In recent years the blogging world has spoken out about wanting more diversity in lingerie, and thankfully we think they've been heard. To us ‘Diversity in lingerie’ isn't just about different models but also different sizes, different styles targeted to a wider range of people across different colours and ages.
Case in point the four main concerns that surround this wide topic are:
- Nude bras are not really ‘NUDE’ for everyone
- Not enough variety in models from size to skin tone
- Too many photo-shopped images, no realistic representation
- Not enough pretty bras available above a G or even a D cup
Trust us when we say we feel your pain… as a company that strives to sell D-K cup lingerie for what we think is a pretty ‘growing’ market, we also look for as many different brands, styles and images we can possibly have. However, finding a variety of styles and sizes that go above a G or GG cup is very limited to a few key brands like Panache, Flirtelle, Freya and Curvy Kate.
Never the less, it is still a growing market and there are a lot of potential from brands like Ewa Michalak and Tutti Rouge, who both strive to meet the demands of the D plus world. Hopefully, we can expect to see larger sizes and a real variety of models as the lingerie industry realise that the demand in diversity is bigger than it’s ever been.
There is NO one shade of Nude!
So let’s explore the connotations of the word ‘Nude’ in the lingerie industry – nude suggests that it is skin tone or it connotes being naked, it’s sold to the public as the bra that disappears under clothing because it is so close to the colour of your skin… Whoever invented this idea of the ‘nude’ bra clearly didn't think this through because there is no one shade of nude; we all represent a different skin tone and there are many different shades of the colour brown, including Tan, Camel, Fawn, Beige, Latte - the list can go on and on.
Thankfully a lot of brands have started creating a spectrum for different skin tones. They’ve started using more accurate colour descriptions to label their neutral bras instead of just smacking the word nude on there!
We all want to be represented!
Most lingerie companies misrepresent a large group of their customers because we all come in different shapes and sizes but products are rarely represented as such. The media is the main culprit that forces us into accepting that products only look good on size 6/8 models. However with any product I believe there needs to be something realistic to aspire to. For the average model being size 8 and under is a career in its own, but for the average working women this is near impossible to maintain.
As a country we have a wide cultural diversity, so there is a bigger market to appeal to, however a lot of cultures are lacking within the lingerie world, granted some more so because of their own values and beliefs but other ethnicities are highly under-represented.
What’s with photo-shopping models?
With any model comes the obvious scrutiny of photo-shop and how realistic their images are. This year in particular Debenhams have announced a ban on re-touching lingerie images in order to help promote a healthier body image. They encouraged other retailers and brands to follow suit with a very clear outline of what the standard photo shopped image looks like compare to the original and it was a shocking difference.
However, looking more deeply into lingerie brands Curvy Kate is a prime example of how companies should aim to promote a health body image – most of their models are between sizes 12-16 and they all look gorgeous, healthy and natural, plus their products always look amazing even in bigger sizes!
Lack of G+ Cup Brands
I know most of you that are above a G cup can relate to the lack of pretty bras in your size. This is gradually getting better as there is now a demand in play. However from a brand's perspective, as much as this might be hard to believe, there isn't a very high demand for G plus bras and because factories work with a high minimum (you’re only allowed to place an order if you are buying X amount) most brands end up losing money by trying to cater for all - because they do not sell enough of the bigger sizes.
I believe the reason that bigger sizes aren't selling is because the vast majority of women still do not realise that they are in fact above a D cup. Unfortunately because most high street shops only stock below a specific cup size this is all they are exposed to… so the more we spread the word to get a ‘proper’ fitting; the more the demand is likely to grow making it more viable for brands to take that step forward like Freya and Curvy Kate and produce most, if not all their bras in all size ranges.
