"It was because of my own butt," says Sara Blakely, matter-of-factly explaining how she came up with the concept for her first pair of Spanx, the modern-day girdle Blakely, 38, invented 11 years ago with $5,000 in hard-earned savings. "I did not like the way my rear end looked in white pants, and like so many women, I couldn't figure out what to wear under them." Spanx's 2008 retail sales were estimated at $350 million, and today the brand has more than 200 products that slim and smooth body parts extending way beyond the behind.
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