Victoria's Secret (my go-to lingerie shop) used to carry their signature cotton collection in a color called Miami Tan__, which I referred to in my head as "Mariela's Neutral" because it matched my skin tone so perfectly.
I loved this color so much, I proceeded to buy almost every single style of bra they had in in it. I was overjoyed, because as a chica with medium to dark brown skin, I never, ever, ever find lingerie in my tone! When they discontinued this color, I cried into my cafe conleche (another color they should totally incorporate, by the way)–and apparently I wasn't the only one!
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When I stomped into my local VS branch to demand an answer to why they had discontinued this perfect color, the sales woman giggled a little bit at how seriously upset I was and then told me, "You're actually not the only one who has asked us about that." Of course I'm not! Finding bras (or any undergarments really) that are made for mid-tone skin shades happens so infrequently that when a company actually acknowledges the fact that there are other shades of skin besides "beige" it feels like I've won the lottery!
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Recently, the brilliant Tara Raines decided to take this problem into her own hands. After years of watching her mother dye her tights and bras brown, Raines decided enough was enough and started the "What's Your Nude?" campaign. Though the response from women of color has been fantastic, the response from retailers has been thoroughly underwhelming.
So, now she wants us all to participate in scavenger hunt to demonstrate just how bad the situation in the lingerie aisle is for all of who have skin shades outside the "normal" beige, peach (seriously, who has peach skin anyways) and "buff" colors favored by more major retailers. I think Tara is an inspiration so I'm joining her campaign! If you agree watch the video to find out how to participate. You can even win a brown bra from BeingU, a new UK-based retailer focused on making lingerie for women of color!
Embedded content: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLLTYlUBz2g
Are you frustrated by the lack of lingerie in your skin tone? Have you ever tried to find a bra in a neutral color and failed?
Image via Victoria's Secret