“C-cup and up!”
By Lesedi Masoko
It is no doubt that lingerie and swimwear can go a long way towards amplifying the feeling of confidence and positive body affirmation and often times, for many women, a positive body self-esteem is largely influenced by the underwear, lingerie, or swimwear that they resonate with.
Having engaged in conversations with a range of diverse women in South Africa, the majority testified that underwear influences their level of confidence, and it has the power to build a positive self-esteem. As for lingerie and swimwear, some mentioned that they have found themselves quite weary of engaging with these because they could not find the right size to accommodate their breast cups and consequently, this left them feeling shameful and insecure because the retail underwear industry had not acknowledged nor embraced them.
The African underwear, lingerie, and swimwear industry has however, come a long way in improving the manner in which they involve and engage with African women, who are “built differently from the European woman and the Asian woman,” says Shona McDonald, founder of Thursday’s Lingerie & Swimwear. A great deal of underwear or lingerie items in South Africa are imported from Asia and Europe, but the reality is that clothing business in South Africa must take into consideration who they are selling to and what type of structure these people have.
Inspired by the cry of a range of African women for recognition and consideration for their unique bodies, Thursday’s Lingerie & Swimwear is an online store that sells lingerie and swimwear for women with all breast sizes and body structures. These products are handmade locally in South Africa and the designers of these products are specially trained to create bras as the creation of bras is a specialized skill, according to Shona. Even if people may be good clothing designers, making bras is something that needs special training and at Thursday’s Lingerie & Swimwear, special training is offered to the creators of these products.
Thursday’s Lingerie & Swimwear is not only eager to provide comfortable and attractive lingerie and swimwear for a range of body structures and breast sizes, but they are also driven to accommodate breast cancer survivors who have not had reconstructive surgery and would like to wear a bra that has silicon inside to support their frame. Thursday’s Lingerie & Swimwear offers these mastectomy bras at an extremely lower price compared to international providers.
For a breast cancer survivor, circumstances are already difficult and spending more money just increases the stress levels that’s why, Thursday’s Lingerie & Swimwear offers mastectomy bras for R895 via the Thursdays website but are subsidized for state patients who go through Reach for Recovery via the Ditto project.
Should you be interested to reach out to Thursday’s Lingerie & Swimwear, check out their online store @ https://thursdays.co.za/ or engage with them on their Instagram page @ https://instagram.com/thursdaysza?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= . #wesupportboobs
For more information about Reach For Recovery, follow the link @ Reach for Recovery – Supply practical and emotional support to breast cancer patients and their families. (reach4recovery.org.za).