Do you ever wander through lingerie aisles in the store, admiring the alluring and elegant pieces you find? Do you always walk away without buying a thing because you’re convinced that lingerie only looks good on other people?
You’re not alone. For years, the lingerie scene was dominated by the likes of Victoria’s Secret, where “sexy” was defined through homogeneous casting among their models. Overwhelmingly, everyone pictured in the catalogs or at the fashion shows was preternaturally tall and thin, cisgender, and caucasian. Youth, narrow hips, and small busts ruled the runway.
The Industry Begins to Break Away From Beauty Molds
As the body positivity movement gains traction, people are moving away from spoken and unspoken narratives that describe feminine beauty as slender, white, and cisgender. They’re starting to look around and realize that the vast majority of people they see have “unconventional” bodies that don’t meet the standards that brands have long promoted.
Some lingerie companies still haven’t gotten the message, of course. Meanwhile, others are emerging to meet the growing needs of consumers who are finally learning to embrace — and even celebrate – the uniqueness of their bodies.
Busted Bra Shop, for example, says, “We’re LGBTQ-friendly, and we firmly believe that body positivity means loving the natural human form — and that doesn’t come in “standard” and “nonstandard” shapes and sizes.”
You can see their commitment to body positivity with just a single glance at their website, where Busted Bra features models of all sizes, shapes, skin colors, and aesthetics on their pages. Clearly, they want their clients to see themselves in the lingerie they offer — not some unattainable ideal.
Learning to Love Your Body Takes Practice
Self-acceptance isn’t always easy, especially if you’ve been made to feel ashamed of your body in the past. Deconditioning takes time. The first step toward body positivity is often changing your internal mindset: Instead of wearing what you think makes you look good to other people, focus on wearing whatever makes you feel good.
Wearing beautiful lingerie is one step toward embracing the parts of your body that may have once made you self-conscious. Instead of hiding large breasts in industrial-sized bras, go for a lacy bralette or a bra with a plunging neckline that accentuates your curves. Instead of promising yourself a sexy piece of lingerie once you “lose a few pounds,” buy some lovely, exotic undergarments that make you happy today.
Intimate wear is, by design, a very personal form of one’s self-expression. If you’re only wearing lingerie to please someone else’s eyes, you’re missing out on a fantastic opportunity to practice a little self-care and explore body positivity.
Celebrate the Things That Make Your Body Unique
Everybody is beautiful. Every body is beautiful. Almost nobody has the “ideal” body — and ideals change from place to place and generation to generation, anyhow. Instead of thinking about the flaws you perceive your body to have, it’s time to embrace the lingerie and other small essentials that make you feel your very best.
