New Zealand lingerie label Lonely built its reputation on an unusually inclusive public image: its campaigns rejected conventional retouching, featured older and visibly scarred bodies, and used prominent figures such as Lena Dunham and Jemima Kirke to promote an ideal of unfiltered self-acceptance. That image came under sustained criticism in 2019, however, when commentators argued that the brand's definition of inclusivity still excluded fat customers, noting that Lonely did not market lingerie above a size 16 or a G cup. The controversy exposed a familiar fault line in contemporary fashion: progressive imagery could coexist with restrictive sizing and a carefully managed commercial vision of 'body positivity.'
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Lonely / 2020s
New Zealand lingerie label Lonely built its reputation on an unusually inclusive public image: its campaigns rejected conventional retouching, featured older and visibly scarred bodies, and used prominent figures such as Lena Dunham and Jemima Kirke to promote an ideal of unfiltered self-acceptance. That image came under sustained criticism in 2019, however, when commentators argued that the brand's definition of inclusivity still excluded fat customers, noting that Lonely did not market lingerie above a size 16 or a G cup. The controversy exposed a familiar fault line in contemporary fashion: progressive imagery could coexist with restrictive sizing and a carefully managed commercial vision of 'body positivity.'
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