tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/lingerie-13828/articlesLingerie – The Conversation2021-07-13T14:37:47Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1639552021-07-13T14:37:47Z2021-07-13T14:37:47ZVictoria’s Secret joins the ‘inclusive revolution,’ finally realizing diversity sells<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410424/original/file-20210708-25-hvedm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C0%2C4962%2C3315&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Victoria's Secret we've become accustomed to is no more. The brand has finally realized that diversity sells.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Andy Wong) </span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-06-17/victorias-secret-rebrand-influencers-angels">Victoria’s Secret recently announced a cast of new “angels.”</a> They include American athlete Megan Rapinoe, actress and activist Priyanka Chopra Jonas and the brand’s first transgender model, Vanetina Sampaio. Together, they speak to a far more diverse image of beauty than was common for the once popular company. </p>
<p>Victoria’s Secret learned a lesson other leading fashion brands and the industry at large are coming to realize: diversity sells.</p>
<h2>Better representation</h2>
<p>This isn’t surprising. For years, consumers have <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/fashions-long-road-to-inclusivity">called for greater inclusion and better representation in mainstream fashion</a>. And the industry’s most avant-garde players have already responded, including <a href="https://www.theroot.com/rihannas-savage-x-fenty-show-is-a-masterclass-in-divers-1845252031">Rihanna’s much talked about Savage X Fenty</a> and <a href="https://people.com/style/summersalt-beach-body-campaign/">Summersalt’s “every body is a beach body”</a> campaign. </p>
<p>Consumers are willing to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/aeries-latest-inclusive-campaign-featuring-women-with-disabilities-and-medical-conditions-praised-online">back brands that feature diversity with their praise</a> and more importantly, their dollars. </p>
<p>In the last two years, fashion brands like <a href="https://fashionunited.uk/news/business/tommy-hilfiger-commits-to-diversity-with-people-s-place-program/2020071349808">Tommy Hilfiger</a>, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/flyease-adaptive-fashion-1.6026277">Nike</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/shelleykohan/2020/06/28/aeos-aerie-brand-built-on-body-positivity-and-inclusion-is-slowly-edging-out-sexy-supermodel-juggernaut-victorias-secret/">lingerie competitor Aerie</a> all made efforts toward greater inclusion. They feature plus-size models, transgender models and models with disabilities in their stores and online campaigns. </p>
<p>Each brand has been rewarded with public kudos and a flurry of consumer purchases. Yet others in the industry lagged. Despite Victoria’s Secret’s latest inclusion and diversity efforts, models with disabilities were missing.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Women with diverse bodies wear bikinis and hold signs that read 'fashion for every body' and 'We want diversity on our runways.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410442/original/file-20210708-19-h1k2jm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410442/original/file-20210708-19-h1k2jm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410442/original/file-20210708-19-h1k2jm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410442/original/file-20210708-19-h1k2jm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410442/original/file-20210708-19-h1k2jm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410442/original/file-20210708-19-h1k2jm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410442/original/file-20210708-19-h1k2jm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Undressed activists in swimsuits with posters that read ‘fashion for every body’ and ‘We want diversity on our runways’ on the street during London Fashion Week in 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Embarking on diversity initiatives</h2>
<p>According to our new study, <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F14695405211022074">A model who looks like me: Communicating and consuming representations of disability</a></em>, the $3 trillion fashion industry has, until recently, paid little attention to gender, sexuality, race and disability. </p>
<p>We ask how and why the industry almost suddenly embarked on diversity initiatives. </p>
<p>We focus our attention on disability because it’s traditionally seen as <a href="https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/02/13/why-disabled-people-have-been-forgotten-by-the-fashion-industry">inconsistent with fashion</a>. The industry largely saw a person with disabilities as someone who can’t embody, reflect or convey beauty. In other words, disability would turn off consumers.</p>
<p>Our analysis over five years of three mainstream fashion magazines - <em>Vogue</em>, <em>InStyle</em> and <em>Harper’s Bazaar</em> - revealed not a single person with a disability appearing on the cover. A look at 2,500 ads in <em>InStyle</em> turned up similarly little. </p>
<p>So we turned to the recent and well-known Nike, Aerie and Tommy Hilfiger campaigns that featured a diverse cast of models, including those with a range of visible and non-visible disabilities.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1225902142462054402"}"></div></p>
<p>Tommy Hilfiger’s campaign went a step further. The brand developed <a href="https://usa.tommy.com/en/tommy-adaptive">adaptive clothing specifically designed for people with disabilities</a> — a step few others have taken. </p>
<p>This inclusion, though hugely important, often comes with more “sanitized” depictions of disability – creating images thought to be “more palatable” to consumers. </p>
<p>We found that editorials often reinforced distinctions between “ability” and disability, suggesting that disability is something to be overcome. For example, when athletes were praised for pushing the limitations of their disability. Sometimes, no photos of people with disabilities were included in editorials about them. When models with disabilities were included, they were often treated as too unremarkable to dress in brands referenced by the magazine’s editorial staff. </p>
<h2>Disability, diversity and inclusion efforts</h2>
<p>So why has disability become a more significant part of the fashion industry’s diversity and inclusion efforts?</p>
<p>Some brands take the leap, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahkim/2020/01/31/aerie-disability-representation/?sh=329e933250bd">challenging beliefs about potential consumer backlash</a>. They lower perceived risk as other brands follow suit. Risk, though, is also lessened when <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/tommy-hilfiger-spring-2018-adaptive-collection">consumers respond favourably to more inclusive initiatives</a>, sending a message to the industry at large. </p>
<p>We analyzed more than 200 online consumer comments about <em>Teen Vogue’s</em> “<a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jillian-mercado-runway-debut">The New Faces of Fashion</a>” campaign that featured three models with disabilities: Chelsea Werner, Mama Cax and Jillian Mercado. We found that an overwhelming majority of consumers gave praise and admiration. </p>
<p>One viewer thanked <em>Teen Vogue</em> for “making great changes.” Another, eager for inclusion, wrote: “Let’s see this on a regular basis, please.” Brands like Dove Beauty and <em>Allure</em> left comments on the magazine’s Instagram page.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/BnWAaypnMVF","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>In response to <em>Allure’s</em> praise, one viewer called on the magazine to “join the Inclusion Revolution too.” It wasn’t long after that Allure announced its own series on “<a href="https://www.allure.com/topic/the-beauty-of-accessibility">the beauty of accessibility</a>,” positioning Ellie Goldstein, a young model with Down syndrome, on the cover of their digital print magazine.</p>
<h2>Poised for a reboot</h2>
<p>Away from social media and after more than a year in lockdown, the fashion industry is poised for a reboot. Couturiers <a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/dior-show-celebrates-fashion-up-close-personal-after-pandemic-2021-07-05/">like Dior</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jul/06/begin-again-chanel-returns-first-major-live-shows-pandemic-paris-haute-couture">Chanel have convened</a> in Paris for the industry’s first set of in-person shows since the pandemic began. </p>
<p>As Victoria’s Secret and others set about reimagining the world that will be, we wonder what the “inclusion revolution” will look like — and whether people with disabilities will continue to be part of it. </p>
<p>We should look to industry leaders for signs of lasting change, but consumers matter too. They must continue demanding that fashion and beauty brands engage meaningfully with their efforts towards diversity and inclusion. </p>
<p>These demands will need to move beyond casting calls and runway models. They must include boardrooms and brand teams – those who ultimately influence and make decisions about what consumers see and purchase.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/163955/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Pettinicchio receives funding from SSHRC</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jordan Foster receives funding from the Government of Ontario and from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council. </span></em></p>Victoria’s Secret learned a lesson other leading fashion brands and the industry at large are coming to realize: diversity sells. But when it comes to disability, brands aren’t quite there yet.David Pettinicchio, Associate Professor, Sociology, University of TorontoJordan Foster, PhD Student, Sociology, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1546452021-02-11T02:01:50Z2021-02-11T02:01:50Z‘I die where I cling’: garters and ‘busks’ inscribed with love notes were the sexy lingerie of the past<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/383440/original/file-20210210-19-xxm4cy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C714%2C3079%2C2954&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Garter, 1724,
Jean François de Troy.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">The Metropolitan Museum, New York</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Lingerie sales in 2020 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/style/lingerie-sales-underwear.html">surged</a> as pandemic lockdowns saw online shoppers seek to escape the mundanity of sweatpants and spice up their sex lives. Such sales will likely increase ahead of Valentine’s Day, but the gift of intimate apparel is not a modern phenomenon. </p>
<p>In 17th and 18th-century England and France, intimate objects were also gifted during courtship or amorous liaisons as tokens of romantic intention and sexual desire. </p>
<p>The “<a href="https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/busk/">busk</a>”, a long piece of wood, metal or whalebone, was placed into a stitched channel between layers of fabric in the front of corset bodices or stays.</p>
<p>And garters — more of a novelty item today — were strips of fabric or ribbons tied around a woman’s lower thigh to keep her stocking in place. </p>
<p>Both were often inscribed or embroidered with intimate words of love. They were also charged with erotic connotations due to their intimate position on the female body next to breasts, groins and thighs. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/383435/original/file-20210210-17-yvnrjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/383435/original/file-20210210-17-yvnrjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/383435/original/file-20210210-17-yvnrjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383435/original/file-20210210-17-yvnrjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383435/original/file-20210210-17-yvnrjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383435/original/file-20210210-17-yvnrjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383435/original/file-20210210-17-yvnrjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383435/original/file-20210210-17-yvnrjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A pair of women’s garters, England or France, early 19th century, made from
printed and embroidered silk, metal clasp, and coiled wire.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Los Angeles County Museum of Art</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Intimate tokens</h2>
<p>In 1684, English poet and playwright <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/aphra-behn">Aphra Behn</a> imagined a tree that for years had witnessed couples wooing under its branches. Her <a href="https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/juniper-tree-cut-down-make-busks">poem ends</a> when the tree falls to the axe and …</p>
<blockquote>
<p>My body into busks was turned:</p>
<p>Where I still guard the sacred store,</p>
<p>And of Love’s temple keep the door. </p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382937/original/file-20210208-21-v4aqv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Intricately carved wooden strip from corset." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382937/original/file-20210208-21-v4aqv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382937/original/file-20210208-21-v4aqv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1323&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382937/original/file-20210208-21-v4aqv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1323&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382937/original/file-20210208-21-v4aqv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1323&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382937/original/file-20210208-21-v4aqv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1663&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382937/original/file-20210208-21-v4aqv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1663&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382937/original/file-20210208-21-v4aqv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1663&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This 17th-century busk is inscribed with a heartfelt poem, to be worn close to the bosom.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/84187">Gift of Mrs. Edward S. Harkness/The Met Museum, New York.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As busks were destined to sit on the body next to the heart, it was only fitting that wood from this tree was used to fashion them. </p>
<p>Several <a href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?cc=eebo;c=eebo;idno=a59460.0001.001;seq=48;vid=61846;page=root;view=text">plays and poems</a> refer to men who bought or made busks for their sweethearts. The sheer number of surviving busks that contain inscriptions of love testifies to their popularity.</p>
<p>One 17th-century French busk in The Met Museum’s collection <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1468-0424.12066">exclaims</a>, “Until Goodbye, My Fire is Pure, Love is United”. </p>
<p>Three engravings correspond with each line: a tear falling onto a barren field, two hearts appearing in that field and finally a house that the couple would share together in marriage with two hearts floating above it. </p>
<p>Similarly, surviving 18th-century garters contain embroidered sayings and verses. One <a href="https://collections.lacma.org/node/233286">18th-century French pair</a> proclaims, “same hearts, same thoughts”.</p>
<p><a href="https://collections.mfa.org/objects/46760/garter-one-of-a-pair?ctx=8d1ac8d9-6cee-480b-b891-84ca19565065&idx=0">Another states</a>, “My motto is to love you, It will never change”. </p>
<p>In February 1660, meanwhile, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Pepys">Samuel Pepys</a> noted in his diary that he sent his wife “silk stockings and garters, for her Valentines.” </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dear-valentine-take-another-little-piece-of-my-heart-or-hair-37462">Dear Valentine, take another little piece of my heart, or hair</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Erotic puns</h2>
<p>Although busks and garters were commonly given as gifts, even on Valentine’s Day they were not socially ostentatious tokens like jewellery.</p>
<p>Their position within or underneath clothing meant that while giving and receiving could be public, the wearing was a matter of intimacy. This was exploited in erotic literature and on the objects themselves. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/383436/original/file-20210210-21-otpfz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/383436/original/file-20210210-21-otpfz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/383436/original/file-20210210-21-otpfz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=834&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383436/original/file-20210210-21-otpfz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=834&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383436/original/file-20210210-21-otpfz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=834&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383436/original/file-20210210-21-otpfz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1048&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383436/original/file-20210210-21-otpfz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1048&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383436/original/file-20210210-21-otpfz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1048&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">17th century French busk inscribed with love poetry. Gift of Mrs. Edward S. Harkness, 1930.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some inscriptions found on busks spoke of men’s jealousy of the busks, giving these inanimate objects voices of their own. </p>
<p>A 17th-century French busk, engraved with a man’s portrait declares, “He enjoys sweet sighs, this lover / Who would very much like to take my place.” That “place” being between his lover’s breasts. </p>
<p>Like busks, garters also contained verses acknowledging their intimate place on the female body. A pair of French embroidered silk garters from 1780 proclaims, “United forever / I die where I cling.” </p>
<p>In this context, “where I cling” refers to a woman’s lower thighs, which were only accessible to those most intimate with her. It was also a euphemism for an orgasm. </p>
<p>The busk itself could also take on phallic connotations as it was likened to a lover’s erection in bawdy jokes. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382932/original/file-20210208-15-1a0hhn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=391%2C416%2C1960%2C2376&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Woman adjusts garters in historic drawing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382932/original/file-20210208-15-1a0hhn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=391%2C416%2C1960%2C2376&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382932/original/file-20210208-15-1a0hhn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=762&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382932/original/file-20210208-15-1a0hhn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=762&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382932/original/file-20210208-15-1a0hhn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=762&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382932/original/file-20210208-15-1a0hhn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=958&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382932/original/file-20210208-15-1a0hhn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=958&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382932/original/file-20210208-15-1a0hhn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=958&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Girl with a Basket and Birdcage Adjusts Her Garter. Thomas Rowlandson, c. 1785-95.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/811105">Thomas Rowlandson/Met Museum</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>By the late 18th century, busks and garters became less personalised and began to be produced on a large scale. </p>
<p>They tell the tales of both fickle human hearts and also of a changing European culture that embraced and then commodified love and desire — much like many Valentine’s gifts today.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154645/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Bendall receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Pasold Research Fund.</span></em></p>The busk was a long piece of wood, metal or whalebone, stitched into fabric and inscribed with intimate words of love. Garters, too, often carried messages and were charged with erotic connotations.Sarah Bendall, Research Fellow, Gender and Women's Research Centre, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1002922018-08-15T09:31:22Z2018-08-15T09:31:22ZWearing an ill-fitting bra isn’t just uncomfortable, it’s bad for your health<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230895/original/file-20180807-191031-kj269r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1000%2C667&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/570740809?src=LR14Qvl06LHB1H8k7r0XlA-1-14&size=medium_jpg">Christina_summer/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Wearing the wrong size bra is not only uncomfortable, it can cause a range of health problems. Research has shown that a lack of breast support often leads to breast pain, which is reported by <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25041468">50% of women</a>. An ill-fitting bra that doesn’t give the right support can also lead to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28987871">breast skin damage</a> – usually seen as stretch marks, caused by stretching the skin beyond its recovery point. </p>
<p>Ill-fitting bras have also been associated with <a href="https://online.boneandjoint.org.uk/doi/abs/10.1302/1358-992X.98BSUPP_6.SBPR2015-013">neck, back and shoulder pain</a>, bad posture, and rubbing and chafing leading to <a href="https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/an-investigation-into-breast-support-and-sports-bra-use-in-female-runners-of-the-2012-london-marathon(981d55f3-6c6a-4f34-b288-6f090dd2acad)/export.html">skin abrasions</a>. </p>
<p>We also see ill-fitting bras causing permanent changes to the body, such as deep <a href="https://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/fulltext/2007/12000/correction_of_the_bra_strap_shoulder_groove.67.aspx">grooves in the shoulders</a> caused by pressure from the bra shoulder straps. Ill-fitting bras have even been associated with a desire for <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12859918">breast reduction surgery</a>. And with <a href="https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/evaluation-of-professional-bra-fitting-criteria-for-bra-selection-and-fitting-in-the-uk(fb5bc70c-ee08-40b2-882e-b86dc0287295).html">80% of women</a> wearing a poorly fitting bra, this is potentially a significant problem. In a study that assessed the bra fit of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12859918">women wanting breast reduction surgery</a>, all were wearing an ill-fitting bra. </p>
<p>The lack of breast support and the difficulty in finding a well-fitting bra has also been linked to a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24905581">reluctance to exercise</a>, with obvious long-term consequences. </p>
<p>Despite this fairly long list of health implications, millions of women continue to wear ill-fitting bras.</p>
<h2>Forget about cup size</h2>
<p>In 1935, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warnaco_Group">Warner Brothers</a> incorporated breast volume into bra sizing and the alphabet bra cup size system we use today was launched. </p>
<p>This original bra sizing system went up to a D cup. But since introducing this system, body sizes have changed a lot. Many women now buy a D cup bra or larger. Some bra companies use this same sizing system to make bras up to an <a href="http://www.biggerbras.com/bra-cup-sizes/l-m-n-bra-cup-size/">N cup</a>.</p>
<p>Bra size is difficult to measure. The accuracy of bra measurement is affected by breathing, posture and how thin you are. Researchers <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12859918">suggest</a> that bra-size measurement should take place over a well-fitted, unpadded and thin bra. But most women are likely to be fitted in a shop while wearing their own bra, regardless of whether or not it fits well. </p>
<p>Bras produced by different manufacturers have inconsistent sizing, as there is no universal size chart or grading method. Unfortunately, bra fitters have varied experience, and there is no agreed level of competency or bra fit <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12859918">qualification</a>. </p>
<p>The bra marketplace can be overwhelming and confusing. But, unlike shoes, breasts change size, shape and position throughout the menstrual cycle and throughout life. So women’s bra size can change regularly. Despite this, there is limited guidance for women to assess their own bra fit. </p>
<p>Our <a href="http://www.port.ac.uk/breastresearch">research team</a> works with most of the lingerie companies around the world to offer a scientific, evidence-based approach to bra development. We use 3D scanners and biomechanical technology to understand bra fit. </p>
<figure>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/255416233" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Five simple steps to good bra fit.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our approach to bra fitting is not to rely on the tape measure to establish bra size, but to educate women and give them the power to assess their own bra fit. We have used our 13 years of experience in breast and bra science to develop an evidence-based <a href="http://www.port.ac.uk/department-of-sport-and-exercise-science/research/breast-health/#Fitting">bra fit video</a> to help women forget about bra size and focus on the five simple steps to a good fit.</p>
<p>This simple checklist could help millions of women avoid bra-related health problems, and it’s as simple as forgetting your ABC.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100292/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joanna Wakefield-Scur receives funding from bra companies around the world. </span></em></p>Here’s how to choose a bra that’s right for you.Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, Professor of Biomechanics, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/872632017-11-14T01:06:25Z2017-11-14T01:06:25ZHoney Birdette and the changing attitudes to sex in advertising<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194435/original/file-20171113-27585-14dbd8y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The latest storefront advertisements from lingerie retailer honey birdette have drawn a wave of criticism from the public.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10212587680398920&set=p.10212587680398920&type=3&theater">Facebook/Verina Green</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Lingerie company <a href="https://www.honeybirdette.com">Honey Birdette</a> has been accused of “<a href="http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/fashion-trends/new-honey-birdette-ad-campaign-slammed-for-sexualising-women/news-story/507185109fa62e786542476fc0b8cb53">sexualising women</a>” and its current storefront advertising campaign in suburban Australian shopping centres is described as depicting “<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/appalled-shoppers-take-aim-at-lingerie-store-honey-birdettes-raunchy-advertising-20171109-gzi1hd.html">soft porn</a>”. </p>
<p>This latest scandal for the brand highlights the growing tension about the standards of sexual depiction considered acceptable in advertising.</p>
<p>Advertising in Australia is governed by a self-regulatory system in which a variety of codes are administered by the <a href="https://adstandards.com.au/about/standards-board">Advertising Standards Board</a>. The board claims to represent community standards by appointing board members that represent a diverse cross-section of Australian society. </p>
<p>However, the system relies on consumers lodging complaints about advertisements to the Board which can only be made through the <a href="http://aana.com.au/content/uploads/2017/02/AANA-Code-of-Ethics.pdf">narrow guidelines</a> provided. Yet even when consumers complain in droves about certain advertisements, such as the <a href="http://www.adnews.com.au/news/complaints-pour-in-over-puerile-ultra-tune-ad">Ultra Tune advertisements</a> that blatantly demean, sexualise and objectify women, complaints are often dismissed. </p>
<p>“Exploitative and degrading” depictions are not allowed under <a href="http://aana.com.au/sexual-appeal-advertising-code-ethics-evolves/">section 2.2 of the Australian Association of National Advertisers code of ethics</a>, but questions remain about the adequacy of how these codes are interpreted and policed.</p>
<h2>Exploiting loopholes and lag times</h2>
<p>The lag time time between an advertisement being placed through media channels and the complaints process being followed means that the damage has already been done even if an advertisement is deemed to violate the code. </p>
<p>Companies are well aware of this, and often exploit this loophole as a way of generating further publicity for their brand. And as the case of <a href="https://mumbrella.com.au/adland-can-thank-wicked-campers-getting-law-involved-ad-regulation-431681">Wicked Campers</a> demonstrates, companies are not compelled to abide by the Advertising Standards Board’s decisions and can resume to business as usual, thereby calling into question the effectiveness of the process itself.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194437/original/file-20171113-27635-1kilz8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194437/original/file-20171113-27635-1kilz8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194437/original/file-20171113-27635-1kilz8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194437/original/file-20171113-27635-1kilz8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194437/original/file-20171113-27635-1kilz8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194437/original/file-20171113-27635-1kilz8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194437/original/file-20171113-27635-1kilz8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wicked Campers continue to draw criticism for their overt sexism - but many are still allowed on the roads.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/robandstephanielevy/408501462/in/photolist-C6FfE-bkgSZA-dBUbiT-xfjy4-6TsBg4-bybLAM-csZFrm-d7Q9oq-dDaajY-cxRbaA-c9uDwb-8MhnmM-8MjTXw-cM92m5-c7Gnnd-3a6Y9x-63uW77-5PP5rq-bjWsRG-71X677-9KYjCx-ctHmg9-63qFCr-cYJGwo-dcoRt6-cYJHXu-cYJJdQ-dbcDve-F2XBUC-cSEn5A-bYDhMQ-cSEnhj-cwAXbJ-detqz6-d6c4hb-cX3Gy7-dedgx8-cX3Fg5-c9uDXU-da3FjR-33Lu6Z-bNBMGe-bXmcmL-cY7Bju-bXmbSy-cNUUK3-c8ndKs-dD4Mwp-55vgHF-7dGLH1">Flicker/CC</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Honey Birdette is able to walk a finer line than most as the Advertising Standards Board must consider the relevance to the product of any sex or nudity that is used in an advertisement. As a lingerie brand, it is of course able to depict women wearing its products. </p>
<p><a href="https://adstandards.com.au/products-and-issues/exploitative-and-degrading/key-concepts#upheld">Past rulings</a> dictate that such a portrayal will not be considered degrading if the woman is depicted in a “positive light” – such as being “confident and in control” – and her pose is “not overly sexualised”. </p>
<p>Apart from such criteria being highly ambiguous, they play into the <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0959353507084950">questionable sexual empowerment</a> for women in being represented as beautiful but sexy, sexually knowledgeable or practised and always “up for it”. </p>
<h2>The power of advertising</h2>
<p>As <a href="http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/EJM-09-2014-0597">research</a> highlights, advertising is a powerful representational authority in society that propagates certain ideas about women. </p>
<p>Advertisements often create expectations about how people of a certain gender should look or act, which in turn can serve as sources of learning about how women should be understood and treated. As a result, certain gender roles and stereotypes are harder to challenge. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00224499.2016.1142496?journalCode=hjsr20&">Research</a> also shows that exposure to sexually objectifying portrayals leads to higher levels of body dissatisfaction, greater self-objectification, higher support of sexist beliefs and greater tolerance of sexual violence toward women.</p>
<p>The “soft porn” advertisements for Honey Birdette do little to challenge the male gaze that objectifies and subordinates women. Even Honey Birdette’s own staff has <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-09/high-end-lingerie-brand-accused-of-sexism/8105728">accused the brand</a> of a workplace culture that promotes persistent and widespread sexual harassment. </p>
<h2>Challenging the stereotypes</h2>
<p>The Australian group Our Watch (a project established to drive nationwide change in the culture, behaviours and power imbalances that lead to violence against women and their children) has devised a <a href="https://www.ourwatch.org.au/getmedia/0aa0109b-6b03-43f2-85fe-a9f5ec92ae4e/Change-the-story-framework-prevent-violence-women-children-AA-new.pdf.aspx">Change the Story</a> framework.</p>
<p>This framework calls out the need for advertisers to address the influence of pornography on social norms relating to gender and relationships across society in addressing the problem of violence against women and children. </p>
<p>Although advertising does not seem to have evolved at the same pace as society, action is on the horizon. <a href="https://unwomen.org.au">United Nations Women</a> have recently identified advertising that promotes gender stereotypes as a key obstacle in the path towards gender equality. </p>
<p>This year <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/paris-voted-to-ban-sexist-and-discriminatory-outdoor-ads-2017-3?r=US&IR=T">Paris City Council has banned sexist outdoor advertisements</a>, recognising their power to incite men’s violence against women. Advertisements that undermine the status of women are increasingly attracting the ire of consumers from all walks of society, who are able to mobilise a collective voice through <a href="https://www.change.org/p/brian-schwartz-chairman-and-peter-allen-ceo-stop-allowing-honey-birdette-using-porn-style-advertising-in-westfield-s-family-friendly-shopping-centres">online petitions</a> and <a href="http://www.collectiveshout.org/">grassroots activist organisations</a>. </p>
<h2>Change from within the advertising industry</h2>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fKITTVEbAs4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">This advertisement is part of Dove’s #MyBeautyMySay campaign that promotes ‘real women, real stories’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Recently, we have witnessed the rise of brands taking the issue of gender representation seriously. For example, <a href="https://www.unilever.com/news/news-and-features/Feature-article/2017/unstereotyping-our-ads-why-its-important-and-where-we-are-so-far.html">Unilever</a> has taken a stand to eliminate gender stereotypes in its advertising, whether questioning beauty ideals through Dove or toxic masculinity through former gender offender Axe. </p>
<p>Audi’s Superbowl advertisement ended with the tagline “Audi of America is committed to equal pay for equal work.” Female led agencies, such as Badger and Winters, have made a stand to no longer objectify women in advertisements, producing <a href="https://www.badgerandwinters.com/work-1#/naja-3/">work for lingerie brands</a> that celebrate women as opposed to reducing them to pornified decorative objects. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelleking/2017/05/24/want-a-piece-of-the-18-trillion-dollar-female-economy-start-with-gender-bias/#46a6128b6123">rising power</a> of female consumers is changing the advertising landscape. </p>
<p>Its age old mantra that “sex sells” and associated harmful practices are becoming increasingly offensive and redundant. A new breed of advertising is proving that in 2017 consumers expect better. Those advertisers that ignore this shift risk damaging both their reputation and their profit margins.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4ybcnFF8-qw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">This Audi advertisement that played at the 2017 Super Bowl took a stand against gender pay inequality.</span></figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/87263/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lauren Gurrieri does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Lingerie retailer Honey Birdette has drawn a wave of criticism for its depictions of women in its storefront advertising. How are are some advertisers working to break the old stereotypes?Lauren Gurrieri, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/658212016-09-23T15:31:29Z2016-09-23T15:31:29ZHow Bridget Jones boosted the market for big underwear<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138663/original/image-20160921-21695-7orajn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/99411388@N06/12928123383/in/photolist-kGq1F2-ejW1sw-eVZt3a-bBhfo9-8Fznx6-6LEMK7-dt6JML-eARRLv-6LACQF-onRUN6-eAUV9q-7qS7RQ-7qSJ55-eAURrm-8vXg8F-9srcCP-6yxoUH-8FzpMx-8vXfSM-7qNDu4-8vXfZn-bwZEmW-bYZEqC-eARLDB-6qvyZ5-aG9VCc-5VMhXs-8Fzk2e-bYZEoj-8FCAsu-5XMH3S-7qNDFc-8vXfV4-r7opU9-6LEMLW-bYZEpE-7qNDcH-7qNbBt-8FCwJu-bYZEvf-bYZEz3-8FCzhQ-bYZEty-7tWnnX-eAURBQ-8w1isE-bYZEn7-8Fzmqa-8FznNB-7qSA1h">Mlls De Mode/flickr</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>We all giggled at the enormous underwear scene in the first Bridget Jones film, but despite these garments once being seen as a byword for unsexy, shapewear has become one of the great success stories of the lingerie market. It is 15 years since the film’s release, and the famous “hello mummy” quip when Hugh Grant’s character Daniel Cleaver discovered that Bridget was wearing “absolutely enormous panties”.</p>
<p>With that one scene Bridget and Daniel made it acceptable, even sexy, to wear support pants – and to talk about them. Today, the market for this larger form of underwear has grown significantly. A number of brands make it and UK-based retail chain Debenhams recorded a 200% increase in shapewear sales <a href="http://v3.test.lingerieinsight.com/article-2929-debenhams-shapewear-sales-grow-200-in-5-years/">between 2007 and 2012</a>, a trend which has continued. It is now one of the most significant segments of the underwear or “intimates” market. </p>
<p>One country that has ridden this wave is Sri Lanka. It is now at the forefront of shapewear innovation, design and manufacture, having invested heavily in research and development over recent years. As a result, it developed a key technology involved in shapewear in 2008 and is now a market leader. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138665/original/image-20160921-21674-1usr7yj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138665/original/image-20160921-21674-1usr7yj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138665/original/image-20160921-21674-1usr7yj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138665/original/image-20160921-21674-1usr7yj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138665/original/image-20160921-21674-1usr7yj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138665/original/image-20160921-21674-1usr7yj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138665/original/image-20160921-21674-1usr7yj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bridget Jones unwittingly starting a shapewear revolution.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/asdesimple/5377716873/in/photolist-9cdcSr-oUh5Yq-a3sk2t-a3vcvY-dz6z4n-gdosb-8ZnVKU-2D5Km-Cx8MpR-9igit1-a3sjQ4-58Fk19-a3skzc-4AMqB4-2n1zeZ-7uxk5J-a45K1j-9igis9-dLPsHS-6RjNxD-ei42zz-odrWys-ei9Ltq-pUf8UW-ei9LwW-a3skvB-osG5Sn-9nQVFE-a9F8e4-cns2BE-4kbkJW-ei42Cx-ei42Ba-iyXeUv-66Lgpr-5kpQoP-bAR2Xu-eeUKL-dLHX9X-bmWSCD-7rTdLB-2sgi7h-6nz7KA-fhaDEA-7kr8qh-6h1axB-pd911G-2VrEUs-4hthfN-a45NaL">Danitza Cabezas Jofré/flickr</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This growth in its popularity has been led by an unprecedented level of innovation within the sector. Manufacturers have invested in the design of shapewear, reducing the size, increasing the comfort and improving the style. And it has involved a significant supply chain, which I’ve studied with my colleague Rivini Mataraarachchi from the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka.</p>
<h2>70,000 miles</h2>
<p>Manufacturers have worked hard to develop products that consumers want at affordable prices – and have built a strong supply chain around it to do so.</p>
<p>A complex supply chain exists to make one item of shapewear, using materials sourced from Sri Lanka, the US, Germany and Eurasia. A typical pair of shapewear pants involves bringing materials together over more than 70,000 miles, 16 different manufacturing sites, across three continents, to provide a pair of pants to a customer in London.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/139011/original/image-20160923-29886-17xfh09.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/139011/original/image-20160923-29886-17xfh09.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/139011/original/image-20160923-29886-17xfh09.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/139011/original/image-20160923-29886-17xfh09.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/139011/original/image-20160923-29886-17xfh09.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=698&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/139011/original/image-20160923-29886-17xfh09.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=698&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/139011/original/image-20160923-29886-17xfh09.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=698&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The 70,000 mile shapewear supply chain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Janet Godsell</span></span>
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<p>It is heartening to see that Sri Lank’s shapewear industry has used local capability where possible – for both the base materials and packing items – and sourced other components globally where technological advantage lay elsewhere. Advanced thread technology from the US is used to ensure that the different seams are soft, comfortable and have the correct degree of stretch and draw. Eurasia has developed the ancient Chinese <a href="http://www.textileglossary.com/terms/flocking.html">flocking</a> process, which adds the velvety embossed pattern (made up of fibres called flock) to the shapewear. Labels and hangers, meanwhile, are sourced in Germany.</p>
<p>By leveraging and combining these different technologies and manufacturers from around the world, new innovative products can be brought to market faster and cheaper. </p>
<h2>Constant innovation</h2>
<p>Even in a product as apparently simple as underwear, innovation is critical to ensure long-term survival in what will otherwise become a commoditised market, which is when companies compete primarily through price in a race to the bottom. Market-share can be lost to countries with lower labour costs, unless other innovative ways are found to increase efficiency in an ethical and responsible way. </p>
<p>We are also seeing the innovation developments in shapewear crossing over into other clothing ranges, including <a href="http://www.bases.org.uk/write/Documents/BASES_WINTER_18_19.pdf">compression wear</a> for sport, which is popular among athletes for the support and comfort the shapewear technology lends itself to. Nike put silicone embedding technology to the test in their kits for both the England and France teams in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Branded “silsoft”, the panels are designed to <a href="http://www.ft.lk/article/566619/Silueta-first-company-in-Sri-Lankan-apparel-industry-to-get-ISO-9001-2015-Certification">increase the grip and durability</a> of the shirts, to improve the circulation and enhance the performance of the rugby players that wear them. </p>
<p>The discussion of underwear sparked by the first Bridget Jones film has inadvertently boosted shapewear sales, and this largely invisible world of global supply chains has sprung up to capitalise on it. It shows how centres of excellence around the world can be linked together to produce innovative new products with real user benefits, in an ethical and responsible way, at affordable prices. </p>
<p>Who would have thought that there was so much innovation, technology and a 70,000-mile supply chain supporting a simple pair of pants?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65821/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Janet Godsell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The growth in popularity for larger, supportive underwear has, in turn, led to huge amounts of innovation in the sector and a 70,000 mile supply chain.Janet Godsell, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Strategy, University of WarwickLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/348992014-12-04T13:16:17Z2014-12-04T13:16:17ZMusical? Porn? Reality TV? No, it’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show<p>London has just experienced a fashion show quite unlike any other, despite its long history as one of the world’s four fashion capitals. Victoria’s Secret, for those who are unacquainted, is an underwear empire that had sales of <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/11267280/How-Victorias-Secret-became-a-worldwide-phenomenon.html">US$6.6 billion in 2013</a>. But the show’s focus was not lingerie, but rather the models – known as Victoria’s angels.</p>
<p>Accordingly, the brand produces spectacular shows each year, which are later televised with a viewing figure of millions (if you’re keen, <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/victorias-secret-fashion-show-event-4732988">tune in</a> on December 9 in the US and December 10 in the UK). This year, Victoria’s Secret arrived in London.</p>
<p>Spectacular shows are nothing new in fashion. Rarely failing to thrill, Karl Lagerfeld’s are eagerly anticipated each season. He transported a nine-metre high iceberg to Paris from Sweden for his autumn/winter 2010/11 ready-to-wear show for Chanel, a cruise collection was shown on a private island off the coast of Dubai and in 2007 he produced a show for Fendi on the Great Wall of China.</p>
<p>Christopher Bailey’s creative vision for Burberry has involved harnessing the latest technology to produce fantastical productions, including a party in Beijing to celebrate the launch of its flagship store – with hologram models. They shattered into a sprinkling of magical dust on the runway as live catwalk met virtual images. Beautifully choreographed, it was hypnotic to watch.</p>
<h2>Extravaganza</h2>
<p>London’s Victoria’s Secret show may well have been as spectacular as those of Lagerfeld and Bailey – and equally expensive at a reputed <a href="http://www.techtimes.com/articles/21343/20141202/victorias-secret-fashion-show-what-need-know-year.htm">US$12m</a>, but the focus is not the same. Most obviously, the models are wearing far fewer clothes than the average catwalk show, and very little focus is on these clothes. </p>
<p>So is this fashion, or a theatrical panoply, boasting singers, dancers and sexualised imagery? The interaction between the stars on the catwalk, the music and the spectacle certainly mean that the show angles itself towards contemporary popular entertainment. </p>
<p>Fashion shows are one of the industry’s most powerful marketing tools. The fashion show can communicate a dream, a story, a fantasy – and can do so in a manner that generates huge media excitement. Victoria’s Secret looks to a different audience than Chanel, and the fashion show mutates accordingly. And the underwear empire communicates its particular dream spectacularly well.</p>
<p>So what is the dream? The main focus for Victoria’s Secret is the celebrity models. There were more than 40 at this year’s event, carefully selected for their personality and their ability to act as much as for their looks (a homogenous collection of tall, thin models with full busts). They are known as “angels” because of the dramatic wings they wear as they walk the runway, interacting with equally famous musicians – this year Taylor Swift – who perform on the catwalk. It could easily be likened to a West End musical.</p>
<h2>The girl next door</h2>
<p>The point of putting on this supremely extravagant show is to get the audience to relate to the models. So “video packages” about the models are posted on the internet in the run up to the show to give the consumer this sense, presenting them as the girl-next-door with some celebrity sparkle. Footage of the run-up to the event, backstage videos and further documentation also add a reality TV feel of the build-up.</p>
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<p>Then there’s the finale, when celebrity models in skimpy lingerie stalk down the catwalk with A-list musicians, also dressed for the occasion – unsurprisingly garnering considerable press attention and a viewing figure of millions when televised. </p>
<p>The show is highly sexualised and has <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/2002/11/20/watchdog-groups-protest-victoria-secret-show/">in the past been criticised as pornographic</a>. But then how could this be pornography when the “angels” wear wings and are just a group of wholesome, fun, girl-next-door personalities playfully partying on the catwalk?</p>
<p>The show comes just over a month after the company was criticised in the UK for its latest bra advertising campaign, which portrayed the words “The Perfect Body” superimposed over a line-up of thin models in underwear. The company replaced this with “<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/news/victorias-secret-renames-perfect-body-campaign-following-bodyshaming-backlash-9843827.html">A Body for Everybody</a>” after a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-29958907">petition</a> was signed by thousands of people.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66223/original/image-20141203-3613-az6dhy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66223/original/image-20141203-3613-az6dhy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66223/original/image-20141203-3613-az6dhy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66223/original/image-20141203-3613-az6dhy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66223/original/image-20141203-3613-az6dhy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66223/original/image-20141203-3613-az6dhy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66223/original/image-20141203-3613-az6dhy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The perfect body …</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Twitter</span></span>
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<p>This is the company’s first show in London, and its second in Europe, a part of the world with a very different fashion aesthetic from that in the US. Europe is where <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2687179/A-bearded-lady-finale-It-Jean-Paul-Gaultier-Conchita-Wurst-makes-catwalk-debut-couture-shows.html">Jean Paul Gaultier regularly shows his bridal gowns on transgender models</a>, <a href="http://showstudio.com/project/pin_ups">Nick Knight</a> of fashion website SHOWstudio shoots pin-ups featuring images that play with and subvert the traditional motifs of erotic clothing – and Agent Provocateur promotes its highly erotic lingerie on the catwalk in aid of a charity about empowering women. </p>
<p>Fashion is about change, about breaking rules, about the “new” – and London in particular is famous for its innovation and its experimental fashion. Virtually indistinguishable from the company’s previous events, and sticking to the well-worn “girl-next-door” stereotype, this year’s show was, therefore, strangely at odds with the city’s fashion zeitgeist.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/34899/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gill Stark does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>London has just experienced a fashion show quite unlike any other, despite its long history as one of the world’s four fashion capitals. Victoria’s Secret, for those who are unacquainted, is an underwear…Gill Stark, Head of the School of Fashion & Design , Regent's University LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.