I want to cover my stomach as Ive had two surgeries and now have 9 insicions that rage anywhere from 1/2" to 3" long. I had to have most of stomach removed due to cancer and thats the 3" long one and 4 others are from that surgery. The others are from having my gallbladder removed, so the insicions are all over on my stomach, from right under my bra area all the way down to my belly button. I dont know what to do to cover them, and I really dont want to show them to anyone either.
What to use to cover stomach area
- Thread starter Seren
- Start date
Ariadne
Well-known member
Bellydance Boutique | Designs By Janie
Sugar Petals Dance Accessories Custom Body Stockings
Flamenco Diva Designs
Belly Dance Stuff: Making a Fishnet Body Stocking
Some fabric covers more then others and if this isn't your style you can always look into dress options.
Good luck!
Sugar Petals Dance Accessories Custom Body Stockings
Flamenco Diva Designs
Belly Dance Stuff: Making a Fishnet Body Stocking
Some fabric covers more then others and if this isn't your style you can always look into dress options.
Good luck!
shiradotnet
Well-known member
There are a couple of articles on my web site that talk about ways to cover the tummy.
This one was written by me: Dear Shira: What About My Scars?
This one was written by Dina Lydia: Ask the Belly Dance Costume Goddess: Flattering Costume Ideas for a Large Tummy
This one was written by me: Dear Shira: What About My Scars?
This one was written by Dina Lydia: Ask the Belly Dance Costume Goddess: Flattering Costume Ideas for a Large Tummy
Shanazel
Moderator
Congratulations on the survival those battle scars represent ! I am so happy to have you here with us.:clap:
I'm also a member of the scarred torso club and have had pretty good luck with my body stockings from Sugar Petals. I suppose one might can see the scars faintly though the mesh if one looks carefully but I'm content with that. I use a water proof product to cover the scars before putting on the bodystocking the coverage is complete, but I don't bother.
I'm also a member of the scarred torso club and have had pretty good luck with my body stockings from Sugar Petals. I suppose one might can see the scars faintly though the mesh if one looks carefully but I'm content with that. I use a water proof product to cover the scars before putting on the bodystocking the coverage is complete, but I don't bother.
I have many body stockings, I always wear some kind of cover over my midsection. One style that I like is a triangular piece of mesh attached to briefs. The point of the triangle is fastened to the center of the bra - I just pin it on the inside. I like this look, it's comfortable and cooler than a full body stocking.
Thank you for the ideas and links, I will check them out. What about the tops that have like a drape over the belly area, Ive seen them offered on a belly dance costume site, its like sleeveless choli (sp) with a drape of fabric that covers the belly and sides leaving the back open.
shiradotnet
Well-known member
The choli-with-apron would indeed do what you want.
A lot depends on whether you are dancing in student situations such as haflas (in which case the choli would be fine), or whether you aspire to professional gigs (in which you can still cover your midriff, but you'd need a different type of garment other than a choli for the purpose). Pro gigs usually expect high-glamor beads and sequins, and a choli wouldn't match up with that aesthetic, but there are other options such as mesh body stockings that would be fine.
BigJim
Member
I don't have any advice on what will work for you as far as covering your scars. But what I want to say is how much I admire you for battling back from cancer. I'm glad you still want to dance and I hope that it is helping you through your recovery. Sharing your situation gives us all inspiration to be as good as we can be and to count our blessings for what we have... Good Luck and All The Best ToYou....
Obsi
New member
I'm finding a bit of a problem with stomach covering options too... My issue is that I have a belly that has 2 rolls rather than being one belly (if that makes sense), and because my belly is flabby, my bellybutton is more of a line than a hole (unless I put something in it, like a marble) It makes me feel very self conscious.
So I've taken to wearing "shapewear" (like spanx) to squeeze me in and give me a flatter shaped stomach. The shapewear I usually use is a really thick black slightly shiny material (in several sizes too small), which works great to reduce my belly size, but I have to wear a black bodysuit over the top to make it look nicer and not like I'm wearing shapewear. Which is fine for some of the performances I do. But not the look I always want.
I do both ATS and Cabaret style. The Cabaret is with a fairly beginner troupe, so we tend to wear black bodysuits with a tie top over it, so at the moment I can get away with the bodysuit. I've been dancing for a while, but had a big break... so I would like to get back into the usual beaded bra and belt costume, but that would be a problem because a black bodysuit wouldn't really be appropriate there. Normally in the ATS trope they have bare bellies, so if I wear my black bodysuit, I feel that I look a bit out of place, because I'm the only one covered (even though the ats style means it's not out of place to wear a bodysuit)
I tried for one performance wearing a skin coloured less-squeezy shapewear and leaving it exposed.... but then that left me with a paler stomach than the rest of my skin (so it looked like I was wearing a cover), it didn't suck me in enough so you could still see my doublebelly, and I was left with looking like I had no bellybutton. I tried attaching a dangly earring over where my bellybutton was to disguise it, but it wasn't really ideal.
Most of the skin coloured shapewear I've found isn't made the same way as the black one I have - the black one is all one piece, smooth and really heavy duty. Whereas the skintone ones I've seen either are in a more skin-like fabric and aren't as heavy duty, or they are heavy duty but made with shiny fabric with seams and things, which mean they couldn't be worn alone. There's also the issue of it being a different colour to the rest of my skin, so looking obvious.
Most of the belly covers you can buy seem to be essentially just stocking material, I think mostly designed to cover scars and give a slight smoothing, but I need something a bit more industrial, so I need my shapewear
So I've been thinking that maybe my other option would be to buy a good (heavy duty) skintone shapewear and wear a black lace bodysuit over the top of that? Which would (hopefully) give the illusion that it's skin underneath the lace, while providing the girdling I need, and the lace will disguise any difference in skintone and any shinyness of the fabric, and should give a slimmer line too (being black)
I looked at the links posted above, and the DIY guide to making a fishnet body stocking might be something I could do, maybe not with fishnet, as I'd want more coverage, but if I can get some black lacy pantyhose, that idea might work to cover skintone shapewear.
It makes me feel very self conscious. So I've taken to wearing "shapewear" (like spanx) to squeeze me in and give me a flatter shaped stomach. The shapewear I usually use is a really thick black slightly shiny material (in several sizes too small), which works great to reduce my belly size, but I have to wear a black bodysuit over the top to make it look nicer and not like I'm wearing shapewear. Which is fine for some of the performances I do. But not the look I always want.
I do both ATS and Cabaret style. The Cabaret is with a fairly beginner troupe, so we tend to wear black bodysuits with a tie top over it, so at the moment I can get away with the bodysuit. I've been dancing for a while, but had a big break... so I would like to get back into the usual beaded bra and belt costume, but that would be a problem because a black bodysuit wouldn't really be appropriate there. Normally in the ATS trope they have bare bellies, so if I wear my black bodysuit, I feel that I look a bit out of place, because I'm the only one covered (even though the ats style means it's not out of place to wear a bodysuit)
I tried for one performance wearing a skin coloured less-squeezy shapewear and leaving it exposed.... but then that left me with a paler stomach than the rest of my skin (so it looked like I was wearing a cover), it didn't suck me in enough so you could still see my doublebelly, and I was left with looking like I had no bellybutton. I tried attaching a dangly earring over where my bellybutton was to disguise it, but it wasn't really ideal.
Most of the skin coloured shapewear I've found isn't made the same way as the black one I have - the black one is all one piece, smooth and really heavy duty. Whereas the skintone ones I've seen either are in a more skin-like fabric and aren't as heavy duty, or they are heavy duty but made with shiny fabric with seams and things, which mean they couldn't be worn alone. There's also the issue of it being a different colour to the rest of my skin, so looking obvious.
Most of the belly covers you can buy seem to be essentially just stocking material, I think mostly designed to cover scars and give a slight smoothing, but I need something a bit more industrial, so I need my shapewear
So I've been thinking that maybe my other option would be to buy a good (heavy duty) skintone shapewear and wear a black lace bodysuit over the top of that? Which would (hopefully) give the illusion that it's skin underneath the lace, while providing the girdling I need, and the lace will disguise any difference in skintone and any shinyness of the fabric, and should give a slimmer line too (being black)
I looked at the links posted above, and the DIY guide to making a fishnet body stocking might be something I could do, maybe not with fishnet, as I'd want more coverage, but if I can get some black lacy pantyhose, that idea might work to cover skintone shapewear.
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