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Lingerie brand launches body positive sizing to empower women

Are you size lovely or stunning?

Rachel Hosie
Saturday 20 May 2017 09:55 BST
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Shopping can be hard - how is it possible to buy something in a size 10 in one shop, go into another next door and find yourself unable to fit into a size 14? (It happened.)

And thanks to societal pressure on women to be a certain dress size, finding you don’t fit into a particular number can be upsetting.

But one clothing brand is hoping to do away with this stress with its sizing definitions: instead of numbers, Neon Moon’s lingerie comes in sizes Lovely, Gorgeous, Beautiful, Fabulous and Stunning.

So if you go up from Beautiful to Fabulous, or down from Gorgeous to Lovely, how could that be a bad thing?

It’s hoped the sizes will empower women.

“Most of the time people are reduced down to a mere number on a measuring tape, and at Neon Moon we recognize that so much pressure is placed on people to fit a certain size, a certain norm,” founder and CEO Hayat Rachi told Bustle.

“But why not compliment yourself and say, ‘Hell yeah I’m a size beautiful!’ rather than judge yourself on whether you’ve gained or lost inches — it’s about having fun in a body positive way.”

The British brand places emphasis on being body positive and feminist, and with this in mind, potential customers are encouraged to measure themselves using a print-out ruler from the website.

However, Neon Moon have shared a reminder: “Measuring your body is a mindful and body positive process. Your self-worth is not defined by any number on a measuring tape. You are beautiful whatever size you are.”

What’s more, if the process causes issues for people with eating disorders or body-confidence problems, they’re encouraged to let the brand know.

“We have had people suffering from EDs email in, but also transgender and non-binary people who have been affected and need that personal touch,” says Rachi.

“Our emails are a safe space for everyone, [where you can] get the dedicated help and time from our amazing Neon Moon team. We treat every person individually [...] So far, everyone who has emailed in we have helped, and they have placed an order that they’ve loved.”

Of course, measuring yourself can be a bit of a faff and not everyone has a printer, so Neon Moon have included a sizing-chart online too.

Although the brand has received much praise for their sizing system, they originally also provoked anger for only offering lingerie up to a size 16.

Now, however, this has been remedied, with items available up to size 24 - or Stunning.

Of course, eliminating sizing by traditional standards is not going to change the way women feel about their bodies, but it could be a step in the right direction by encouraging us to really believe all sizes are beautiful. And fabulous. And gorgeous.

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