Keeping it Real

For those of you who haven't yet heard of "Miss Representation" please watch the film. I watched it with my sisters and was completely blown away by the way the media treats women and how this in turn affects how men treat women and how women and girls treat one another. I honestly didn't realize what a terrible state things are in; it was such an eye opener.

Miss Rep and I Am That Girl have gotten together this weekend to lead the "Keep It Real Challenge" aiming to increase awareness on the importance of real beauty and to encourage publications to use REAL instead of retouched images of models. Part of they way you can participate in the challenge is by writing a blog post so I thought I would share how PERT is doing her part! Even if it is small, I'd prefer to play a small part in making a difference rather than be a big part of the problem!

At the shop I try not to display any images if I can help it. You will rarely see catalougues, posters, banners or window displays specifically advertising the lingerie I carry in the store. My sales reps always want to send me press kits full of this material because this is how the brands are helping me to generate sales of their product and I always say no, no and no. First of all, I don't want to waste the paper, and secondly, who wants to shop for lingerie (especially lingerie!) surrounded by giant posters of women they don't look like or identify with? These press images are almost always gorgeous but since it is the lingerie they are trying to draw attention to I'd much rather let it speak for itself. Wether or not a delicate lace is shown on the body or on it's own, one cannot deny the detail, craftsmanship and wonder of this fabric. Women don't need pictures trying to convince us to buy into this apparent sexy lifestyle that comes with having fancy underthings. How we feel in the lingerie we wear should be dictated by how it fits and the experience we have while shopping for it; not by posters reminding us that air, gel and water are going to give us breasts worthy of a pair of angel wings. Does lingerie even exist in Heaven?

Real beauty is just that. Real. So at Pert you get to gawk at the real stuff, try it on if you want and dance around on our pink floor. There will always be something that makes you feel and that feeling could be anything. It could be weary, timid, doubtful, uncertain, curious, interested, surprised, excited, strong, tenacious, impulsive, bold, playful, free or comfortable. All of which are beautiful and triggered not by anything fabricated, but by the fabrics alone.

This is how we are keeping it real at PERT.

Join in the "Keep It Real" challenge here.

Love Buy

Now that the sun is out it's time to shop for our summer wardrobes! Oh what fun! A frequent piece of advice women are given when shopping is "if you don't love it, don't buy it." I am a shopaholic in denial and frequently make all sorts of ridiculous impulse purchases. I have a very difficult time realizing that just because something is "all the rage" or "on sale" doesn't mean I have to have it. I am getting better, slowly, maybe.

This got me thinking, when it comes to underwear shopping, do women follow this advice? As far as lingerie goes, North America is way behind. Europe is really where it's at. Women there dress to the nines both inside and out. But over here it's all about function. Which is important yes, but who really wants to wear a plain beige bra all the time? Women often use the excuse that no one sees their underwear or they're single so, what's the point? I like to think of  this as the non-pert way to go about shopping for your underwear. For instance, a red bra will disappear under white. I know what you're thinking. It does not. But it does. That's fashion and function right there. And since they say it's better to leave some things to the imagination, it's a really good feeling knowing you are in fact walking around wearing the stuff that usually only shows up in thought bubbles. I realize I am completely biased when it comes to all of this. Last time I organized my top drawer(s) I counted something like 45+ bras. But, only 3 of those are beige. Winning! So, next time you're out shopping for a new bra, ask yourself if YOU really love it. I hope you leave with something kinda wonderful.

xox

trep