The Problem with How Lingerie Brands Sell High Waisted Panties to Plus Sizes

Sassy Cotton Brief Panty by Lane Bryant

As a lingerie copywriter, I'm always especially conscious of how trends are marketed. Marketing is more than a set of pretty photos; it's also about wording product descriptions and marketing materials in ways that will appeal to your target customer. So, for obvious reasons, I'm always interested in seeing how new trends are marketed to both the plus size and core size market.

Today I wanted to talk about the high waisted panty trend and the marketing around it. We're also going to cover some assumptions it reveals about core size customers and plus size ones that permeate the entire industry.

Stella Maris Panty by Dollhouse Bettie

Why Are High Waisted Panties In Fashion?
The high waisted panty trend has come back in a big way in the past few years for several reasons. The biggest is that retro styles are in and everyone is trying to cash in on the pinup lingerie craze. The second is that high waists are a fairly easy sell in an American market, which is still largely concerned with issues like nipple coverage rather than making a fashion statement. Many American lingerie customers want simple lingerie that disappears under clothing and doesn't leave any lines. If you're a regular reader around here, none of this will be news to you. What is noteworthy is how this trend is marketed to different size segments and what it says about the assumptions retailers make about each size group.

Charlotte Knickers by Hopeless Lingerie

High Waist Panties in Core Sizes: Ouvert Panties, Pinup Vibes and Sex Appeal
While you could always buy basic high waist panties from places like Rago, the trend has really taken off in recent years and loads of high fashion brands have jumped on the bandwagon. Brands are now creating lots of ouvert (open back) options, which combine retro flair with modern sex appeal. When simple high waist panty options are sold, they are marketed as being retro chic or retro sexy rather than basic. Panties in core sizes are sold based on sex appeal, rather than to cover up problem areas or to feel more confident/less exposed.

In core sizes, the high waist trend is still all about sex appeal. This leads to a wealth of options in terms of coverage, styling and material. You'll rarely see a plain white cotton panty, since the market is all about channeling the pinup look.

High Cut Lace Briefs by Ashley Graham/Addition Elle

High Waist Panties in Plus Sizes: Comfort, Coverage and Confidence
High waist panties have really taken over the plus size market in a big way over the past few years, to the point where I'm regularly asked where customers can find bikini panties in plus sizes. Even regular briefs in plus sizes have now developed higher waists, making high waist panties the default for many plus size brands. However, when you look at the way high waists are advertised in a plus size context, the sales pitch looks totally different.

Comfort is a big factor in plus size panty advertising, but it always shows up in product descriptions for plus size panties. Many of them are made of cotton rather than silky fabrics, making this trend about everyday comfort and practical wear rather than sex appeal. In many product descriptions and ads, you'll see various claims about how panties don't roll down, cut in or otherwise make you feel uncomfortable. That's great, but all of those things also happen to core size customers who wear panties --- so why don't we see core size marketing talking about that?

Seamless High Waist Panty by Lane Bryant

Coverage is also a big selling point, although not in a retro sexy way. By default lingerie brands assume that plus size lingerie customers want to cover up areas they may be uncomfortable with, like their stomachs. This is problematic for several reasons. Plus size customers are not all the same body type, so they may carry weight in many different ways. By assuming that all customers want to cover up one or two areas, brands are telegraphing that plus size customers must have one shape: "fat." There are many customers in the core size range who may also be uncomfortable with their stomachs, but you don't see companies encouraging them to cover up with high waist panties.

Confidence is a big part of lingerie marketing in any size range, but it's dealt with differently in core sizes and plus sizes --- even when it comes to selling the same item. Core sizes are encouraged to "show off their curves" or to show peeks of skin, while plus size customers are sold seamless high waist panties to cover up their problem areas and to appear thinner. One of these is a body positive take on the trend and the other is toxic.

This article isn't going to change the world, but I do hope it helps you read between the lines when you see lingerie marketed to you. A panty can be more than a panty: it can reveal how companies feel and think about their clients. In my last article, we talked about how plus size customers are stigmatized and therefore have fewer options on the market --- this is a good example of that stigma at work.

What other lingerie trends do you see marketed different to multiple size ranges? How do you feel about it?