The Power Underneath
An essay on what it means to come home to your body.
Toronto, Ontario. Winter, 2015.
Bundled up from the cold, the below freezing temperature should have set me on a path straight from my apartment to the theater. The walk was short, offering glimpses into some of the city’s cutest boutiques. There I stood, frozen not by the cold, but fixated on the beautiful matching set of lingerie on display. The sensible decision would have been to move on, giving myself the extra time once at the theater to defrost my muscles before needing to begin my nightly show warm up. I was in Toronto, performing eight times a week with the 25th Anniversary Tour of The Phantom of the Opera.
But that particular evening, I was far too enamored to consider anything else. I knew, if this set fit me, if it felt good on my body, the power I could harness.
I remember stepping into the panty first. Despite being tried on over my own underwear, blurring the garments’ clean lines as to how it would lie on my body, I felt the smirk come across my face knowing I was halfway to magic. The bra laid delicately across my chest, confirming the match — between myself and the set — as I clasped it shut. I knew that instant the set was mine.
The wild thing about being a dancer, is despite the reality of being in peak shape, looking in the mirror was often a fraught battle; negative thoughts often emerging the victor as they judged every minute detail of the body, chastising each assumed imperfection. Almost in rebellion to this judgement, be it self-inflicted or coming from an outside source (director, choreographer, or cast mate), lingerie served almost as a magical armor. Wiping away the otherwise hurtful voices. Through the lens of lingerie, I felt held and I felt beautiful. And through that, I felt powerful.
Shoot for Underlines Magazine. 2023. Photo Credit: Michael Goldman.
Why Lingerie?
If you’ve been following along with the development of Petal + Ash, or even just from reading this far, it’s clear the product is a lingerie set. You can see from above why this category speaks to me. Yet, there are already plenty of lingerie brands on the market, so why would we need another one?
I really struggled with this question. But the more I dug into the lingerie market, the more it became apparent that what I was looking for didn’t exist: a beautiful set, with attention to detail, made from materials that breathe, and one that felt as good on my body as it looked.
Natural fiber basics? Plenty of great options. Conventional lingerie? A multitude of options. But this? Couldn’t find it anywhere. So I decided to build it. And in building it, I had to ask myself something deeper than what the product would be made of — I had to ask what it would stand for.
Coming Home to your Body
While working on communications for Petal + Ash, I came up with the phrase “Come Home To Your Body.” This succinct phrase encompasses what I speak to above and so much of what I want to communicate with the brand. It’s become a brand pillar and a call to action.
For you, it is a reminder. There’s a feminine power we all have as women. It lives inherently inside us, waiting to be released. But too often, the pressures of what and who we’re supposed to be in this world suppress this force. I spent years in an industry that quantified my worth in the mirror every single day. But this isn’t unique to dance. Most women I know have their own version of that mirror, their own voice that measures and finds lacking.
It’s the shift in posture that comes from stepping into a well-fitting set. The calm that sets in, knowing you can get dressed with ease, and move on to what really matters. Walking down the street feeling fully embodied as your truest self. It’s knowing you’re wearing something considered, something chosen, something entirely yours. It’s a secret, just for you.
Materials Matter
I think of home in several ways. Of course, home can be where you live or the city you come from. To carry the concept of home inward: your body is the home you exist within and will carry within you throughout your life. And to extend the concept of home outward, we can look to the planet as our collective home. In acknowledging these truths, it became so apparent that I couldn’t build a brand around “coming home to your body” and then make it from petroleum-based fibers. It just doesn’t track. Period. End of story.
Your Body
A matching set is intentional. Purposeful. It’s reminding you: you are inherently powerful, beautiful, and capable of amazing things. And when you wear Petal + Ash, I want you to feel this power. Because what you wear closest to your skin deserves to remind you who you are. Not who you’re supposed to be.
