Lingerie as Self-Expression and Letting Go of the “Right” Body Type
- S at Adore By S
- Jul 20
- 3 min read
Somewhere along the way, many women were taught that lingerie belonged to a certain type of body.
Not directly, perhaps. Nobody sat us down and said it. But the message was everywhere. In advertisements. In magazines. In movies. In the styles that were available and the sizes that weren't. In who was celebrated and who was edited out.
The result is that so many women have spent years believing they need to become someone else before they're allowed to enjoy beautiful things.
Smaller. More toned. Less soft. More confident.
And until then, lingerie becomes something to postpone.
But what if there never was a "right" body type for lingerie? What if the only thing lingerie has ever needed is a body?
Lingerie is one of the most personal forms of fashion we wear. Unlike a dress or a pair of jeans, it sits closest to the skin. It moves with you throughout the day. Most of the time, nobody else even sees it.
Which is exactly why it can become such a beautiful form of self-expression.
Not because you're trying to fit into someone else's idea of sexy, but because you're choosing pieces that feel like an extension of who you are.
For some women, that might mean black lace and bold details. For others, soft colours and romantic silhouettes feel more aligned. Some love bodysuits. Others live in bralettes and matching sets. Some days call for mesh and stockings. Other days are all about comfort and simplicity.
None of these choices are more feminine or more attractive than the others.
They're simply different expressions of the same thing. You.
That's the beauty of self-expression. It doesn't need permission and it doesn't need comparison.
And yet comparison is exactly what stops so many women from exploring it.
Because when you've spent years seeing the same body type associated with beauty, it's easy to assume your curves are something to work around rather than celebrate. You begin to think certain colours aren't for you. Certain cuts are too revealing. Certain styles belong to other women.
But style has never belonged to a size. Confidence has never belonged to a waist measurement. And sensuality has never been reserved for one shape.
Inclusive lingerie is helping to rewrite that story. Not by pretending every woman feels confident every day, but by expanding the picture of what beauty actually looks like.
Real bodies. Soft bodies. Curvy bodies. Bodies that have changed. Bodies that carry stretch marks, scars, stories, and life. Bodies that deserve beautiful things without needing to apologise for taking up space.
Because the truth is, self-expression becomes incredibly difficult when you're trying to meet impossible standards. You stop asking what you like and start asking what hides the most. What slims the most. What makes you look closer to someone else.
And that's exhausting. There is so much freedom in returning to your own preferences. In wearing colours because they make you happy. In choosing lace because you love the way it feels. In buying a bodysuit because you think it's beautiful, not because you've finally reached some imaginary milestone. These things may seem small, but they add up.
Every choice that says "I don't have to wait" slowly loosens the grip of the belief that your body is standing in the way of your life. Because your body isn't standing in the way. It's carrying you through it. And perhaps that's why lingerie can become so much more than fabric. It becomes a reminder that beauty isn't something you earn. Expression isn't something you qualify for. And confidence isn't the reward waiting at the end of a transformation.
It's something that grows when you stop abandoning yourself. When you stop dressing for the body you think you're supposed to have and start dressing for the body that has been with you all along.
The "right" body type for lingerie doesn't exist. Never has. What does exist is your body. And that's more than enough.
With love,
Adore By S x
