Girdles for men? Beer-bellied guys are taking a cue from the ladies.

"Some of this has evolved from guys who already look pretty good who want muscle shirts that don't look like they're from the 1950s," he said. "When Nike and Under Armour started getting into the compression shirt or close-fitting garment business, way back to the Bo Jackson ads, guys noticed that it enhanced their look."

Indeed, Equmen ("Equality for Men") markets its product as much as for athletes as Pete Potato-Belly, saying that its high-end garments amount to a healthy life-style choice, improving posture and back support, as well as a "noticeably slimmer appearance."

(To see for ourselves, we dutifully plunked down $58 for a Spanx compression shirt, opting for a tasteful black V-neck. We discovered it's not a T-shirt and it will snap back like a rubber band if you stretch it. We banged our nose trying to pull it over our head. It felt like wearing a wet suit, only you don't get to go to the beach.)

Undergarments' impact

Sales of men's undergarments have been fluctuating over the past couple of years, NPD data show, but the field recorded 0.5 percent growth in units sold in 2009, to end with 1.53 billion units sold. (Sales of women's intimates, for comparison, were up 1 percent last year, ending with 3.49 billion units sold.) Men's shapewear, with more than a dozen companies marketing various forms of shirts or underwear that hold the belly in, perk up the bottom or narrow the waist, are a small part of the uptick, Cohen said.

Nonetheless, the garments' impact is being felt, according to some retailers.

"They've done incredibly well for us," says Liberty Jones, the public relations manager for Neiman Marcus at Mazza Gallerie. "This is a very nice tool that men now have. It gives you confidence."

The store in Northwest Washington isn't hiding the things behind the counter -- they're featured in an in-store display, right out by the coats and ties.

Mariam Ma, who created the Canadian-based online warehouse Mens Girdle Store last year, says the things are selling not just to lumpy 40-somethings but to slim young dudes who want a perfect silhouette.

"Have you seen those skinny suits they are wearing that's in fashion today?" she said. "Not a lot of people can pull that off without help."

Houshang Jalili, president of California-based Insta Slim, was one of the pioneers of the field. He debuted his "ISA collection" of men's shapewear -- essentially spandex-type T-shirts in crew neck, V-neck or tank top -- in 2008 to instant success. He did so after working in women's swimwear for 25 years.

"I noticed the tummy control suits sold so much better than the other ones," he said, "so I thought it would be good to try it for men. . . . I would say about 65 percent I sell directly to men, and about 35 percent are to women buying for their husbands or boyfriends."