Battle of the bulge: Pants to help men beef up

BODY-CONSCIOUS men can now beef up their bulge with a new pair of pants launched by Marks and Spencer.

The underwear has a built-in “shelf” to enable those fretting over their lunchboxes to pump up their packages by more than a third, according to its makers.

The range, which goes on sale at M&S later this month, has been engineered to give its users a bum-lift.

Body-enhancing underwear has become a staple of the female wardrobe since the success of the Wonderbra and control pants made famous by Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones’s Diary.

Dave Binns, of M&S, said: “Women have been wearing and enjoying the benefits of shapewear for many years now and we saw such a positive response from men when we launched our Bodymax shaping vests earlier this year. Pants are the next natural addition to this range and our technologists have worked hard to engineer two styles that are comfortable to wear and that give real results.”

The underwear, on sale from October 15, consists of a bum-lift pant and a frontal enhancement garment, both available in white and black. The frontal enhancement pant will cost £10 (€11.50), is a hipster style and is made from a cotton stretch fabric.

Designers claim the bum-lift pant, costing £15 (€17.25), gives a 20% visual lift. The pants are available online.