Why I love FUNderwear (and how to get hold of it in extended sizes)

Lots of people use lingerie as a way of expressing their sexuality. And that's great - power to them. This post is not negatively framing those people's choices in any way, but about my alternative perspective.

Apologies for the poor photo, my phone is broken so I had to make do with an old camera.

Ever since I went through puberty I have been told that my body, and other womens' bodies, are
inherently sexual, just because they exist in the "female" subcategory. A man can make jokes about nudity, his genitals, even masturbation and they are generally well received because the context of these remarks is humorous. If a woman tries the same thing, the reception is never quite the same because people will always colour her comments with sexuality. Of course, the level of this will depend on the woman's race, age, gender expression, size, whether they're disabled or not, trans status, and multiple other things. But it never goes away entirely.

Full review of this bra here!

And some of it has permeated my attitude to my body. It's a very personal manifestation of the male gaze, and I just don't like it. It's made me feel like my body is less a continuation of my being, my way of interacting with the world, and more of a separate entity, occupied by me but belonging to someone else.

I want to reclaim my body as my own hunk of flesh. I want to appreciate it, laugh with it, and own it once more. And that's where funderwear comes in.

Funderwear is simply underwear that eschews sexy and embraces whimsy. It's a party in your pants. I find wearing it so liberating and I can't get enough of it.

Ewa Michalak have really been outdoing themselves lately when it comes to fun photoshoots!

Why is this? Well I think it's because sexy always comes with rules. Rules about your body, rules about your behaviour. Many people work hard to break these rules but I think they're still hanging around in the backs of everyone's minds, because societal conditioning is so pervasive. Wearing something that is not there to be sexy means you can discard those toxic feelings.

There's also a lot of seriousness and strong emotions surrounding women's bodies, funderwear just lets you know that not everything in life has to be intensely studied, your body is allowed to just be.

Besides, it always feels great to be wearing Batman knickers.

"Well, I'm sold. Where can I buy this funderwear?" I hear you ask

Fun bras in extended sizes can be found here: 

 

Ewa Michalak's models always look like they're having a good time - and their bras do too! I particularly love the Gazeta from 2013, I hope they bring out some more striking designs like this in the future.

While some of Comexim's bras are more traditional, they're definitely not afraid to break out a couple of wacky prints every season.

Elomi is one of the most adventurous brands of the large cup/large band category - loving the Moonlit Half Cup!

Sculptresse is not afraid to rock it with hot pink animal prints from time to time!

Cleo are primarily aimed at younger people, so some of their designs are great fun. 

Wellfitting have a glossy silver bra, a cat bra AND a UNICORN BRA - what's not to love?

Kinga may seem like a regular, large cup Polish brand, but they have this adorable cupcake bra hiding a couple of pages into their website!

And knickers/panties/whatever you want to call them can be found here:

 

Topshop are a great source of funderwear - their best designs being in the boypant section. Their range of gaudy joy has been scaled back a lot recently, but you can still find some great knickers both instore and online. let's hope the range makes more of a comeback!

Harebrained sell some hilarious and comfortable looking period pants! I don't even menstruate but I still want to buy a pair of these one day.

Hot Topic is great if you want to unleash your inner fangirl/boy/kid!

BonesLingerie on Etsy definitely err on the side of gothic, but I adore the look of their high waisted briefs. They also have lots of bralettes!

Tomboyx have so many fun designs (love the toucan!) and in a range of different cuts. My favourite has got to be their octopus print (and they also have lots of rainbow designs so you can put some pride in your pants)

HappySocks have great prints - particularly their geometric designs

MeUndies - as soon as you visit their website, you know you're in for a fun time. They've got gorgeous prints in a range of cuts, mismatched patches of colours, and one style even gives a small donation to the Los Angeles LGBT centre.

Torrid are an amazing source of fun, plus size knickers!

Other Resources:

The Breast Life also did a post about novelty print underwear - it includes sleepwear too so check it out!

What do you think about Funderwear? Are there any brands that I've missed?