place to get into a tiff with your significant other, but at a black-tie family wedding just before his birthday and Valentine's Day has to be on the list of most inconvenient. But that's what happened with my guy and me this past weekend. We sparred over something which I knew in retrospect would seem really silly: My shoes. I had put together my entire ensemble for said wedding at the last minute, and that meant I was wearing adorable, sexy, but completely new, stiff, and uncomfortable patent leather peep toe pumps all night. When the band started grooving, my instinct was to slip off those bad boys and party rock barefoot. But the BF said it was inappropriate to be sans shoes at a black-tie event ...

After an unfortunate 20 or so minutes filled with me stumbling around whimpering and us trading curt words, I figured out what was really at the heart of his issue with my attempt to ditch the heels.

There are some servicemen standing a little taller and feeling a little slimmer today after receiving a holiday gift from Spanx. Oh yes, Spanx. The company that's been helping us squeeze into dresses and has made wearing tights a gosh darn pleasure has sent the military 10,000 "cotton compression undershirts." The tee, which retails for $58, is designed to firm up a man's chest, flatten his stomach, and just pretty much suck in whatever's a bit wobbly.

It's an odd gift for military men, no?