Knickers for confidence: Not just for the bedroom!

Lori Smith is a frequent blogger, tweeter and full-time lingerie aficionado. She writes about fashion, feminism and sex/relationships for a handful of websites including her own, Rarely Wears Lipstick. She will soon be returning to university to study fashion part-time, providing her with even more opportunities to write about underwear!

It can sometimes be extremely difficult to feel gorgeous. We’re all subjected to images of beautiful people every day, via newspapers, magazines, television and advertising. Beautiful people who we can’t help but compare ourselves to, no matter how hard we try not to. So, with this in mind, how on earth do we go about improving our own body confidence? Well, believe it or not, lingerie can help with this.

Many women think that gorgeous elaborate underwear is for the bedroom alone - designed purely to make us look good for our partners. But don’t you always feel good when you’re wearing something that you love? When you zip up that super flattering work dress, or slip on those gorgeous yet comfortable heels, don’t you feel like you could take on the world? Pretty lingerie can give you that feeling no matter what you choose to wear over it.

None of us dresses solely for the benefit of other people. We have our own style, our own balance point between style and comfort, and our own favourite garments. So, if you’re wearing the clothes you love for your own benefit, it doesn’t even matter if it’s something that no one else will see. You’ll still get the same confidence boost from something that only you know is there.

Obviously, any lingerie that you’re planning on wearing all day will have to be comfortable, so make sure you pick styles that you’re 100% happy with. If you’re a fan of big pants, get yourself some sexy big pants. If you like a g-string to avoid the dreaded VPL, add one or two that are a little less plain to your collection. There are a whole host of beautiful bras that won’t show under clothing too. Satin is perfect for underneath t-shirts, and lace can be worn under anything that’s not quite so clingy. Once you’re fully dressed, no one need know. Just imagine if you were wearing an Etti Satin Longline Bra under your boring black work shirt. That would definitely liven up dull meetings for me!

If we feel good when we get dressed in the morning, it shows in all sorts of ways. You might be smiling more than usual when you arrive at the office, drawing compliments from colleagues. If you choose undies that fit and flatter your shape, the smooth lines of your clothing will make you feel better when you’re sat at your desk and that little confidence boost will work wonders.

Why not try some frilly knickers or pin-up panties underneath your comfy old jeans? Or perhaps a silk chemise worn as a slip underneath that boring old dress that you’ve had for years but just can’t bear to be parted from. Pretty underwear doesn’t always have to feature stockings and suspenders, especially if that’s not your thing.

So, when you look at a beautiful set of lingerie featuring lace and satin, don’t think “it’s gorgeous, but when would I wear it?” Instead, think about how you’d feel if you were wearing it underneath your everyday clothes. Good, huh? It’d be like you were going on a date with yourself, and every girl likes to feel a bit special once in a while. Go on... you’re worth it.