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What. An. Evening!
In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, we wanted to host an event that celebrated the Asian community and open up a safe space to discuss shared experiences – and of course, eat good food.
We wanted to give everyone a voice and to be proud of who they are – taking time to chat, bond and talk about the culture over drinks and delicious food (served by specialty chef Mau).
If you weren’t lucky enough to have joined us, keep reading to take a peek at what took place at our first community Supper Club, as well as some background on why AAPI Month is so important.
What is AAPI Heritage Month?
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM) is celebrated in the US (particularly in California) during the month of May – it’s dedicated to celebrating the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and their achievements.
It’s not a widely recognised celebration we hear a lot about in the UK (including our very own East and South Asian Heritage Month in September), and it’s about time we changed that.
With our guests representing a range of diverse cultural backgrounds, our Supper Club provided the perfect opportunity to create a safe space for everyone to speak up on taboo topics surrounding lingerie, encouraging deeper conversations on body image that are sometimes difficult to initiate.
The Itinerary
Tour of Lounge HQME
We love to host, and no trip to Lounge HQME is complete without a tour of the office. We gave our guests a taste of the environment where our Loungers create all the beautiful products we all know and love. From personalised mugs to our secret room, it was time to unhook the life of our HQME workforce.
Personal Bra Fittings
It’s always eye-opening to see how many women feel nervous about bra fittings, so we wanted to treat our community to a bra fitting in a safe space. Our incredible guests turned the event into an encouraging environment, supporting each other to step out of their comfort zones in the best way possible! One guest stated how “it was nice to try on the right-sized bras too and I could get a feel of what I had been missing out on”.
Not knowing their bra size seemed like a common theme between the girls – as well as how intimidating it can be to walk into a lingerie store, especially when you’re not quite sure what the whole process entails.
Even if it’s not done by a professional, there isn’t enough knowledge out there on how to measure yourself which a) will make you feel more comfortable doing it yourself and b) you can do in your own time. Whether you prefer to have it done or do it yourself, it’s important to re-measure every 6 months as your body changes.
Follow our step-by-step instructions on how to measure your bra size at home.
Speciality food by Chef Mau
This was the moment everyone had been waiting for. It was time to enjoy the food made specially by Chef Mau.
From Hawaiian to Filipino cuisine, the colourful spread reflected the lively atmosphere around the dinner table. The family-style long table allowed everyone to share experiences and stories of their community and what it was like growing up British Asian.
Talk That Talk
Starting off with prosecco, we dove into some chatter about what it means to be a part of the Asian community in a predominantly Western society.
Navigating puberty is tough for anyone, but adding the mix of Eastern values from home and Western morals from school adds that extra layer of confusion when trying to figure out your own identity. In a community where discussions on body weight are common, the pressure to have the ‘right’ body type can be overwhelming. The struggle to align with the ‘small frame’ ideal whilst also having to look ‘curvy’ can be a never-ending challenge. Especially with so much delicious food around! It’s not easy to understand what to do when you’re told to “eat” but to “lose weight and be fit” at the same time. However, the group’s chat ended with realising that being healthy means being kind to yourself and understanding what your body truly needs.
Body changes mean shopping for new bras, but it’s sometimes hard to talk about it with family and sometimes even friends – especially in a culture where intimate/deep topics are left at the door. Walking into a bra shop can feel like an adventure and bra shopping can be a bit of a mystery—especially if you have no idea what you’re looking for or how to get measured. It’s usually a one-time trip, and fast forward to adulthood, and surprise! Your body still changes.
We loved providing a space where our guests could sit together and chat about their backgrounds as well as inspiring each other to have their bra fittings. With heart-to-heart conversations and much-needed conversations, it truly gave “girl’s bathroom” energy.
Education Is Everything
With more acceptance of individuality, online communities are coming together, sharing culture, experiences, and simply making friends. We love to see it ❤️
Unfortunately, it became clear how serious things could get, especially post-COVID-19. The disturbing incidents targeting those of Asian descent spurred the “STOP ASIAN HATE” movement in 2021, a cause that didn’t receive widespread attention beyond the affected communities.
From talks at the event, it seems that the stereotype of the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community is labelled as “obedient,” “weak,” and “small”, becoming an “easy target” for ignorant behaviour. It became clear that many of our guests had shared experiences of this kind of behaviour – mentioning name-calling, sexualisation and even being followed. As eye-opening as it was to hear these conversations, it only reinforced the idea that through education about the API community’s diverse heritage and experiences, we can challenge and prevent these mindsets.
Seeing more API faces on screen is such a win! Michelle Yeoh, Sandra Oh, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and Olivia Rodrigo aren’t just making TV and social media more relatable for women—they’re showing everyone how diverse and cultured the world is. It’s all about showing different communities to not just adults, but also younger crowds who see diversity as the norm.
We love to see an evolving society.
And That’s A Wrap!
We’d like to thank all of the guests who attended the Supper Club and made our first community event a huge success!
Being able to speak with individual communities really helps us to understand and learn about how we can improve as a brand. It teaches us how to be even more inclusive and provide a platform where everyone has a voice.
See you at the next Supper Club!