Freddie Mercury sang of his love for fat bottomed girls but he certainly wasn’t the first admirer of curvy women. Classical painters Peter Paul Rubens and Henri Matisse were all fans of voluptuous females too. International lingerie brand Triumph has ditched the unflattering fruit titles used to label female bodies and have instead drawn on the masterpieces of the world’s greatest artists.

“Triumph believes the traditional classification of apple/pear/column are inanimate and not complimentary. The artists we chose to represent the different female shapes are renowned for celebrating the female form in all its shapes and sizes,” says Karen Ashley, head of sales and marketing for Triumph Australia and New Zealand.

Launching its new range of Shapewear called Shape Sensation, Triumph is encouraging women to embrace their body shapes. Research conducted by the brand revealed that 70% of Australian women were unhappy with their body, and 47% of them wanted to change the way their stomach looked. The brand also found that 75% of women feel more confident wearing Shapewear.

According to Ashley, “Shapewear is the world’s fastest growing lingerie category. Fabric technology and design capability have improved to allow Shapewear to become a fashionable accessory to their outerwear wardrobe while still performing the function of creating a sleek silhouette.”

To compliment the launch, Triumph has created a microsite www.theartofshaping.com.au that allows women to find out which of the six different body shapes they fall under, and what Shape Sensation products would be suitable. There is also a competition held to find an ambassador for each body shape amongst everyday Australian women.

“The [chosen] artists adored the female body and that is how we would like our customers to feel when they are wearing our product. We want women to know that their shape should be celebrated,” says Ashley.