Lonely Lingerie x Breast Cancer Awareness
I'm...jaded. Not about breast cancer or its effects on people's lives or the necessity of finding a cure, of course. But I am worn out when it comes to the endless stream of slick, sexified marketing campaigns focused on "saving ta-tas" and "thinking pink."
Breast cancer, at least as far these marketing campaigns go, has become the "glamorous" cancer - one which has crowded out awareness for most every other type of cancer (including other cancers predominately affecting women).
Most breast cancer awareness imagery leans heavily into a type of sanitized commerciality, where traditional images focused on mainstream beauty standards and cutesy slogans (which, ironically, alienate certain minority populations) make the message of awareness seem more palatable.
From one point of view, these campaigns have been wildly effective. If nothing else, people are definitely aware of breast cancer nowadays. However, it galls me to see companies use breast cancer awareness as a profit-making tool, trading on consumer goodwill (and sometimes even partnering with overtly harmful organizations) in order to make quick bucks or get a little good press from a conspicuous pink ribbon or two.
Which is why Lonely's campaign resonated with me.
I've been a fan of Lonely Lingerie for a few years now, and 2017 quite possibly marks my transition into being a "superfan." More broadly speaking, I love how diverse and representative imagery has just become a part of what Lonely does.
Speaking more specifically about this campaign, however, I love how thoughtful and deliberate it feels. The faces of the campaign are women with incurable, metastatic breast cancer - not models or celebrities. Often, the voices of those with incurable cancer are left out of breast cancer awareness, their stories contrasting with the frenzied positivity that seems more typical of awareness campaigns.
For Lonely Lingerie to center these women is a beautiful thing, and this campaign touched me and resonated with me in a way so many breast cancer campaigns do not. This mini-lookbook is produced in collaboration with Sweet Louise, a New Zealand organization dedicated to giving support for those with incurable breast cancer. You can read more about the campaign and learn more about these amazing women at Lonely's Instagram.
While age and body type certainly weren't the focus of this campaign, I also appreciated seeing older women in Lonely Lingerie - especially in a natural setting; looking carefree. There's this idea that lingerie is only for the young, but it's truly for all of us. Beautiful lingerie is for anyone who wants it.
There is nothing more satisfying, at last from the perspective of a blogger, than falling deeper in love with a company the more you learn about them. And Lonely Lingerie is on its way to gaining my undying devotion.
