I used to think that lingerie is a tool for the art of seduction. Up until my late 20s, I never had a piece of lingerie in my closet. I grew up in a conservative culture where covering the body is the norm, and those sheer bras or lacy lingerie are seen as only for sexually liberated women. 

But as I grew older, I’ve learned to see lingerie as more than a piece of sexy wear. It can be a symbol of empowerment, as it can be a tool for you to learn to embrace your body and femininity more. It changes the narrative on women’s power over their body image and sexuality. I’ve experienced the power of lingerie myself, and I’ve realized how it has made me feel more profoundly feminine, and over time, more comfortable with my own body. 

Just simply slipping a lingerie on can instantly make you feel sexier and more confident. You would be surprised at how wearing a lingerie for many days can make a woman feel fiercer by the day.

The author wearing Adam & Eve cycling shapewear

My relationship with sexy undergarments started when my editor, Marane Plaza, asked me to model for shapewear and lingerie brand Adam & Eve. The moment I wore the brand’s shapewear during the photo shoot, I felt a rush of sexy energy came through me. Putting on the corset gave me such a confidence boost, and for days, it had improved the way I carry my body. I loved the way the corset cinched my waist and gave me that perfect hourglass shape. I relished how the corset helped me with my posture and gave me the back arch of a goddess. I wish all women can experience the pleasure of finding a corset that can make them look and feel good as they deserve. Since Adam & Eve corsets were backed up by thorough research to produce product features that can improve your weight management, the entire thing has inspired me more to live a healthier lifestyle. 

My next foray with sexy underclothing is when I was tapped to become a part of Sefra Babewear’s lingerie-for-healing campaign.

The writer during Sefra Babewear campaign photo shoot

Sefra creates tailored lingerie, which helps women to be confident in their skin. I loved what the brand stood for, so I agreed to be part of the campaign.

The collection shed the spotlight on how women can find refuge in lingerie so as to help them overcome insecurities, hardships and even society’s scrutiny. And rightfully so, lingerie has that power to make you feel like you are taking back the control of how you see your body and life. If you would allow it, lingerie can be that empowering and healing tool for you too, just like how Sefra’s founder found healing in lingerie after an abusive relationship.

During the shoot, I was given three sets of daring lingerie pieces to model. Some of them were intricate lace bralettes with no pads and lacey thongs– which meant the pieces would pretty much expose me, even the curve of my derriere. Truth be told, I was hesitant because I had no idea if I could pull them off. But everything changed when I wore the pieces. You can say that it was a magical moment of empowerment for me. 

It felt so good to have lingerie pieces customized to your size. Sefra’s creator, Francesca Cadorniga, took all of the models’ measurements days before the shoot to ensure that every piece of lingerie would suit to a T. It surely translated that way during our photo shoot because I felt like something changed within me when I wore my Sefra lingerie. Sure, they were barely there but putting them on made me feel like I was reborn into a better version of myself.  

Days after the shoot, I still wore lingerie from different brands. It was like I could not stop. It was surprising to me too how lingerie has had that power to make me slowly see my body on a better, more positive light. Modeling them in front of a mirror has made me realize that by the day, I truly feel sexier, more beautiful, more feminine.

One day, it just felt that wearing lingerie affirmed my new relationship with my body. It was a full expression of loving my body for what it is. I have stretch marks and cellulites here and there, but that feeling of power that lingerie has given me made all those imperfections seem invisible to me. During the Sefra shoot, I worked with women of different shapes and sizes, and that was when I truly saw that our society’s body standards are far from the beauty of the truth: that all types of bodies are indeed gorgeous. There are so many body shapes God created, and each one of them is stunning and unique. As such, beautiful lingerie has that powerful effect wherein it highlights the gloriousness of all shapes, sizes and types of bodies.

 

Wearing lingerie helped me to depart from arbitrary body norms. Before, I always felt like I had to work on my body to achieve that Kim Kardashian shape, that my body somehow did not align with what social media celebrates as the perfect body. Nowadays, I work out and eat better, and yes, there are days when I still do not feel as great as I want to about my body. But I have learned that my journey towards loving my body completely is so beautiful with all its good, amazing and not so great days. Wearing lingerie has made me see all the more that there is nothing to be ashamed of because I now know that my body is a vessel meant to be celebrated in all its different phases and seasons in my life. 

Looking back, I felt like a rebel when I first wore lingerie because I had to fight old notions that stigmatize the feminine body. I had to retrain myself that my body is beautiful and that there should be no prejudice in its appearance. This perspective shift showed me that there is no shame in self-love, and that having a healthy body image is essential if a woman wants to thrive at any age.