From wholesale halloween costumes Eva Hertzigova’s traffic stopping ‘Hello Boys’ Wonderbra campaign in 1994, to Kylie Minogue's banned bucking bronco Agent Provocateur ad in 2001, the world of lingerie modelling isn’t without controversy. Which is perhaps why the Victoria & Albert museum landed on the idea for their latest exhibition: Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear. Opening on 16 April, the V&A exhibit promises to explore our own personal relationships with underwear, as well as the huge impact lingerie has had on culture - from sex and gender, to fashion design and fabrication. And no doubt gather huge crowds in the process.
Meet Montreal-born, Hoxton-dwelling Halloween Costumes Outlet Michea Crawford (30) who has worked as a lingerie model for the past eight years. With her 34DD chest and 24 inch waist, Crawford segued organically from fashion, to sportswear, to swimwear and finally underwear modelling. "There just kept being less and less clothes on every shoot I did," Crawford jokes.
Currently at Premier Model Management, and a regular for brands such as ASOS, Agent Provocateaur, Melissa Odabash and Figleaves, Crawford assures us there is a very unglamorous side to the lingerie industry. Firstly, go sees: where models are sent to meet and impress prospective clients. While fashion models can turn up in some unbearably cool ‘model off duty’ leather biker jacket, slub t-shirt and acne boot combination, Crawford’s only sartorial necessity is an impossibly small nude g-string: "If you’re the last girl in a line of eight to try on the sample lingerie set, you don’t want to be caught short without your own pants to wear discreetly underneath," she explains.
Hair removal is part of the job description Body hair also becomes something of a daily concern. "When girls turn up for a shoot with ingrown hairs or an unkempt bikini line it can really slow things down as the make up artist will have to work on covering up any blemishes. So, you’ve really got to be on top of your grooming game in that area." You’ve also got to set any personal space boundaries aside as make up artists dab concealer and brush bronzer "in places you never imagined you would need them."
It's about looking healthy and fitLast minute bookings are a regular occurrence, so keeping in shape is also a prerequisite. Despite working out twice a day and sticking to a healthy diet during her busy periods, a certain amount of pre-shoot anxiety is unavoidable - and there are no shortcuts to getting in shape fast.
The desperate pre-shoot regimes employed in the fitness modelling industry (such as downing shots of whiskey to dehydrate the body, or dodging liquids altogether on shoot day), to quickly enhance definition have been well documented, but lingerie models can’t use these tactics. "Once, a fellow model told me to drink gallons of green tea and four shots of vodka the night before a shoot, then drink nothing all day to flatten my stomach, but my face ended up looking dehydrated and tired too. Lingerie models needs to look healthy and pretty as well as fit, so now I just make sure I’m really hydrated the day before, and sip little bits of water on the shoot."
Nudity stops feeling strangeFashion models may end up wearing some questionable ensembles on shoots, but could anything really compare to nipple tassles and a full chainmail bodysuit? "Weirdly, I feel more exposed in S&M kit than I do when I’m completely naked. I’ve done nude ads for body lotions where I don’t feel self-conscious in the least, but once you’re in a harness and suspenders you feel like there’s a neon sign above your head saying: ‘Look, she’s practically in the buff!’"
There are often unusual obstaclesPlayful kink aside, the risk of getting arrested is very real. "We were on location in a very small, affluent town in France and the locals kept calling the police because they thought I was just walking around exposing myself. Every time we saw a squad car, I’d have to throw a t-shirt on and pretend it was a fashion shoot."
Other occupational obstacles include mother nature's insistence in making constant changes to our breast size. Reportedly, they change every six months, but Crawford has missed out on jobs when her breasts have suddenly grown because of hormonal or dietary changes. Her innately adventurous-but-accident-prone persona has also thwarted a few big booking: "I am in and out of bandages almost as often as underwear. I recently broke my foot on a fitness holiday in Thailand and had to cancel a big job back in London because there is no photoshopping that out."
On her days off, Crawford admits she’ll happily chuck on a pair of Primark, white cotton bikini briefs and go about her day. She reserves thongs for the gym, but if she leaves the house, she always packs a nice French knicker just in case her agent calls her in for an impromptu casting. "I’m like keys, check, wallet, check, lace panties, check."
From wholesale halloween costumes Eva Hertzigova’s traffic stopping ‘Hello Boys’ Wonderbra campaign in 1994, to Kylie Minogue's banned bucking bronco Agent Provocateur ad in 2001, the world of lingerie modelling isn’t without controversy. Which is perhaps why the Victoria & Albert museum landed on the idea for their latest exhibition: Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear. Opening on 16 April, the V&A exhibit promises to explore our own personal relationships with underwear, as well as the huge impact lingerie has had on culture - from sex and gender, to fashion design and fabrication. And no doubt gather huge crowds in the process.
Meet Montreal-born, Hoxton-dwelling Halloween Costumes Outlet Michea Crawford (30) who has worked as a lingerie model for the past eight years. With her 34DD chest and 24 inch waist, Crawford segued organically from fashion, to sportswear, to swimwear and finally underwear modelling. "There just kept being less and less clothes on every shoot I did," Crawford jokes.
Currently at Premier Model Management, and a regular for brands such as ASOS, Agent Provocateaur, Melissa Odabash and Figleaves, Crawford assures us there is a very unglamorous side to the lingerie industry. Firstly, go sees: where models are sent to meet and impress prospective clients. While fashion models can turn up in some unbearably cool ‘model off duty’ leather biker jacket, slub t-shirt and acne boot combination, Crawford’s only sartorial necessity is an impossibly small nude g-string: "If you’re the last girl in a line of eight to try on the sample lingerie set, you don’t want to be caught short without your own pants to wear discreetly underneath," she explains.
Hair removal is part of the job description Body hair also becomes something of a daily concern. "When girls turn up for a shoot with ingrown hairs or an unkempt bikini line it can really slow things down as the make up artist will have to work on covering up any blemishes. So, you’ve really got to be on top of your grooming game in that area." You’ve also got to set any personal space boundaries aside as make up artists dab concealer and brush bronzer "in places you never imagined you would need them."
It's about looking healthy and fitLast minute bookings are a regular occurrence, so keeping in shape is also a prerequisite. Despite working out twice a day and sticking to a healthy diet during her busy periods, a certain amount of pre-shoot anxiety is unavoidable - and there are no shortcuts to getting in shape fast.
The desperate pre-shoot regimes employed in the fitness modelling industry (such as downing shots of whiskey to dehydrate the body, or dodging liquids altogether on shoot day), to quickly enhance definition have been well documented, but lingerie models can’t use these tactics. "Once, a fellow model told me to drink gallons of green tea and four shots of vodka the night before a shoot, then drink nothing all day to flatten my stomach, but my face ended up looking dehydrated and tired too. Lingerie models needs to look healthy and pretty as well as fit, so now I just make sure I’m really hydrated the day before, and sip little bits of water on the shoot."
Nudity stops feeling strangeFashion models may end up wearing some questionable ensembles on shoots, but could anything really compare to nipple tassles and a full chainmail bodysuit? "Weirdly, I feel more exposed in S&M kit than I do when I’m completely naked. I’ve done nude ads for body lotions where I don’t feel self-conscious in the least, but once you’re in a harness and suspenders you feel like there’s a neon sign above your head saying: ‘Look, she’s practically in the buff!’"
There are often unusual obstaclesPlayful kink aside, the risk of getting arrested is very real. "We were on location in a very small, affluent town in France and the locals kept calling the police because they thought I was just walking around exposing myself. Every time we saw a squad car, I’d have to throw a t-shirt on and pretend it was a fashion shoot."
Other occupational obstacles include mother nature's insistence in making constant changes to our breast size. Reportedly, they change every six months, but Crawford has missed out on jobs when her breasts have suddenly grown because of hormonal or dietary changes. Her innately adventurous-but-accident-prone persona has also thwarted a few big booking: "I am in and out of bandages almost as often as underwear. I recently broke my foot on a fitness holiday in Thailand and had to cancel a big job back in London because there is no photoshopping that out."
On her days off, Crawford admits she’ll happily chuck on a pair of Primark, white cotton bikini briefs and go about her day. She reserves thongs for the gym, but if she leaves the house, she always packs a nice French knicker just in case her agent calls her in for an impromptu casting. "I’m like keys, check, wallet, check, lace panties, check."
