Spanx

Here’s a ratio that prevails at far too many holiday parties: 99 percent vanity, 1 percent fun.

I live in suburbia — home to barbecues and book clubs, malls and multiplexes, country clubs, cul-de-sacs and Costcos the size of Connecticut. The occupants of those precincts will be out in force this Saturday, as SUVs all over town disgorge 50-plus types eager to communally celebrate our national birthday. (Cause to feel festive: We’re only 239 years old!)

Love to gawk at award shows? Me too.

An outdoor wedding - on a beach, in a garden - sounds tantalizing when we first RSVP. But then we recall the likely gate-crashers:

Back in the day, it was called a corset or a girdle. Now it's called shapewear, with the hugely popular Spanx line and other brands helping women smooth their lumps and bumps under clothes.

'Tis the season of opportunity - a time when festivities that require you to mingle (ack!) likewise give you a chance to: