A lingerie brand has expertly shut down criticism from people on social media who disapproved of their choice of model for their latest campaign.
London-based brand Playful Promises announced via Twitter on 15 November that Violet Chachki, a gender fluid drag and burlesque performer, would be the featured model for their Bettie Page collection.
Although the announcement was generally well-received on social media some expressed their disapproval of the brand’s choice of model and many misgendered Chachki.
Not holding back, Playful Promises took to Twitter to not only stand by their decision, but to also stand up for what they believe in.
“Violet is gender fluid. We did not choose ‘a man’,” they wrote.
“We chose a gender fluid person that is not represented in the media and certainly not in the lingerie industry.”
Even in 2017, the notion of gender fluidity in the fashion industry is a hot topic.
While some brands have embraced the perspective that clothes should not be gender-specific (see Christian Siriano’s NYFW collection), it seems others are slower to catch on.
Well, Playful Promises is having none of it.
We’ll just share some of the woke tea they dropped on their Twitter timeline.
They also addressed issues relating to gender within the pin-up community.
“Often there’s an implication that women who had less agency and freedom are ‘better’ than women now,“continued Playful Promises.
“A non-binary model raises questions about how we view pin-ups of the past, and how we talk about images of women today.”
Plus they made a good point about how the hyper-femininity of the drag world compliments lingerie advertising.
This final point about the collection’s namesake, pin-up model Bettie Page, brought it home:
Playful Promises is not here for your hate.