by Jodi-Ann Johnson
Though I love that “UMPH!” that comes with a good lingerie set, I myself have never pondered lingerie too much. It was a necessity of a wardrobe
as I grew and developed female secondary traits (breasts) and such–bras were needed to holder the over shoulder boulders, hah. But even just the practical nature of a nude bra–e.g. remaining undetected whilst wearing a sheer or semi-sheer top–was lost on me. Maybe that was why I was so oblivious to the necessity of a nude lingerie line for just Black femme people. The idea that what I called a “beige” bra was meant to be nude had never dawned on me before.
But, just think of the word nude for a moment. What’s the first image that popped into your mind? A body. A female homo sapiens one. And almost invariably: white. Myself, as a young, Black woman, came to the same conclusion. That type of unified image is unnatural. The reason the same image appeared in all our minds is undoubtedly the result of mainstream media pushing white bodies as the default human bodies. So when we think of a naked woman, we think of a naked white, cisgendered woman. This image has been so consistently pushed throughout our lives, it becomes normalized, through mainstream media, literature, music. So, of course, lingerie or any type of product geared towards women would reflect this bias.
By creating the Nubian Skin line, Ade Hassan, has provided another option of lingerie to women of colour, especially Black femme individuals. But she at the same time, has done so much more. She has in, a sense, given them an identity. Along the melanin spectrum, “black” is the polar opposite of “white”. The further we deviate from a set standard or beauty ideal in this case, the harder clothing options will be to find.
Some companies before Ade Hassan have moved to fill the “nude” gap, most notably Christian Louboutin and Urban Decay in the areas of footwear and makeup.
Christian Louboutin ‘The Nudes’ includes an interactive app, Louboutin Shades, that you use to take a picture of your foot, and matches you to one of the 5 nudes advertised.
The Naked2 palette by Urban Decay includes 12 taupe-hued (beige and grey) neutrals that are highly pigmented, providing the necessary contrast needed for dark skin tones.
Our attire, like any other tool, can be used to enforce our being onto society. We present the version of ourselves that we want people to see. Whether it be through nude lingerie, nude eyeshadow or nude pumps, we are provided the tools to fully sculpt the look we want, to have full control over the image we present and, as a result, fully assert ourselves as a complete person with the autonomy to make our decisions and execute them. By creating such products, our needs as people of colour are being recognized, which means our voices are being heard, that our identities are being formed. So, Ade Hassan, if you ever read this: You’re amazing, and thank you for highlighting our needs.