Vanilla Blush create sexy underwear for women with an ostomy bag
June 11, 2016 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie
Nicola Dames is the owner of Vanilla Blush and is helping women with an ostomy to feel amazing about themselves.
As an ostomate herself, Nicola has created a range of beautiful underwear specifically designed for people with an ostomy bag and is doing wonders in the field of ostomy underwear.
There are ranges for both men and women and includes hernia support wear, swimwear and beautiful but practical underwear.
They look like any other high waisted underwear from the outside but have an internal pouch that houses your ostomy bag, keeping it off your skin and close to your body.
A photo posted by Vanilla Blush (@vanillablush) on Apr 19, 2016 at 5:18am PDT
As a young woman with an ostomy, I tried them out and I can’t believe how great they feel, I have never worn specific ostomy underwear before, but now I have tried these, I am a bit in love.
I think originally I felt that they were trying to hide the ostomy bag away and I wasn’t comfortable with that, but having tried them, they are so practical and cleverly designed.
A photo posted by So Bad Ass (@samcleasby) on May 14, 2016 at 2:22am PDT
What I love most about them is they are not medical, they don’t look any different to beautiful lingerie, the website doesn’t scream “SICK PANTS FOR SALE HERE!” Buying and wearing these knickers just felt like a great experience.
I don’t want reminders of my illness, especially not when I’m trying to wear something to feel good and Vanilla Blush get it so right.
Trying this range of knickers (going from a UK size 6-8 up to a 20-22) was a breakthrough for me and just fell in love with them, I felt in control, beautiful and awesome.
Having an ostomy can feel like a real taboo, it can be isolating and can knock your confidence, more and more people are choosing to share their stories along with images of themselves which helps to normalise a situation that over 100,000 people in the UK are living with.
What is nice about this company is the use of real models with ostomies.
Now for the sex bit, Vanilla Blush do some crotchless knickers. I loathe to use that term as it sounds so tacky. The underwear is the same shape as the other pants but has a split gusset that looks like normal knickers when together or when separated, it opens underneath.
I wasn’t sure about these and had a bit of a giggle about the connotations of crotchless knickers. I tried them on out of curiosity more than anything.
#ileostomy #sobadass #stoma #stoppoobeingtaboo #effyourbeautystandards #colostomy #stoma #pinup
A photo posted by So Bad Ass (@instastoma) on Feb 15, 2016 at 7:51am PST
They are a very clever design. It’s not that I want to hide my ostomy bag or that it shouldn’t be seen, it’s more that the presence of it can sometimes be off-putting, the rustle of it is a subtle reminder that it is there and so these pants mean you can be intimate whilst your bag is safely in the pouch and flat to your body.
The pants look like classy, beautiful lingerie, it didn’t feel seedy or weird but just that someone had actually thought about the sex life of people with an ostomy, which is something hospitals and doctors simply aren’t doing.
As more and more people are having ostomy surgery for treatment of illness, cancer or accidents, it is so important for companies to recognise the power of the ‘poo pound’ – people with an ostomy are like anyone else, they want high quality and beautiful products that are accessible for those of us with a few extra needs.
For more information about life with an ostomy, see the IA Support and So Bad Ass.
MORE: How a teddy bear is helping kids with an ostomy to smile
MORE: World Ostomy Day: Let’s stop poo being taboo
