Lingerie & Pop Culture - Lingerie In Everyday Society

Lingerie is a part of every day culture and society in most countries whether we notice it obviously or subliminaly. Lingerie models and celebrities are constantly featured on magazine covers, television adverts and billboards to endorse lingerie brands and general merchandise. This can include advertisements to target either males or females including products ranging from everyday make up products, to featuring in car magazines to attract a male reader.

Women's lingerie and intimate apparel isn't as it was in the days before the 70's or 80s. It's out in the open and whether we may be blind to it or not, it's featured in more parts of the world now than it ever did. Lingerie has shaped itself into various forms including nightwear and nightgowns to the basics of seamless underwear and crotchless lingerie.

Celebrities such as Madonna, Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez wear lingerie (corsets, stockings, panties) as outerwear during stage concerts. This encourages the average woman to learn to accept her body and try new lingerie that she may not have been comfortable with previously. This is designed to not only show off their own bodies to the audience, but also to show the audience that you too can feel sexy and comfortable in lingerie and intimates.

Throughout the world, there's a range of retailers both online and in shopping centres which are sellers of lingerie. Some of the bigger brick and mortar retailers include Victoria's Secret while some of the smaller players in the online lingerie market include Siren Lingerie and Fantasy Lingerie. Although each lingerie retailer may have different price points to which they target their customers, it's also important to note the quality and products that are on offer. For example, retailers such as Victoria's Secret may target the higher end with premium brand name products and justify the price through the brand name and the use of celebrities. On the other hand, online retailers such as Siren Lingerie offer premium lingerie as well as some of the more basic styles for the every day consumer while still ensuring that their European designed and manufactured lingerie is as good as any other high end retailer.

Although lingerie was once something kept in the dark and not spoken about in recent years, we've constantly been exposed to lingerie before our eyes without even realising it. In some ways, we are more so encouraged to test the waters and try out the products on offer not only to expand our range of clothes and apparel, but also to feel proud of who we are instead ofeeling in the dark as was the case prior to the 1980s.

• The global lingerie and intimate apparel industry is worth more than $30 billion! That's such as much as the weight loss industry
• The most popular selling lingerie item is the bra, followed by panties (encompasses g-strings, c-strings, v-strings, boylegs, etc).
• Lingerie being worn as outwear is increasingly becoming popular with women bracing corsets.
• In 2010, 1/4 of all lingerie made in the world was sourced from Europe
• In 2012, 1/4 of all lingerie made in the world was made in China
• According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China has more than 3,000 companies producing lingerie, of which only 13 percent make a profit, leaving the majority of the market share to be cornered by overseas brands.

Lingerie includes every day intimate apparel including both underwear, bras and stockings, however, lingerie has expanded over the years to include a range of different styles and designs. Through the influence of designers across the world, the lingerie market is expanding every year

Some of the more common types of lingerie which can be found when shopping for lingerie & intimate apparel includes:

• Babydolls
• Chemisoles (Chemises)
• Bra & Panty Sets
• Robes & Nightgowns
• Corsets
• Bridal Lingerie
• Fantasy Lingerie & Costumes
• Erotic Lingerie
• Bodystockings / Hosiery
• Bondage Apparel & Pasties

• Siren Lingerie (Australian Online Retailer)
• Asos (Interntional Online Retailer)
• Bras n Things (Australian Retailer Online & In-Store)