Manx: Would You Let Your Boyfriend Wear These?

Supermarket Asda claims to have answered the prayers of men and women up and down the country. No, it's not a solution to the recent riots, nor a fail-safe strategy to save the global ecomony. Instead, the supermarket has unveiled hold-everything-in control pants for men that claim to lift and firm flabby behinds, sculpt beer bellies and smooth away love handles.

Nicknamed Manx, after the female underwear brand Spanx, the stretchy fabric is said to be the perfect for the self-conscious man who wants to appear firm and flatter. While women happily cavort around in padded bras and stomach-smoothing knickers, it seems to us that there is something fundamentally wrong with the male of the species taking this approach.

Hypocritical as it sounds, this garment is just utterly and terminally unsexy. Still, given the number of beer bellies we expect they will be flying off the shelves - plus if women are allowed to squash and sculpt their bodies, why shouldn't men?

Perhaps David Beckham is taking notes for his upcoming underwear collection for H&M?

See Mr Beckham's most memorable style moments in the gallery below (including some slightly more attractive pants).