Body-shaping surgeries are life-changing experiences, but it’s the period following a procedure that is the most crucial step—and it can be painful, risky and, frankly, traumatic. Enter Body By Doctor’s newest venture, Body By Faja, which seeks to make the recovery process as comfortable and luxurious as possible with its custom fajas offering the ultimate post-surgical support for a range of body types.

“The faja is a person’s best friend after surgery,” Body By Doctor CEO Ashley Valencia says of the shapewear and compression garment, which originated in Colombia. However, after recognizing a void in the marketplace for fajas that were both functional and fashionable, the savvy businesswoman sought to create a luxury product line that would serve as a complement to her international network of certified cosmetic surgeons.

The fajas sold by Body By Faja are, first and foremost, easy to wear. “The rule that the faja has to hurt you and you have to be uncomfortable in order to know the faja is doing its job, it’s not true,” Valencia says. Made from a high-quality power net material, the garment is crafted to fit each person’s body like a glove and even has a zipper that extends from the pubic area to the upper back for added convenience.

Inclusivity was another priority for Valencia when starting the business. “I hate the fajas that are out there being sold because they are made for a stereotype of body that right now, it’s not even in the books,” she explains. “The fajas that are out there in the market, they don’t care if your thighs are big. Mine do.” Rather than constricting the butt, waist or thighs, she notes that her fajas accentuate a curvy, hourglass shape while still allowing the wearer to breathe and move properly.

Available in a modern black-and-white colorway, Body By Faja's garments are bold and confidence-boosting. “For me it is a fashion statement—and not only a fashion statement, but also an empowerment statement,” Valencia offers. “I want to make these girls feel beautiful while also sporting luxury.” The company’s first product campaign, which was shot in Miami and is called “Fajate,” features women donning their fajas in everyday public places, from the supermarket to the gas station. “We’re trying to normalize wearing a faja and not being ashamed,” she says.

The CEO is taking empowerment one step further by using her new business to create jobs. “I’ve been very close with some organizations with domestic abuse [and] people that are in need—especially women who are in need, who are pregnant and about to have a child and need a job,” she says. “When we created this company, one of my biggest things on my list was to create jobs working from home, where I can give these girls packages to promote and sell on their own so they can become entrepreneurs.”

Valencia has big plans for this "new movement” that benefits women in myriad ways, including the opening of several Body By Faja boutiques across the U.S. and Mexico before the end of the year. “I’m excited that we’re going to branch out and I’m going to see everybody wearing these luxury fajas,” she says—proving that stylish, specially made undergarments may be the self-care we all need in 2023.