Dora Larsen is a brand seriously paving the way for modern lingerie shopping. I’ve never been the biggest fan of high street lingerie and underwear brands as they’ve always pushed the ‘sexy’ a bit too far. They always make you feel just a teeny bit (or a hell of a lot depending on the day) bad about yourself, how you look and more importantly how comfortable you feel in your own skin. Dora Larsen are here to change that with their beautiful luxury lingerie and some pretty eye-opening research* from November 2021.

8 in 10 Women Say They Feel Self-Conscious About Their Nipples

40% of women say they feel embarrassed about their nipples due to how society, the media and men have portrayed them, survey by luxury lingerie brand Dora Larsen finds

• 83% of women feel self-conscious about their nipples
• 56% have worried that their nipples are not ‘normal’
• 91% feel the female nipple has been overtly sexualised

^{Dora Larsen is a female-owned, brand creating luxury lingerie that can be worn every day}

In an era where body confidence appears to dominate both news and social media, a new study has found that many women still feel shame when it comes to their bodies, specifically their nipples.

In spite of the power and celebrity support behind the #freethenipple movement, female nipples are still censored on social media platforms, a decision that almost 80% of women surveyed disagree with, especially with regards to when breastfeeding.

Despite the huge advances made as a result of the body positive social movement, a survey of female consumers by colourful lingerie brand, Dora Larsen, has found that 83% of women still feel self-conscious about their nipples, with size, colour and length cited as areas of concern.

With a troubling proportion of women (40%) admitting they have been made to feel embarrassed about their nipples due to standards set by the pornography industry and patriarchal expectations, and 56% admitting to worrying that their nipples aren’t ‘normal’, respondents were asked if they had ever compared their own nipples to those portrayed on television, film, pornography and social media – almost 60% admitted to this.

Exploring the mission of the #freethenipple movement, which campaigns for all currently censored female nipples to be visible on social media (as is the case with their male counterparts) women were asked if they agreed with social and advertising platforms decision to censor female nipples; 80% disagreed with the move.

Nearly all respondents (91%) believed that the female nipple is portrayed and viewed as sexually explicit, unlike the male nipple. When asked for their opinion on which platforms were responsible for the overt sexualisation of female nipples, film and TV received the most votes (85%) followed closely by news media (82%). Pornography was blamed by 74% of respondents whilst just 65% thought social media was a contributing factor.

To encourage women to embrace their nipples and celebrate their bodies, Dora Larsen has designed a capsule collection of sheer bras in a variety of cup styles and colours.

In light of the research, the brand is encouraging women to embrace their nipples and defy expectations of ‘normality’ or ‘sexy’. Dora Larsen founder, Georgia Larsen commented: “My main goal for Dora Larsen is to offer special, elevated lingerie that women can wear every day. We want women to feel empowered to dress for themselves and no one else. We encourage women to disregard any pre-conceived notion of what ‘sexy’ looks like, or what a ‘normal’ nipple is and embrace our own, beautiful imperfections.”As a champion of body confidence and female empowerment, Dora Larsen encourages women to love every part of their body and to celebrate it every day. Their responsibly produced collections are crafted from recycled materials and designed to provide support and comfort in addition to designs so beautiful, they shouldn’t be saved for best.

To view the full collection and learn more about Dora Larsen’s mission to create empowering and feel-good lingerie click here.  

Here, I’ve featured the beautiful high apex bra and low rise knicker which is perfect if you’re after slightly more coverage. As a brand Dora Larsen do also have a range of underwear with more coverage, bodies and even pyjamas that are so beautiful too – there’s really something for everyone and I actually feel like most people will be able to look on the website and see someone who reminds them a little bit of themselves – whether that’s body type or skin colour. Dora Larsen is really producing some admirable work in the lingerie space.

About Dora Larsen

Established in 2016 by Georgia Larsen, Dora Larsen combines aspirational and innovative colour combinations with contemporary lingerie shapes. Named after Georgia’s childhood dog, Dora Larsen offers something special that women can wear every day, that is elevated, and makes them feel empowered to dress for themselves.

 

Sustainable and ethical values are at the core of the brand. They strive to produce responsibly and use their platform to raise awareness on the topic of sustainability and the climate crisis. The independently owned brand creates two collections a year, spanning across lingerie and more recently, sleepwear. Each collection is designed in London and produced in limited quantities. The team works closely with each of their suppliers to ensure the highest standards of quality and ethics.

We’re a small, family run business. And, as big believers in Karma, producing responsibly is our priority. 83% of the raw materials used in our collections are responsibly sourced, containing either recycled or organic and natural fibres, and we’re committed to increasing this percentage each season. As members of 1% for the Planet, we also pledge at least 1% of our annual turnover to environmental charities.

PR Gift – I was gifted a set of Dora Larsen underwear in exchange for sharing their research and press release which I honestly think is so eye opening. This research and the gorgeous brand with inclusive models will hopefully help women, including myself, believe that their bodies are totally normal, beautiful and something we shouldn’t be ashamed of.

Methodology

*The statistics referenced in this piece are from an independent qualitative survey carried out with 82 female respondents. Full data sheets and answer breakdowns are available upon request.