Wickedly Inspirational Women – Natures Lingerie
As we regularly celebrate, we don’t believe your lingerie should only be reserved for the bedroom. We know you feel most empowered, strong and sensual when you’re draped in leather and lace, allowing your inner minx to be worshipped in all her glory, but who said that this could only happen in the soft candle light of a boudoir late at night? What stops you from doing something wicked, somewhere liberating; basking in the glorious sunshine, embracing a cool chill of a crisp breeze? Those little heart-racing moments, the thrill of the prospect of being caught, in giving an unsuspecting passers-by a little surprise. While we don’t object to the phrase ‘a lady in the streets, wicked in the sheets’, who says those two things have to be distinctly separate? We encourage you to be wicked in the sheets, the streets, wherever your wicked desires may lead you.
Living a life of liberation is one of our favourite inspirational women, the wonderfully wicked woman behind @natureslingerie. While she keeps her personal identity masked, with a tasteful tilt of the head, a graceful glance down, or a rear shot that conceals her beautiful face but fully reveals her worship-worthy behind, the mask on everything else has been striped back. Both physically and metaphorically. From the forest, to the beach, to an old abandoned church, Natures is not afraid to strip it down and be at one with her surroundings, while also baring her soul on the topic of female empowerment. Not only does she look incredible doing what she does, @natureslingerie stands for so many of our values at Something Wicked. She is a multifaceted woman; a wife, a mother, and fighting the good fight against the stigma of being a ‘mature’ lingerie model, at the delicious age of 49. (We use the term ‘mature’ very loosely, we don’t believe that sensuality has an expiration date – if anything, just like fine wine, and luxurious leather, we only get better with age). Our female bodies are incredible, constantly evolving and telling stories of our experiences. With this series, we want to elevate women, telling the stories of these women who own these bodies, proud and unapologetically. As @natureslingerie perfectly summarised in a recent Instagram post:
I want to create a ‘story’ with my pictures that inspires, is often playful and usually outside. For me it’s the female gaze that matters
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself, name, age, where you live?
A: I’m @natureslingerie, a lingerie blogger who uses mainly outdoor locations. I started to blog in January this year after feeling inspired by a gold Coco De Mer set I received as a Christmas gift. It was the same colours as the winter landscape, so I unzipped my coat and the rest is history! Because I have a career in the media, I keep most private details hidden, however I have decided to reveal my age, which is 49.
Q: Can you tell us 5 words to describe yourself?
A: Outgoing, adventurous, passionate, empathetic, creative.
Q: How do you feel when you wear lingerie as opposed to underwear?
A: Some days you feel like a lamb, some days like a lion. ‘Underwear’ is for lamb days; useful and comfortable, like a snuggly pair of pj’s, it makes you feel safe. But ‘lingerie’ is for lion days. Silk and leather and straps, caressing your body, for when you want to feel bold and confident (even if no-one else knows what’s under your clothes!)
Q: What is currently your favourite piece of lingerie that you own and why?
A: I like lingerie that tells a story, so I’m especially fond of animal motifs or unusual details or features. I love that my Something Wicked Montana set is made from ethically-sourced Japanese plonge leather – and that it’s waxed using natural ingredients from a beekeeper in London. That must be why it’s so soft on my skin!
Q: What does female empowerment mean to you?
A: As a woman, there are many aspects to my life; I have a career, I’m a wife, a mother, a daughter… Women are complex, they cannot and should not be categorised in one way only. For me, female empowerment is about valuing all of these aspects, and celebrating them.
My lingerie blog is about me feeling empowered sexually; I choose the lingerie, the locations, the photos that are posted. All of this feels very powerful, and as I’m posting them in a public space it is very important for me that the images are strong – my favourites are when I am looking down on the camera, or with my hands on hips. I call it my power pose!
Q: What do you do to make yourself empowered/liberated/confident?
A: Starting my lingerie blog! It’s definitely taken me out of my comfort zone, especially as I’m posing in ‘wild’ places – there are some photos taken by the sea in January, and it was bitter cold.
An unexpected and delightful bonus was being so warmly welcomed by the lingerie blogging community. I’ve been inspired by other bloggers who are creating great content, having fun, re-defining what it means to be sexy.
For me, the issue to challenge was ‘age’. Mature women are often invisible in the media, and rarely portrayed as sexy. Running my blog has definitely been empowering, and I recently decided to reveal I’m #fortysomething. I want to challenge the idea that women have a sell-by date, and to encourage others to feel good about reaching `milestone` birthdays. Next year I’ll be 50, and I’m planning a special lingerie post for that.
Q: ‘Female sexuality is no longer a taboo’ Do you agree with this statement?
A: Female sexuality has not necessarily been invisible or unacknowledged (look at erotic art / pornography etc) but it is often defined through the prism of the ‘male gaze’, with the woman as passive.
Like, when you watch pornography and know that the woman is faking her pleasure – there is nothing sexy about that. Placing ourselves in the driving seat still feels ground breaking, even now, and I think discussions like this help.
Q: What message would you give to your younger self eg as a teenager?
A: I was too concerned with what other people thought of me. I’d like to tell my younger self to be bold, and not to worry about ruffling a few feathers.
Fallen in love with @natureslingerie as much as we already have? Follow her Instagram, linked here, and join her on all her liberated excursions.
