How I learnt to embrace body positivity in the lingerie industry

Working at a lingerie brand, you’d think that it would be difficult to maintain body positivity – scantily-clad airbrushed models are the norm, and not much can faze us! However, working at Playful Promises, which is run by women with feminist values, working within the lingerie industry has taught me a lot about embracing body positivity.

A lot of this body confidence comes from our customers. Playful Promises stock from a UK8 to a UK24 (US 4 – 20), so there’s a lot of size diversity in the customer base. The lingerie is on the more risqué end of the spectrum, but seeing women of all sizes buying sexy and provocative pieces is a huge inspiration! Everybody deserves to feel sexy and wear the lingerie of their choice.

Babes in Playful: @jezra_m, @jess_megan_, and @alexagivesnofucks — Babes in Playful: @jezra_m, @jess_megan_, and @alexagivesnofucks

Seeing all different types of bodies in our lingerie always makes me feel like I CAN be as confident with my body as they are. Being positive about other people’s bodies is often the first step to finding confidence in yourself, something I have definitely noticed a change in. The women who wear our lingerie with confidence are so inspiring!

Some people wear lingerie for their partner – which is totally okay, and a lot of our customers like to do so – but we’ve also found that a large group of people love to wear lingerie for themselves. Wearing things that make you personally feel sexy, beautiful and happy is a wonderful way to promote self-love. It’s like wearing your best dress – the “look good, feel good” mentality is one that resonates with and works for a lot of people. There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of vanity!

Another means of self-love is the act of buying the lingerie for yourself. Treat yourself! Everyone has days when they feel down, and sometimes retail therapy is just the pick-up you need. Not everything can be fixed with material possessions, but treating yourself as you would treat someone you love is a good start. Little things are often what help get you through the day.

The lingerie industry can be a difficult place to be body-confident in, especially when there are companies who use body-shaming tactics as a way to promote sales, and others that completely ignore the fact that they’re not inclusive. However, there are a few brands, established and upcoming, that consistently strive to be more diverse, inclusive and represent a range of body types. From a brand perspective, the idea of body-positivity is an important one, and it’s definitely important to our customers. This makes us want to continue to expand our size ranges, represent a range of bodies and keep sending a body-positive message out there.

So, here’s a list of ways you can embrace body positivity too!

1. Take selfies! Put on your favourite lingerie and take hundreds, thousands of selfies! You don’t have to send them to anyone, or put them online. Embrace how hot you look in your new or old-faithful set!

2. Treat yo’ self – as aforementioned, treating yourself is a great way to help encourage body-positivity. This doesn’t necessarily have to mean buying something lavish and expensive. A pair of cute knickers sometimes do just the trick, but other ways of treating yourself can simply include running yourself a bath, moisturising yourself, painting your nails. Simple acts of kindness to your body help when sometimes you can forget to look after yourself on particularly bad days.

3. Be positive about other people’s bodies – this one is really important! Once you start to be positive about other people’s bodies, of all shapes and sizes, then this could help you feel more positive about your own body. Talk about other people with positivity, then talk about yourself the same way you do about others. Self-talk is important – I often try to imagine myself saying things I say about myself to someone else – if they would be upset about it, then don’t talk to yourself like that either!

4. Related to number 3, speak positively about yourself. You don’t have to do this in front of other people, it can be as simple as writing down 3 things that you like about your appearance, and 3 things that aren’t about your appearance. Do these whenever you feel a bit low and remember what you’re worth! Some good examples that aren’t about your appearance include; being good at making others laugh, keeping in touch with friends, good at hugs, etc!

5. And finally; you’re allowed to have days when you don’t feel 100%. Don’t be so hard on yourself – it’s not easy keeping up body-positivity 24/7. Sometimes you do need someone else to tell you you’re beautiful, and that’s totally okay! Learning to pick yourself up is important, but when you’re struggling never hesitate to go to someone who will help you back up. You’re only human, and sometimes a little bit of TLC is necessary!

Do you have any of your own body-positive mantras or tips? Let us know in the comments and on our social media!