Yesterday I read this post on i-D by Tish Weinstock interviewing Hayat Rachi. To summarise, the founder of Neon Moon lingerie (currently a kickstarter) was explaining why her brand defies anything which sexualises women. Firstly I just want to take a moment to appreciate the irony that is her name-share with Neon Moon Burlesque and Caberet Club. Moving on from this wonderful piece of coincidence, I have mixed feelings about this interview.
Rachi of Neon Moon makes some good points about the benefits of soft cup bras. It's certainly true to say that wires are not as essential as a lot of retailers market them to be, but to say that the only purpose wiring serves is to "adhere to the idea of women as sexual objects" is just not true. For petite and core sizing I agree that wires aren't strictly necessary, we only use them to create the shape that we find attractive but the support which underwiring can give to a large cup size is unrivalled. It allows support to alleviate back pain without having to bind the breasts tight into the body and use lots of extra panelling, seams and fabric which of course all add to the cost of a garment. One area where wires are necessary is in supportive strapless bras, you cannot get the bra to sit tight against the body and stay in one place with supportive, individual cups (as opposed to a bandeau) without them.
Onto breasts. Here's where I get passionate. To say that presenting breasts as sexual is wrong, or that we only use wired bras to look more attractive to men is completely undermining the majority of women in our culture. I do not wear underwired bras so my boyfriend thinks I look sexy. Period. I do what I want and I wear what I want. If I want to create a more pushed up, rounded shape one day, I will. If I prefer a more natural look the next, then I'll wear a wear a bralette or go braless. I am in control of my body, and to me that is feminism.
I don't want to feel shamed for seeing my breasts as part of my sexual identity. I agree that society's attitude to breastfeeding could do with some improvement and obviously that is the primary purpose of breasts, but there is a secondary purpose too in enjoyment! Again, it's a matter of control. I am in control of my sexuality.
And on the theme of shame, I also don't think it's fair to label models as "unattainable". I have a 25" waist and perky boobs, does this mean I don't look like a 'normal girl'? I agree that there should be more diverse representation in every aspect of the fashion and lingerie industries but we need to be very careful in the language and phrasing that we use so we don't make smaller women such as myself feel like we're somehow wrong in the process.
Conversely, I do agree that the extent to which brands such as Victoria's Secret use sexiness as the primary buying factor in advertising needs to change so we have a healthier attitude. For example, I was in VS just the other day trying on neutral coloured strapless bras, and the lady in the fitting rooms told me I could definitely buy an A cup instead of a B because although the B fits better, the A is smaller so it pushes my boobs up and out, looking sexier. Sexiness is not something which factors into a white strapless bra and as a contour student I couldn't believe they were offering out this advice.
To conclude, it's good that there's another brand using diverse models and it's good that there are more soft cup bras available in a variety of sizes. However to say wires are pointless is literally wrong, that statement clearly comes from someone who has never studies bras academically and technically. Also, my breasts and my lingerie form part of my sexual identity, which I am in complete control of, and that control is what makes me a feminist, not the eschewing a certain silhouette.
Signing off, I will make one further point. The interviewer Tish Weinstock chose to use the phrase "stick thin" to describe models often used in lingerie. This is highly offensive and you should never do it. Ever. I would never called a plus size model grossly fat. The same manner of courtesy should be applied both ways.
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