Banish the muffin top

by Martha Edwards (Subscribe to Martha Edwards's posts)
Aug 16th 2007 7:51PM

You might have heard of the phrase "muffin top." If that mention got your mouth watering, you probably haven't been educated as to what the modern-day muffin top is -- it's that bit of flab that hangs out over top of your pants. It's also known as "Dunlap Syndrome" as in, your stomach done lap over your jeans.

So how do you get rid of the "muffin top-Dunlap Syndrome"? Well, you start by doing 500-crunches and running a few miles every day for a month, or you could take a more novel approach -- buy bigger pants and looser, longer tops. Also, take advantage of the fact that high-waisted jeans are coming back into style and put your ultra low-rise ones away ... for now.

How do you conceal your muffin top?

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Comments (86)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)

julie 8-17-2007 @ 10:50AM

thank god for high-waisted jeans! i'm so sick of seeing the tops of people's butt cracks when they sit down!

Amanda 8-17-2007 @ 10:49AM

I'm an "older" woman and although not overweight, I carry a small muffin top. I happen to really like the low ride jeans ( I wear a longer tucked in shirt though). I'm short waisted and my rib cage almost sits on my hips when I sit down. Therefore, higher waisted jeans tend to cut into me and also don't fit as well. They tend to leave a gap in the back. That sort of thing tends to happen as our hips get wider than our waist. I, too, hate to see the crack of Dawn in low riders and the extra rolls when someone wears a too short shirt with the low riders. Some people have more rolls than a bread bakery and it really should be kept under better packaging.

Scrubnuts 8-17-2007 @ 10:44AM

I hate high waisted jeans/pants. They look terrible. I really wish that look would not come back in style.

mary 8-17-2007 @ 10:44AM

here is a funnny thing about"mom jeans" lol

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mom+jeans

shannon 8-17-2007 @ 10:47AM

Easy wear clothes that fit!

Ban the Muffin Top 8-17-2007 @ 10:47AM

If they would just buy the right size instead of trying to squeeze in to a smaller size muffin top would be gone - there's nothing worse than having to look at a muffin top, no matter what her age is!

Char 8-17-2007 @ 10:48AM

High waisted jeans aren't that great either. I am short and pudgy and they make me have an awful tummy pooch. How hard is it for someone to just look at themselves before they walk out of their house! Wear what fits your shape best. Who cares what's in style for the next five minutes?

dom 8-17-2007 @ 10:49AM

i also have a problem i can not wear jogging pants w boxers or any others underwear theres a big bulge that sticks out and when i walk it wings from ,right to left ,right to left.what can i do?

Natasha 10-03-2007 @ 11:14PM

I always thought it was called Dunlop Syndrome in reference to Dunlop tires, a.k.a. a spare tire.

taddymurphy 8-17-2007 @ 10:53AM

So, the message here is, "spot-reducing works"?

Ralph Garcia 8-17-2007 @ 10:17AM

Here in Miami, a lot of people get potbellies and muffin top by eating Cuban bread. Why? because Cuban bread is made with lard. It's higher in fat than other bread. If you're going to have a carb in your diet, don't make it Cuban bread. Also trans fats are bad. You heard of the baseball players Livan Hernandez and Miguel Cabrera who came to the United States as skinny baseball players. They then fattened up on latin staples such as Cuban bread and chicharones. Chicharones are "pork rinds." They went on to balloon to about 100-pounds over their weight. These pork rinds are from bloated pigs. I guess you really are what you eat. There are better and healthier tastes in food than sugar, salt, and grease.

Andi Price 8-17-2007 @ 10:48AM

I live in a university town and the girls here seem oblivious to the fact that their beer and Freshman-15 has turned into Freshman-45 with a HUGE muffin top. In addition to the low-rider jeans, they choose tops that would be snug on a 6-year old so it's stretched over chests that have clearly exceeded the capacity of their bra then down over a muffin top that Poppin' Fresh could be proud of, then it stops 2 inches short of their jeans. They spend all their time tugging it down and it brings to mind Shirley McClains line in Steel Magnolias... two pigs wrestling under a blanket.

IF you're overweight, PLEASE choose a shirt that conceals some of that lard because the rest of us REALLY hate looking at it. Those tops from the childrens department look like last year's hand-me-downs. They make you look like a pear and, unless the look you're going for is 'Ridiculous', you're missing the mark.

kluji 8-17-2007 @ 10:59AM

Not sure about you folks but the picture in the article of the chick with the muffin top...looks pretty tasty to me. Damn, what is the problem there? As much as i am not attracted sexually to extremely overweight girls i am also not attracted to extremely skinny girls either....leave some meat on the bones to enjoy. that chick in the picture has one nice behind muffin top or not...chomp chomp!!

Jeff Pfeiffer 8-17-2007 @ 11:05AM

I agree...I know the article is about the "Muffin Top" thing, and I also agree that when you see it it does NOT look very flattering. However, the girl in the pic probably wasn't the best example to use to make the point...I've seen MUCH MUCH worse out there and a more...shall we say "muffinesque" example should have been used.
The girl in the pic doesn't really look that bad at all!!!

I wonder if she herself has seen the pic & knows that she is now being viewed as an example of "Muffin Top" syndrome. Do the photogs get a person's permission to nationally publish pics like these?

meca27 8-17-2007 @ 11:22AM

The girl actually does look good but her jeans are way too tight and her love handles do match perfectly with the muffin on the right.

Devynn 8-17-2007 @ 11:22AM

i wear the low rise and mid rise jeans. if i see that my muffin top is going to be exposed, i just wear a longer, looser fitting, but still flattering top. tshirts are your friend, ladies! and for the love of the fashion gods, PLEASE burn all mom jeans! they are UGLY and unflattering. a mid rise jean will do the job, esp one with a boot cut or flared leg. don't give your husband/boyfriend/partner/significant other a reason to go cheat on you with that hottie from accounting b/c you don't know how to dress yourself in something age appropriate AND flattering. but if you want to stick with mom jeans, don't come crying to us b/c ppl don't see you as the hottie you used to be anymore. you brought it on yourself!

Devynn 8-17-2007 @ 11:26AM

and photogs DO NOT get permission to take these types of pictures which is why they don't show the person's face.

Cindy 8-17-2007 @ 11:31AM

Well, I am very tall and old so l never worry about what is in style. I personally like the higher waist jeans because I am tall and they fit better. People should just wear what fits and not worry about trying to look like 20-something when they're 40- and 50-something. Well-fitting clothes always make you look much better than ill-fitting clothing. That goes for you men too...before you criticize the ladies' muffin tops you ought to look at your own poochy bellies.

chameleon1218 8-24-2007 @ 9:34AM

Thank goodness for the return of high rise jeans. I'm a tall woman with a long torso and low rise jeans are my worst enemy.

As for the muffin top - if people would just wear clothes that fit we wouldn't have this problem.

Kathy 8-17-2007 @ 11:45AM

There is nothing worse than a skinny girl with a muffin top!!! I get so angry because if I was that skinny, I would make it look good! I am an average-weight woman who looks good in the low-rise jeans, but I work hard to conceal what should not be shown. Bigger or longer shirts work for the most part, and if I'm still not comfortable, I am a true believer in Spanx!! They are miracle workers!!!