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12
Nov
Dacre Banks model, 56, launches swimwear celebrating body positivity
A woman from Dacre Banks who got into modelling at the age of 46 has launched a swimwear line designed for older, curvier ladies.
Rachel Peru, now 56, asked hundreds of midlife women about their body perceptions – and after hearing how many body confidence issues they had decided to do something about it.
She told the Stray Ferret:
The results made me sad, they’re not surprising, but to see it on paper. Body confidence, and the lack of it, comes up time and time again. I know what it feels like to be there - for years I believed my body was something to fix, hide, or apologise for.
Photo: Mariam Gomez Photography
A size 16 model with grey hair and a 34G bust, Rachel’s career took off after appearing in a Swimsuits For All campaign alongside Ashley Graham.
She’s since worked with major brands such as Figleaves and Bravissimo, and modelled with household names, including Lizzo and Davina McCall.
On her experience modelling in the Bahamas with Ashley Graham, she said:
I came back from that week a different person. The response I got from women after that campaign was amazing. Women stop me in the street and send messages telling me that seeing someone who looked like them has changed how they feel about themselves.
However, Rachel still feels that there is an issue in the offerings for women over the age of 40 in shops, and also points out that often she is used as a “tick-box” in social media campaigns but her photos are not used on shop websites.
She said:
It’s really disheartening. I wanted to create something to make a difference, and was inspired by my mum’s 1970s swimwear design. It’s practical and glamourous.
[The swimsuit] has been designed to support bigger busted women, not just for when they’re on holiday but for swimming in the pool. I started small and self-funded, but I’ve got big plans.
I hope my swimwear will help women love the body they have now, not the one the fashion industry tells them they should have.
Photo: Mariam Gomez Photography
£1 from every swimsuit sold will go straight to Smart Works Yorkshire, which supports unemployed women to get the coaching, clothing, and confidence they need to secure employment.
It is also made from pre and post-consumer waste, and the first design is called Glenda, after her mum.
Last year, Rachel hosted a body-positivity photoshoot on Scarborough beach for women over 40.
At the time, she told the Stray Ferret that the event was about helping women to reclaim confidence in their own bodies.
She said:
We are still bombarded by magazines and advertisements about being beach body ready for summer and I talk to so many women who dread this time of year and particularly being seen at the beach.
This event is about reclaiming joy, confidence and community - reminding women that we are not invisible, and we don’t need permission to take up space.
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