I'm enjoying the Bravissimo catalogue

[JellySlice]

"Women", "girls". Stretchmarks. A mixture of plump women and slim women. (Mostly slim women among the professional models, but none excessively and all shapes among the non-professional models.) Black women and white women.

Real women

In the next catalogue let's also see body hair, more stretchmarks, women with disabilities and older women.

More real women!

isn't it great when you see something aimed at the whole range of women with all our glorious quirks and imperfections?

They still let men in their changing rooms though

Oh I hope not!

All I can find on that is an article in the Sun: Lingerie retailer Bravissimo told The Sun: “When people who identify as transgender or non-binary come into our stores for a bra fitting, we welcome these customers into our fitting rooms.”

The Sun claims Bravissimo now allows men who identify as women in the changing rooms. But that's not necessarily what the Bravissimo quote means - they could be referring to females who are trans or NB.

I could be clutching at straws - Bravissimo's own diversity survey uses cis terms.

Why though?

I'm disabled and can't see the point in having disabled women in a bra catalogue?

I mean you're looking at the bra surely?

I mean yes different boob sizes for different bras but. ??

I would like to see more diversity in films and TV and esp female roles that aren't a prop for the bloke.

Have you browsed men's pants?

All slim tanned muscular chaps with I'm sure socks down the front.

No hooha.

The hypocritical 'empowerfulisation' of using more 'diverse' women when they're trying to flog stuff gets on my tits (no pun intended!).

It rams home the point that what our bodies look like is imperative.

I too was pleasantly surprised by the range of different size models in the catalogue yesterday. Makes me more likely to buy (and I did!). Last summer they had loads of pictures of customers of all sizes in their swimwear looking great, I enjoyed that too.

They are trying to flog stuff, but they are flogging stuff that is actually properly designed for women of all size boob/body. Twenty years ago they were the only place doing this, M&S stopped at a DD cup then.

A lot of the places only show size 8 models because they they design items that only fit well on a size 8 with no curves.

Yeah, I love seeing all women too. If they show more race, age, size I like the company. And showing all sizes, makes it easier to see what it looks like in real life too.

I find it quite disconcerting to see normal bodies as models. I hope it becomes standard and that they persevere until it’s wholly normalised.

I like to see bras on a similar size to me. It is not useful seeing the 34F version when the 30J is a piece of industrial engineering and I need a low gore because of my shape!

On a personal level, seeing what the bra looks like on a fat, older woman whose breasts have sagged is very helpful. But it also normalises the normal. Normal isn't slender, young, smooth and flawless. Normal is far more varied than that. Looking at the catalogue again, I notice that one of the models has a scar. So many women worry about scars showing, worry about being judged, about people's prejudices if they let a scar show. So it's nice to see a beautiful woman with a scar casually visible.

So let’s say you have a scar or stretch marks you’re self conscious of… you then see a model with a scar or stretch mark….. suddenly you realise it’s ok and you shouldn’t worry?

Surely we women can’t be this simplistic? It’s embarrassing!

All this constant comparison isn’t healthy. Stop using images of others for your own validation and look within yourself instead.

They used to have a real issue because all the customer feedback was asking for bigger models, but they were finding it hard to break the perception that they were only for big boobs, because everyone who was actually a 28F thought they were a 34B and wouldn't give bravissimo a second glance.

They need a mix. The "typical" model type build who is far more likely to be a 26/28 D/E than the 32A so that people realise that a D cup isn't huge as well as modelling the HH and above bras which often don't actually look like the G cup ones with different straps etc!

So let’s say you have a scar or stretch marks you’re self conscious of… you then see a model with a scar or stretch mark….. suddenly you realise it’s ok and you shouldn’t worry? Surely we women can’t be this simplistic? It’s embarrassing!

Nonsense. It's just getting away from the position that clothes (and lots of other products) are only advertised by putting them on tall, skinny, beautiful white people.

And yes, an adult woman with a scar will hopefully be ok with that aspect of her appearance. But she might not be. And a teenage girl with a scar (or anything else she might perceive as a physical flaw) getting bombarded by constant visions of perfect beauty? No, seeing a model with the same 'flaw' won't magically fix that, but it might help. And quite apart from all that, it's useful to see what clothes look like on average, nornal bodies!

I like the pictures but not completely comfortable with staff being pictured in underwear. Its their product of course, and I am sure it was voluntary. And hopefully paid. But would it be asked of men.

Do they have people are are less facially attractive? Or still just beautiful people?

Wow good to see.

Whistles also features real women in their advertising, many are size 14+ it's very refreshing.

I’ve always received good customer service from Bravissimo. I need to be measured and fitted for a new bra as I have recently stopped breastfeeding but I will not be doing so in Bravissimo now sadly as didn’t realise they allow men into their changing rooms as above.

I wouldn’t feel comfortable knowing the discussions/wordings likely to be used between me and the fitter regarding the ending of breastfeeding and wouldn’t be able to express myself freely whilst worrying about a man listening to this conversation in the adjacent changing room.

Shame really.