Ashy Or Classy?!? - Spanx For Men.

I'm on that gradual slide toward the Big 4-0, and like most middle aged dudes with real jobs and families, find getting to the gym and eating good harder and harder by the day. Before one of you young, single dudes says "just do some sit ups and push ups", save the jibber jabber. It ain't that easy, not when you have a full deck. Trust me, one day, you'll see.

So yeah, I'd like to drop a few pounds around the midsection, but I think this latest ploy for men's money is just a wee bit over the top.

Women aren’t the only ones concerned about their figures these days.

At least that’s what the creators of the new “Spanx For Men” hope.

The company that created “Power Panties” and “Slim Cognito” to “contain” and shape women’s bodies has come up with similar products for males. The new mini-collection includes tank tops, v-necks and crewneck undershirts, perfect for pressing down beer bellies and bulking up arms and chests.

Constructed of Egyptian cotton, the shirts are 19% spandex and appear just like regular t-shirts. They’re priced much higher, however - between $55 and $58.

“We wanted it to be a shirt for guys who wouldn’t normally wear shape wear, so they would try it and think ‘Oh, this is designed better’” than regular T-shirts, Spanx founder Sara Blakely told the Wall Street Journal.

Blakely said when she first got requests for such items several years ago she thought it was a joke, but soon acknowledged that demand for male shapewear had become "a movement." She got to work testing out prototypes on male members of her family. They rejected one style that had a seam across the chest and a central compression panel because they felt its intent was too obvious.

“I kept hearing, ‘We just want it to look normal,’” she told the Journal.

The experimental products are already generating strong interest on the company’s e-commerce site, Spanx.com. The line hits Neiman Marcus stores March 15.

Blakely claims the response has been so strong so far, she’s already cooking up her next product for men: underwear that compresses the bottom.

Lemme just say this: any dude rockin' a Male Spanx needs to get off the couch and go ride a bike. This sh*t is just stupid.

Men getting eyebrows arched, hairlines penciled in, and Botox is just too damn much. As a Kappa Man, I'd be the last to suggest that a guy shouldn't be somewhat concerned with his appearance, but at what point is too much too much? Methinks Male Spanx is officially too much.

Do some sit ups and push ups, and lay off the drive thru window.

Yeah, that one was for me. Dude Spanx? Uhh, not so much.

Question: Ashy or Classy?!? Are Spanx For Dudes too damn much, or should a man do whatever it takes to maintain his manly physique, even if it means wearing an excessively tight Under Armor shirt to hide his paunch? Ladies, what do you think? When is too much too much?

Spanx for Men is here: Inventor of 'power panties' launches shapewear line for guys [NY Daily News]