Lingerie Brand

The Woman’s Body –The Essence and the Idea

In this presentation,We seek to explore

• The Indian’s woman relationship with her body

• How she views and consumes her body• Her idea of her Body

We met women across Kolkata, Delhi, Bombay, Ludhiana

and Coimbatore….

Around 90 women over the 5 cities via Group Discussions….

Depth Interviews….

Wardrobe audits….

…. And Retail

We met homemakers, working women and students

We saw……

A varied sense of self

• “I am a so called house wife.. actually I take tuitions.. I used to work but because I need to take care of my children I left the job; now I am taking tuitions for standards 7th ,8th,9th,10th”.. - 33 yrs, Mid Segment, Delhi, Competition

• “I am a boy and a girl for my parents. Both are same… there is no difference” – 18 yrs, mid, Delhi, competition

A pride in their achievements

“I am only 32, somebody said you look like a college girl, no one says I have a 10 years old daughter also and says someone will propose me in college.. We look like 2 sisters are walking together.. I don’t look aunty types..” - 32 yrs, premium, Bombay, Competition

“Earlier I had lot of problems in the family. They did not accept me in the beginning- I had to earn their confidence slowly. I think I have achieved a bit- still we have problems as we have a joint family” - 33 yrs, mid segment, Kolkata, Competition

A pride in their achievements

“I work, and my kids are taken care of by my mother-in-law.. I plan my day so as to give them time, I teach them too.. ” - 34 yrs, premium, Bombay, Competition

“everyone says I have a very good dressing sense.. They even copy my style ” - 19 yrs, mid segment, Delhi, Competition

At times, a confident body language accompanied by fierce conversations

“Kabhi kabhi ‘cut-line (cleavage) show off karna hota hai na saree mein..”

32, premium, Delhi

“Pati ka khoon garam karne ke liye pehente hain lace ki nightie..”

-34, Super premium, Delhi

Revealing a matter of fact self made vocabulary

“After an age, downfall hoye jaaye..”

- 27, Mid segment, Kolkata

“Iss bra se point outs chhup jaate hain”

- 29, mid segment, Bombay

At times a hesitant sense of being is in tandem with quick judgment

“Now we are 35, who’ll look at us? Ke dekhbe?”

35, Mid segment, Kolkata

“No, no, I never want to be called sexy, our upbringing is not like that..”

32, Mid segment, Coimbatore

But open or conservative; hesitant or confident, everyone has an opinion on ‘the

perfect body’

Everyone is conversant with the body hierarchy

“She looks simple and sober.. Has a nice figure and height.. Jach rahi hai”

The reactions ranged from generous admiration…..

‘attitude’ ‘good structure’ ‘suiting her’ ‘she can carry it’

‘Sweet’, ‘Traditional’, ‘appealing’, ‘attractive’ ‘sexy’ ‘good figure’ ‘hot’

…. To harsh criticism

‘doesn’t suit her’, ‘aunty look’, ‘lady look’, ‘bhutiya make up’, ‘bad figure’

Displaying a cathartic judgment-a harshly critical eye

“She has bad looks.. Looks vulgar.. She’s showing off”

“She is flat.. She should wear a padded bra..”

bad looks.. bad figure.. bad clothes.. no wearing sense.. figure bold nahin hai.. cheap choice hai.. loose character hai.."

“Rather than showing the upper body in such a bad way, she should have hidden it..”

But what was universally condemned was ‘shapelessness’

“She is flatron.. She is just showing off (laughs)!”

“Rather than showing the upper body in such a bad way, she should have hidden it..”

“no shape”“she should wear a

padded bra..”“this doesn’t suit her”“she has no figure..”

‘Shape’ is paramount-and is what she pursues

Seeking a Silhoutte

“I like hosiery leggings.. They give a good shape..”

“I stitch churidaar in correct fit, even if we buy readymade one, I will alter it according to the body structure..” – 30 yrs, Mid Segment, Coimbatore

Acknowledging the body’s presence

“After going to college we became conscious and confident.. one should be conscious about her looks and body.. Because if she is not conscious, how will she take care of herself?”

- 23 yrs, super premium, Bombay

“I was very thin, like a danger sign..”

- 18-25 yrs, super premium, Delhi

The older women have left the ideal size behind…..

“After my first baby, my body completely changed.. I used to be so slim!”

- Women across

The younger have other bit complaints..

“I don’t like my thighs.. So I dress accordingly!”

- 21 yrs, premium, Bombay

“I think my arms are really heavy! So I don’t wear sleeveless.. I wear transparent sleeves instead!”

- 19 yrs, mid segment, Delhi

So in the media created ‘sizist’ world

“Katrina Kaif has a perfect figure! She can carry off anything!”

- Women Across

She takes refuge in being ‘shapist’

“I like to maintain myself.. I should be able to carry off what I wear..”

“Size Zero is for models.... Not me!”- Women across, from 18-40

“I like myself best when I wear jeans and t-shirt.. It makes me feel young and casual..”

Women in 30s, across

“I love wearing a saree.. It shows the shape so well” – 19, premium, Delhi

“Saree is the best.. It is dignified as well as attractive”

- 32, mid segment, Kolkata

A shapely body becomes a versatile body

“There’s so much to change up! Colour combination, hair, make up, in which dress you are looking fat or thin, what suits you, like the cut and neck... fitting of the dress” - 19 yrs, super premium, Delhi

“Katrina has a beautiful shape.. She looks good in everything!”

- Universal statement

A shapely body is a ‘maintained’ body

Aishwarya is well shaped.. She is still maintained after having a baby..- Women in 30s, across

Kareena in size zero looks flat….- Universal statement

A shapely body becomes an expressive body.. Loss of shape is loss of self?

“Some bras are so oddly shaped it seems as if it is rising like a hill. Those look very bad when we wear kurtis or t-shirts. The ones we wear – hold the breast in shape. Nothing shows from top.” – 24 yrs, mid, Kolkata

“when you have a good figure, face and body is also attractive..” - 25 yrs, premium segment, Ludhiana, Enamor user

A shapely body makes her hitherto invisible body visible, and consumable

to herself“If I ever wear a loose

bra then I get a feeling that I have not worn anything.. I am covering myself with a shawl or dupatta.. I am losing “ Rupa”- myself. Main thing I see is the shape of the bra” - 33 yrs, mid segment, Kolkata, Competition

And what confers this shape becomes the lens through which she views her

body.. The Apparel

Apparel fantasy > Body fantasy“I love trying on miniskirts

in the mall.. I can’t buy them of course, I am not allowed to wear them!”

- 19 yrs, mid segment, Ludhiana

“If I wear a tummy tucker, I can wear the one piece that makes me look fantastic!”- Women in 30s, across

Various selves are expressed through apparel

“When I go out with my husband or friends I wear jeans and top.. When I go to PTA, I wear a saree.. When I go with my mother-in-law I wear a suit.. I have to dress differently as a mother, as a wife.. ”

– 27 yrs, mid segment, Mumbai, competition

Apparel confers identity – Personalities and roles expressed

through clothes“When I go to work, I wear a

suit, or jeans with kurti.. It looks professional.. With friends I can wear t-shirt and jeans.. You know, casual.. When going to a marriage I wear a silk saree..”

– 33 yrs, premiuim, Coimbatore, competition

Hence body becomes the vehicle to Express several selves..

And while the perfect body gets away with any apparel

(Malaika being the Goddess of the same)

She prides herself in “carrying off” what she wears

“Body ke according dress karna padhta hai.. Ek umar ke baad sab kuch toh nahin pehen sakte..”

- 34 yrs, mid segment, Ludhiana

“I am allowed to wear sleeveless.. Miniskirts mujhe mann hi nahin hai.. Society mein accha nahin lagta..”

- 24 yrs, premium, Delhi

my dressing is sanctioned by my body and the society..And hence, I am superior..Hence, my body is superior..What I wear shows who I am..

“Carrying off” enables her to showcase her youth and experiment on the periphery

“I like funky accessories.. Tic tacs, nail polishes..”-19, super premium, Bombay

“I can wear a sphagetti and take a shrug over it.. Or take a stole with a short top..”- 22, mid segment, Delhi

“Carrying off” enables her to make a style out of a sum total of permissible

liberties“I haven’t seen this anywhere.. This is my own style..”

“no I don’t want to go through any magazines.. I just want to look what I am.. I have a unique style...” - 33 yrs, Mid Segment, Delhi, Competition

“carrying off” allows her to partake in the body hierarchy and subvert it

“We have to be confident. You buy a short dress and you should be able to carry. You are a lady you should have a good personality. All mothers are beautiful. You should not carry yourself in such a way that people can pass comment” -33 yrs, mid segment, Kolkata, Competition

Carrying off makes her ‘smart’- pegging her perfectly-

between being ‘desirable’ yet unattainable

(body racism?)

“Carrying off” becomes her power equation with all bodies perfect

Together with her sense of appropriate-ness

“I dress according to the occasion..”- Universal statement

“It feels best when people say I look smart..”- Women in 30s, across

Hence, any ‘power’ her body holds rests with the apparel

Power dressing goes to the next level-literally

“As a daughter-in-law, I have to command respect, I need to wear a saree to a family function..”

- 36 yrs, mid segment, Coimbatore

“If I repeat any dress, my college friends will really give me hell!”

- 19 yrs, mid segment, Delhi

And dressing is what shapes your body

“I like my hips when I wear suits it gives a good fit..” - 25 yrs, premium segment, Ludhiana, Enamor user

“Compared to salwar, leggings shapes the body much more closely.. it gives you a bit younger look than wearing those suits with long dupattas…” - 33 yrs, Mid Segment, Delhi, Competition

Dressing defines the ‘body without’

Dressing contains the ‘body within’

The ‘body without’ that the world sees is actively decorated

“I love my ear piercings.. I told my in laws I wouldn’t change that..” - 25 yrs, premium segment, Ludhiana, Enamor user

“you can press your hair, curl it, roll it, blow dry it.. there is crimping also..” - 22 yrs, super premium, Delhi

Before marriage, it is protected, saved

“she is showing so much.. It looks cheap.. We don’t wear revealing dresses..”

- 21 yrs , premium, Delhi

“While travelling in the bus, I keep my bag infront of me..”

- 19 yrs, mid segment, Kolkata

After marriage, it is legitimately satiated

Unabashedly discussing a sated body

“After marriage, everyone becomes gol-gaal”- 28 yrs, mid segment, Kolkata

“why is she so hesitant in discussing her body? I doubt if she’s married..”

- 32 years, premium, Bombay

‘Body without’ becomes a site of visible prosperity

A Cherubic sense of ‘fat’ ‘Fluffy’, ‘flabby’ (soft toy-like).. ‘healthy’ ‘paani chadha hai..’ ‘maangsho legechhe..’

A meaning system is fabricated around the ‘body without’

“sexy means figure should be perfect, beautiful is by face.. ‘hot’ is when you have a good figure, face and body is also attractive..” - 25 yrs, premium segment, Ludhiana, Enamor user

But the body within is reigned in-it’s the body of shame

The tummy tucker proliferation

While some give in to the destiny of this body

‘whatever I am wearing I should retain my self respect.. that’s the first aspect of clothing’- 34 yrs, super premium, Kolkata

And accept the path it must follow..‘after an age, changes will happen, what to do?’- 34 yrs, premium, Coimbatore

Others decide to challenge its destiny

“Sarees I don’t prefer.. I wear leggings and get compliments.. I wear wrap around (skirt) with a choli.. It looks awesome.. I’ll switch to chiffon, it makes me look thin..”

- 32, premium, Bombay

Feel their body deserves more?

“I wear everything and experiment with looks.. I pair jackets and long coats with tops.. I don’t like behenji look, I am stylish type..”

- 32, premium, Ludhiana

Irrespective of destiny, hers is a body under scrutiny..

She projects others through it

Several Selves – (most below are recurring statements)

“I should look like a mother when I go to his school..”

“In my husband’s comparison I look bad so to suit him I need to get thin, I look fat..”

“What I wear shows my husband’s status..”

“If I repeat a dress my friends point it out!”

“My son always tells me what I should wear..”

She acknowledges the scrutiny the body is subjected to.. Indulges it

“If someone says that you have become fat, then the dieting starts from that very moment..”

- 21 yrs, premium, Delhi“In upper body you need to consider colour

combination, hair, make up, in which dress you are looking fat or thin, what suits you like the cut and neck... fitting of the dress” - 19 yrs, super premium, Delhi

She basks in this Scrutiny• From protecting yourself from

the societal gaze – to thriving in it.. (through ‘looks’)

“We should get little thin when someone says, so you also feel good and you feel that I am at the top of the world” - 22 yrs, super premium, Delhi

“I feel like the best in anarkali suit. It is comfortable and looks best on me.” – 24 yrs, mid, Kolkata

The Scrutiny is an opportunity to show off

• “my favourite compliment is when someone says ‘you are looking smart’ - 25 yrs, premium segment, Ludhiana, Enamor user

A shapeless body earns indifference-it’s the shapely body that is

scrutinized.This scrutiny needs her to consciously

manage her body..Ditto for her breasts

Conscious Breast Management“Only through bra can we maintain our structure, or else we wont get

body fit ,in earlier period it is said that ladies didn’t wear it… earlier when the women did not wear a bra, their body looked loose ,they didn’t have shape and they soon started looking old” – 30 yrs, Mid Segment, Coimbatore

“The breasts should not be hanging.. It should not be loose..” - 21 yrs, super premium, Ludhiana

“There was a girl that I know who was flat from toe to head and even back and even boys used to comment that there is nothing in her and she was very embarrassed by this..”

- 21 yrs, super premium, Delhi

Acknowledging breasts – usually in ‘prosperity’ codes

‘I don’t need padded – overload hoye jaabe’- 32 yrs, premium, Kolkata‘main pehle hi bohot heavy hoon’- Women across“After teenage there’s ‘overflow’ of breasts”- 33 yrs, premium, Ludhiana

Vocabulary around it:‘santra’ ‘mausambi’

Breasts as natural calamity/ natural reservoir – bane/ boon

• Breasts as something that is out of control – hence needs control

• Breasts as a natural resource (breast milk) that needs to be tapped?

‘downfall’ ‘sink’ ‘rise up like mountains’ – words that might as well describe an erstwhile empire... Signify glory and decline

Empowered by the breast

Not having enough is a disadvantage, having ample is a sign of womanhood

The fact that everyone believes they are well endowed

“My favourite body part is my upper body, my chest..” – women in 30s, across

Well-endowed-ness makes desi bodies cool

Indian body > Western body“Bipasha has

‘work-out’ kind of body.. Because of her body shape, Bipasha acts in smart roles and not a docile girl- she is either a cop or a corporate girl.” – 24 yrs, mid, Kolkata

Curves are definitely in

“Vidya’s curves are awesome..”

“Size zero is like a hanger”

“Sonakshi Sinha has a very good figure..”

“kuch dikhna chahiye (flesh)”

Perfection vs Reality

Katrina is perfect but ethreal..

Malaika is closer to reality and revered..

Unreal Perfection is judged;Closer Reality is more forgiving

Body within - hidden, controlled and judged?

Body without – projects others, appeals to self, admired?

Body as plasticine for apparel?