We’ve come a long way since women’s lingerie was referred to as unmentionables, or have we?
Recent protests and complaints concerning ‘inappropriate’ ‘pornographic’ advertising from retailers Bras N Things and Honey Birdette suggest otherwise.
Most recently, the shopfront of Bras N Things in Campbelltown’s Macarthur Square shopping centre had been labelled as“disgusting and offensive” by local Councillor, Cindy Cagney.
Speaking to the Macarthur Chronicle, Cindy said, “You don’t see that type of lingerie and poses on daytime TV.”
“It’s an unrealistic view of women and to me it is sexually suggestive. I don’t think it is necessary.”
She goes on to spotlight the issue as an irresponsible representation of body image and contentious depiction of female sexuality.
See two of the offending images below.
Images from Bras N Things campaign
In these images and others in the campaign, the women featured are covered in more material than the average bikini offers. The poses and size of the women featured are no different than those plastering the walls of shops like Sports Girl or H&M.
The size of models used in mainstream advertising is a conversation that unquestionably needs to happen, but the amount of clothing worn by that model should not be part of the discussion.
Women should be allowed to celebrate their sexuality, to feel beautiful and confident. Lingerie has a unique power to do that, no matter what your size is.
It would be unrealistic to think any person looking at this type of advertising would feel pressured into wearing their underwear as outwear because, lingerie is for the wearer, not the starer.
Underwear can give us confidence while being completely hidden and it can empower women to feel confident in showing off their bodies.
Honey Birdette is an Australian Lingerie brand which has faced its fair share of controversy. Just last week they were petitioned to remove their shopfront advertising at Sydney’s Maquire centre after it was deemed inappropriate and pornographic for such a public space.
There have been claims that the brand’s latest campaign, Office Party (see shot pictured above) positions women as second-class citizens and objects.
This is something that Ashley Alexiss, model and international advocate for body positivity and body confidence does not agree with.
Speaking to Now to Love about her recent campaign for Lovehoney Lingerie Ashley said, “lingerie gives a woman a special kind of confidence. It accentuates everything you need it to and allows you to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and think ‘Damn! I’m hot!’.”
“There’s different pieces for every body type, every level of being revealing, there so many options and so many ways to play with it, which makes it even more fun!”
Now to Love also spoke to Eloise Monaghan, the founder and managing director Honey Birdette who said she is, “deeply concerned with the conservative narrative in Australia right now.
Eloise has even received death threats over the ‘inappropriate’ advertising her company uses.
“It’s frightening,” she explained.
Wearing lingerie you love and feeling good about yourself will, of course, be reflected in your mood and posture.
“Lingerie is about embracing what makes you feel confident, from the bedroom to the boardroom.”
“We can’t keep condemning women for feeling beautiful,” said Eloise.
“If we ban these images we’ll go back to 1917.
“If you can’t have a discussion about women in lingerie with your children now, what’s going to happen when they’re 18?”
Eloise plans to continue fighting to keep Honey Birdette as a mainstream brand available in public shops, which in itself as an empowering act.
We need to stop acting like women embracing their sexuality pr feeling beautiful offensive and start focusing on the real issues like body positivity and self-love.
