A brief history of underwear advertising

Bras, like sex, are topics that Chinese women are ashamed to talk about.

It is not easy to accept your underwear and the body underneath it with an open mind. After all, as their bodies develop, girls are more likely to be subjected to cruel body shaming: "washboard", "flat chest", "a sure thing", "big breasts and no brains", "almost hanging down to the belly"...

Do you believe it? These "jokes" not only trample on women's self-esteem invisibly, but also make it increasingly difficult for them to fully accept their bodies. They are forced to hold their chest in, wear bra binders, or pad with thick sponges; like thieves, they secretly buy their first bra, but may have to endure the restraint and friction caused by the underwire because the size is not right.

Later, they grew up, fell in love, became mothers, and even grandmothers, and their bodies changed accordingly. Although underwear accompanies women throughout their lives, it is still a distant word.

In February 2020, an underwear advertisement went viral on Weibo. 4w likes, 2w reposts, and countless cheers. It makes people feel the desire of Chinese women to face themselves, as if the words that have been suppressed for a long time have finally been spoken out loud.

Like a landmark symbol, this short film breaks the traditional Chinese impression of underwear advertisements and frees women from the nightmares of "playful women", "it's good to be a woman" and "urban beauties".

This is a small step towards women's equal rights awareness, and also a small tributary in the ocean of global underwear advertising. Next, let’s take this as a starting point to study the history of underwear advertising. These excellent and representative underwear advertisements may bring you special enlightenment and inspiration.

1910s—1960s

Early underwear ads

Let’s go back more than 100 years and start with the birth of modern underwear.

On November 3, 1914, the world's first modern bra appeared in the United States. 19-year-old socialite Mary Phelps Jacob overturned the medieval tight-fitting corset design and improved it to a style made of two handkerchiefs sewn together, which was simpler and lighter and was believed to protect breast health.

Then, this type of underwear gradually came into use and appeared in advertisements in the form of poster girls in the era when print media was dominant.

The world's first patent pattern for women's underwear

In 1915, an advertisement for underwear that focused on health and high quality

In 1947, Christian Dior launched her first ready-to-wear collection, New Look, with the slogan "No underwear, no fashion", and the hourglass underwear was born.

New Look

Underwear advertisements during this period also emphasized the hourglass-shaped cup design of the underwear.

Underwear ads from the 1940s, with a strong emphasis on conical cups

In underwear advertisements of the 1950s, models were more likely to be young girls, and the images were full of cute and dreamy imaginations. However, this Baby Doll-style advertisement was only popular for a few short years before it was completely overtaken by the trends of the next decade.

In the 1960s, influenced by liberal ideas, the "Black Power" movement, student movement, and new feminist movement emerged one after another. Waving the banner of liberation, freedom and equality, feminists regard underwear as shackles imposed on women by patriarchy, and they discard or even burn underwired underwear in the streets.

Underwear advertisements at this time also carried a strong sense of female autonomy, as can be seen from the "I dreamed..." series of magazine advertisements by American underwear brand Maidenform.

The print ads depict what a woman fantasizes about doing while wearing the brand's underwear, such as transforming into a boxer, "wearing a Maidenform bra and imagining that I am a winner"; a coachman in red "wearing a Maidenform bra and imagining that I let them go wild."

"Wearing a Maidenform bra, imagining I'm the winner"

"Wearing Maidenform bras and fantasizing about me letting them go wild"

1970s—2000s

Sexy is innocent, the era of perfect body

Victoria's Secret and Calvin Klein are the two most representative brands that associate underwear with sexiness.

The women's movement that emerged in the United States in the 1970s called on women to liberate their bodies and break free from constraints. They are abandoning underwire bras designed for shaping and want comfortable and practical styles. At that time, most manufacturers also followed suit and removed the steel rings from their production, but still focused on practicality rather than decoration.

However, at this time, the lingerie brand "Victoria's Secret" was born. This type of underwear subverted the previous cotton style which was based on practicality. It adopted a bold and highly sexually attractive design. It seemed to be completely contrary to the times, but it happened to ignite the curiosity of the public who had been bound by conservative ideas for a long time.

1978 Victoria's Secret Teddy by Ralph Montenero

In 1977, Roy Raymond, the founder of Victoria's Secret, opened the first Victoria's Secret store in San Francisco, USA.

According to the book "Naked: Dress and the Body in Twentieth-Century Chinese" by Chi Hua, Raymond conceived the store as a typical Victorian boudoir scene from the beginning: dark wooden floors, silk curtains, and oriental carpets. However, beneath this exquisite and decent appearance lies a "secret" - non-practical and seductive women's underwear.

Victoria's Secret has been luring men and women to come shopping like a spider web, and has gradually captured consumers in the United States and around the world, triggering an aesthetic trend that has swept the world.

1977, Victoria's secrets, We Dream Of Ice Cream

In 1995, Victoria's Secret made a groundbreaking decision - launching a lingerie fashion show. It pushes gorgeous and exquisite lingerie into the spotlight, allowing supermodels with perfect figures to wear and display them, thus attracting a large number of loyal fans. No one is not fascinated by these "angels".

The more it is exposed, the more it satirizes the Victorian era.

Those humility, chastity, restraint, those moral norms and the spirit of the times have long been burned to ashes by the public eye. And that secret, the secret of the Victorian era, was also made known to the world by Roy Raymond - "Wearing sexy underwear can charm men."

1998 Victoria's Secret

The brand characteristics of Victoria's Secret, namely publicity, sexiness and perfection, have influenced the lingerie style trends for nearly half a century.

On the one hand, it greatly expanded the underwear categories at the time, established more diverse purchasing options, and provided women's underwear with functionality beyond practical value - from protecting the body to indulging the body.

On the other hand, the sexiness advocated by Victoria's Secret undoubtedly leads to a certain kind of flattering attitude of "dressing for men". Once upon a time, Victoria's Secret even had a special consumption time for men, where female models performed in different styles of sexy lingerie. On the catwalk, the "angels" walking the runway tried their best to control their diet and do high-intensity exercise in order to wear the underwear sets with the most perfect figure.

All of these are hidden mines.

Okay, let’s take a moment to turn our attention back to the next underwear brand that is famous for its sexiness: CK.

Calvin Klein now owns three clothing lines (Calvin Klein collection for high-end fashion, CK Calvin Klein for high-end ready-to-wear, and Calvin Klein Jeans for a denim series) and a wide range of product categories including perfumes, glasses, socks, underwear, pajamas, swimwear, etc. However, the most profound impression left on most people by Calvin Klein is its sexy and powerful black and white underwear advertisements.

In contrast to Victoria's Secret's gorgeous and complicated style, CK interprets perfection with minimalism.

Founder Calvin Klein once said:

“I think my design philosophy is more modernist, and I will continue to focus on aesthetics - I tend to emphasize a pure, simple, and effortless elegance. I always try to express purity, sexiness, and elegance, and I also strive to be consistent in style and true to my dreams.

1993, Mark Wahlberg and Kate Moss

2009, Jamie Dornan and Eva Mendes

2015, Calvin Klein Jeans Spring/Summer, Justin Bieber

Bruce Weber, a photographer whose name has been associated with Calvin Klein since the 1980s, is an indispensable contributor to CK's brand building.

In 1982, Calvin Klein announced the launch of a men's underwear product line. A huge advertisement was hung in New York's Times Square. In the picture, Tom Hintnaus, a muscular American pole vaulter, was only wearing a pair of CK underwear. This is high enough, whether it was then or now, to blatantly challenge the endurance of passers-by's hearts!

Soon, the advertisement was removed due to public pressure, but CK underwear became an instant hit.

Today, CK is over 50 years old.

Wearing CK underwear has become a modern lifestyle attitude; showing the edge of underwear with the brand's English name printed on it has also become a way of showing off and becoming popular among CK worshippers.

On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, Calvin Klein invited the most popular stars in the United States to shoot a commercial together. The stars included Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber, Troye Sivan, Kendall Jenner, cousin Liu Wen, and rapper A$AP Rocky. What they have in common is not only their fame, but also their eccentricity and the courage to be themselves.

Calvin Klein, who has interpreted the word "sexy" for half a century, has subverted people's imagination of sexiness time and time again.

So, what are lingerie ads selling besides sex appeal?

2010s to present

Under the awareness of equal rights, embrace the beauty of real diversity

"For a long time, underwear advertising has conveyed a sense of rejection of 'flawed' bodies that do not conform to standard aesthetics, and the emotional resonance aroused is frustration and loss. But now, advertising has finally ushered in realism.
—Florence Müller, fashion historian

Thanks to the rapid economic development and the further opening of people's minds, the underwear market since the 21st century has been unprecedentedly prosperous.

According to a report from consulting firm Sullivan, the average annual compound growth rate of the global underwear market size was around 7% from 2014 to 2019, and the forecast value of the global underwear market size in 2019 is around US$450 billion. Behind such a huge market, underwear brands have bid farewell to the situation of one dominant player, and instead, many up-and-coming brands with advanced concepts have emerged . They not only influence the communication concepts of the underwear industry and even the entire clothing industry, but also promote the progress of global female ideology, cheer for women's equal rights, and redefine the concept of "beauty" in today's society.

Naja: Underwear comes in different shades, just like foundation

Liquid foundation comes in different shades, but did you know that lingerie also comes in different shades?

In 2016, Naja, a lingerie brand based in Los Angeles, USA, launched a series of nude lingerie, which contains 7 shades of skin tone of different shades, matched with foundations of MAC, L'Oreal and Bobbi Brown to suit women of different ethnicities and skin tones.

Naja's slogan for this underwear is "Nude for All", which means that all women can have a "nude" underwear that matches their skin color, rather than the traditional fixed nude color.

To this end, founder Catalina Girald also spent a lot of time on the model feature set.

He required that the women participating in the photo shoot must be amateurs and never use models. He hoped to gather women of different races, skin colors, and body shapes. In the end, the posters we saw included Chinese actors, Silicon Valley software engineers, members of the San Francisco Ballet, Harvard Business School students, and a Bangladeshi Muslim girl who had been in an arranged marriage.

Aerie: No retouching, real is sexy

As girls increasingly rely on using PS to shape themselves, the American lingerie brand Aerie has raised objections.

In the spring of 2014, Aerie launched the “The real you is sexy” themed campaign. In a series of posters, girls of different skin colors and races show their passionate, confident and free-spirited side in front of the camera, with the caption next to the poster: "The girls in the photos have not been retouched. The real you is sexy."

"Photos showing lingerie must be responsible for the cultural values ​​they convey," said Renaud Cambuzat, head of image and innovation at French lingerie giant Chantelle Lingerie (CL) Group. Aerie uses this set of original photos to tell everyone, why bother demanding a figure like a "Victoria's Secret Angel"? No matter fat or thin, the real thing is the most beautiful.

Lonely Lingerie: Aging is also a kind of beauty

The vast majority of underwear brands prefer young, beautiful and energetic people as their advertising spokespersons, including the two brands mentioned above, Naja and Aerie. But Lonely Lingerie, an underwear brand from New Zealand, specially invited a "grandmother-level" model to shoot the film.

Without a youthful body or a tight waist, 57-year-old Mercy Brewer has overturned everyone's imagination of underwear advertisements. In the retro film-like picture, Mercy Brewer lowered her eyes and glanced at the camera, her eyes revealing the tenderness and charm accumulated over the years. Facing the camera, she naturally showed her aging body.

In people's traditional concept, aging is a terrible thing, especially for women. Lonely Lingerie aims to challenge such stereotypes. It hopes to show the diverse beauty of women, including "when you are old and your hair is gray" and "the traces of time on your sad face" as described by Yeats.

Savage×Fenty: Every woman has the right to feel sexy

From beauty to lingerie, Rihanna has always implemented the concept of extreme inclusiveness .

From a small perspective, on the Savage×Fenty official website, there are nearly 30 sizes of bras ranging from 32A to 44DD, and there are models of different skin colors and body shapes to provide demonstrations.

In a broader sense, Savage×Fenty is not only inclusive of women of different skin colors, body shapes, and races, but also extends to minority groups such as the disabled and transgender people.

In 2018, Savage×Fenty's first big show felt a bit unconventional. Celebrities, ordinary people, internet celebrities, plus-size models, and pregnant women are all invited. With the help of lingerie shows and social media, Savage×Fenty achieved sales of $150 million in 2018, defeating Victoria's Secret in its debut.

It is no exaggeration to describe the second show of 2019 as shocking.

Rihanna turned the traditional catwalk into a fashion musical. The team invited all kinds of "women" to perform: oversized makeup artists, disabled girls who walk with prosthetic legs, and transgender people... It was a diverse aesthetic party that subverted common sense.

Nike, H&M: Plus-size models spark diverse aesthetics

These innovative underwear brands continue to output unique spiritual concepts, influencing not only consumers but also the entire clothing industry.

Last summer, Nike placed a "plus-size model" wearing a sports bra set in a store in London, England. Soon after, a reporter from The Telegraph published an article criticizing this phenomenon, saying that "with such a large body wearing such shiny Nike equipment, it is impossible to go out for a run." Unexpectedly, he was condemned by a large number of netizens, who even demanded that the reporter apologize to Nike officials.

Photo by Anna Jay /Refinery

Coincidentally, Nike collaborated with plus-size models to promote sports bras as early as 2016. On Instagram, Nike released photos of plus-size model Paloma Elsesser and New York yoga instructor Claire Fountain.

Plus-size model Paloma Elsesser

Claire Fountain, New York Yoga Instructor

For a long time, the fashion industry has only catered to tall women, and consumers of plus-size clothing have long been neglected. In fact, more than half of American women belong to the so-called "plus-size category."

Since the 2010s, plus-size models appearing in films or on catwalks are no longer just eye-catching gimmicks; their images have injected fresh and essential elements of diversity into brands. As plus-size model Ashley Graham famously said in an ad: “My body is made for starting a revolution.”

Similarly, fast fashion brand H&M showed off the charm of plus-size models at the beginning of its September 2016 commercial.

The most creative and ironic thing is that the background music in the commercial is adapted from "She's A Lady", a song by American male singer Tom Jones in the 1980s praising the "perfect lady". H&M adapted the lyrics and music of the song and added various shots of modern women to tell the world that women are not just defined as "ladies".

Starting with a fat girl in underwear, H&M, in just one minute of advertising, rhythmically shows everyone the different looks of "women" in the new century: they sit carefree, they shave their heads, they have built up muscles, they are strong women in the workplace, they even love each other - anyway, they are not virtuous women in the traditional sense.

Protecting the body or indulging the body is a woman's own choice.

As Clara Blocman, founder of French lingerie brand Ysé, said:

"We are not trying to be 'rebellious', but to promote a new female image that is accepted by (women themselves). This kind of female beauty is neither standardized nor deliberately sexualized. The women painted by Renaissance painters have white skin, big breasts, and plump buttocks...

However, advertising has changed the public's aesthetic taste.

In the history of the development of underwear, we have seen radical feminists who burned their underwear; we have also seen rational and moderate feminists who established new concepts. The freedom and diverse aesthetics of underwear are being accepted by more and more brands. Their brave voices have spread from Europe and the United States to Asia, and have been heard both inside and outside the country. More brands need to prick up their ears.

author: Lea

Source: DIGITALING