Underwear. Lingerie. Bras. Panties. Everyone wears one or the other. Well, maybe not everyone wears underwear or panties specifically, but you get what I mean.
What is certain, however, is that the world’s smallest items of clothing can cost an arm and a leg. Why is this? Let’s start with the simple psychology of fashion and the effect it has on our self-image and self-esteem. When we wear something with a design or aesthetic that we like, we feel more comfortable and confident to present ourselves to the outside world. It gives us the boost we need in our everyday lives, This is especially the case for us as women, where our physical appearances are so heavily criticized and get judged: directly and indirectly. When we wear underwear and lingerie, and we feel sexually empowered underneath our day-to-day clothes or uniform, it just does something to our brains. My mother is a firm believer in always wearing ‘nice’ bras and panties. Because God forbid (sarcasm), if we were to end up in a horrific accident, we cannot have the doctors and nurses thinking less of us because we were wearing our granny panties and broken bras that day.
Question to you dear readers, to embody my inner Lady Whistledown: does anyone else feel particularly embarrassed when standing and browsing in the underwear/lingerie section of a store, or is it just me? Even at the age of 21, I feel particularly awkward standing in a department store and rummaging through a range of brightly coloured, lacy pairs of panties for a 3-for-2 deal. Especially when people walk past and it feels like everyone is watching you. Too often I’ve felt overwhelmed by a feeling of shame for some reason, even though I know I shouldn’t be ashamed of perusing and purchasing underwear.
Is it because of the correlation between underwear, particularly lingerie, and sex? Most probably. Does this have something to do with looking at models in ad campaigns while growing up? The mannequins wearing those bustiers, bodysuits and bras had breath-taking designs that caught my eye, but it felt so perverted as a young child and then as a teenage girl. Why did I feel so ashamed of sexuality when looking at lingerie? Especially when it’s a multi-billion-dollar industry that extends from the glamorous world of fashion, particularly during the reign of the lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret from the 90s to the late 2010s. Why is lingerie so widely distributed and advertised, yet the act of purchasing it and using it for its intended function feels like such a crime and so sinful? Is it because women often lack space in this world and society to have agency over their sexuality? Is it because women are perceived and expected to be sex objects and submissive during sex? Considering this, does this make the act of being proactive in one’s sexuality and purchasing lingerie a rebellious act?
Fashion and lingerie have always shared an extremely important relationship, from the use of corsets and bustiers in Victorian-era and burlesque fashions, to the arguable onslaught of exposed G-strings with low-rise jeans in the 2000s. Let’s not forget the recent lingerie trend we have been seeing with garments like bodysuits, bustiers, silk and satin slip dresses today, and the corsets now used by many as outerwear in lieu of the ‘going-out top’. If people and society continue to evolve in certain aspects and simultaneously remain stagnant in others, so does our fashion, and our perceptions of sexuality and lingerie.
My advice to you dear reader is to never be ashamed of your sexuality. It is your power. I repeat – its yours, even if it might not feel that way sometimes. Stand for hours in that lingerie section of the store and walk around proudly with your 3-for-2 special past all the aunties and uncles at the shops. Own it!