Why Do You Buy Lingerie — Disruptions In A ‘For-Men’ Industry
Women Founders Are Changing The Standards For The $7.9b U.S Lingerie Market. These Are The Powerful Ways Lingerie Has Become “For Women” And Less About “For my partner.”
Have you ever asked yourself, why you buy lingerie?
In 1977, a man created an empire.
With $80,000, he dreamed up a boudoir-styled shop that would cater to men. The best part; though, is that the shop didn’t sell menswear — it sold lingerie.
His shop would grow, gaining a cult following, and earning a revenue of $2.9b in 2018. The brand continuously flourished, with a predominantly male leadership at its helm.
If you go through any woman’s underwear drawer; about half of them, I’m guessing, will own something from this brand. Have you figured it out yet?
Victoria’s Secret (VS) has been a staple in U.S shopping malls since before millennials like myself were born. In fact, the day I bought my first bra at Pink was like a rite of passage.
At 18 I bought “real” lingerie from Victoria’s Secret, thinking it would make the guy I was into stick around.
In the movies, all of the women that men wanted wore sexy lingerie.
Laura Mulvey, a film theorist from Britain, came up with The Male Gaze theory. At the beginning of Mulvey’s career, I’d imagine most films were directed and produced by men. In her theory she points out how cinema is then made and presented for the heterosexual male; regardless of the gender or sexuality of the viewer. Mulvey says, “that these women [who are cast in a film by heterosexual cis men] are represented as passive objects of male desire.”
When you take that last line and hold it next to the lingerie industry it shows us what fueled it into a 7.9billion market.
“…passive objects of male desire.”
Inclusivity
The Victoria Secrets Fashion show was my Super Bowl Sunday.
Commandeering the T.V. I’d make the whole house watch the over-the-top production. Sometimes, I’d cry telling my grandmother, I want to be a designer for Victoria’s Secret. One day I’ll design the wings for an Angel.
In the shadowy corners of my mind, I secretly grieved that I would never be an Angel myself. What I wasn’t paying attention to back then; was the fact that it was a brand centered on the desires of heterosexual-cis men.
I don’t shop at Victoria’s Secret anymore; there are other brands I’d like to support. But to be brutally honest, I do not regret watching the fashion show or crying. I was caught up in the fantasy they sold. The elusive and equally exclusive brand hypnotized me.
But I’m no longer under the spell of the Bombshell Add 2 Cups Push-Up Bra. How can I be when the brand continuously fails to be truly inclusive or diverse? Hiring one Trans model is not enough.
Asking a brand, built from a man’s fantasies, to change marketing strategies to include bodies outside of societal beauty norms — is it asking too much?
Honestly, if Playboy can do it, I don’t see why Victoria’s Secret can’t.
VS has spearheaded the industry, for forty-three years, it wasn’t until 4 years ago that the behemoth (not-surprisingly) saw declining sales.
In 2016, all around the world women were making strides to be heard. Poland vetoed a ban on abortions.
#BringBackOurGirls took center stage in global conversations. Instagram was growing into a flourishing platform for women’s voices.
But in 2016, men were still calling all the shots at Victoria’s Secret.
But even after they spent two years spiraling into a decline, VS’s marketing team failed to shift its messaging. Still in 2018, the brand continued to market to women for men.
Thankfully, Social media has opened the door for smaller brands to reinterpret what lingerie is.
Araks Yeramyan, Founder of intimate apparel brand Akras, credits Instagram as the platform that cultivated the diverse interpretations of lingerie that we know today.
“Everything I make is intended to let women feel at ease and naturally beautiful — to give them something that enhances, not distracts. I think of my designs as everyday luxuries. Putting on anything that has been thoughtfully made is a small, caring way to do something purely for yourself.” — Araks Yeramyan
Araks isn’t the only female intimate apparel founder challenging the status quo. Small brands are launching on Instagram, their designs are based on a woman’s unique needs. These small brands embrace inclusivity by navigating away from the taboo grey-areas of sex appeal as their central purpose.
Empowerment
Basing a marketing strategy off a heterosexual cis man’s opinion of what undergarments are best suited for a woman’s body — It seems archaic now.
It’s undoubtedly exhilaratingly risqué to be scandalously clad while seducing your partner. I enjoy doing it myself. So I’m not saying in 2020 women don’t factor in men’s/ their partners’ opinions when picking out lingerie. I’m not even saying it’s the wrong reason to invest in lingerie.
But what I’m most excited about is how the industry is changing. We’ve assigned new values and standards to uphold lingerie brands to.
Rachel Jones, the founder of intimates-brand Jonesy, told Refinery 29, “Victoria’s Secret-model look lasted wayyyy too long.” And, she’s right, how is it possible that “one man’s vision” would go on to dictate the lingerie industry for 39 years? That it would make women feel unrepresented for equally as long.
Jones says in her interview, “we want to make underwear that is stylish and comfortable and sexy, but do it in a way that still acknowledges we’re more than just bodies and sexy curves.”
When Jones is designing she probably isn’t asking, “Is this piece going to make my partner drool?” More than likely she’s asking: will this piece support a woman’s natural shape and make her feel empowered?
Simplicity
Modern-day lingerie may have been born from padded push-up bras, but it’s not the norm anymore. The norm for lingerie brands today is unlined, with no padding, and yet inclusively still offering supporting designs for those who need it.
Those who haven’t adopted the less-is-more bra designs, are probably living their life braless.
Wearing a bra doesn’t prevent age-related sagging anyway, so if you don’t need the support, it’s 2020 you don’t need to wear a bra.
Small women-founded brands are at the forefront of creating this new lingerie culture that rebels against the objectification of the female body.
These small brands are putting Victoria’s Secret to the test as they do away with the fantasy bra and give women what they really want. Which they do by actively integrating customer feedback with their designs. Which they gather from the worlds they create on Social Media platforms, like Instagram. What they don’t do (presumedly) is have men tell them what they find sexy and design for women.
Former Victoria’s Secret Designer Jennifer Zuccarini (now Founder of luxury lingerie brand Fleur du Mal) told the Wall Street Journal, her old employer is now copy-catting her designs.
In my opinion, the company has to know they need to hit the refresh button by now. Instead it feels like they’re still trying to backup all of their history — when they should be letting it go.
Perhaps what VS needs is not new approaches to design (or riffing off of small designers,) but a completely new rebranding and marketing plan.
Because, really, how can VS honestly believe it will remain on top of an industry that no longer prioritizes the male gaze it was seemingly built upon?
