Why I resist the word empower

I’ve always resisted the word empower.
I hated being told I needed to be empowered — like what the f***, I am powerful.
We don’t tell men that.
So why women?

To me, the word has always implied a lack. As if power is something we don’t already hold.

Women’s power isn’t missing — it’s forgotten

And yet… over just the past few years, the world has shifted in ways that make that word suddenly feel relevant again. Women’s autonomy is being stripped back. Our bodies and choices debated more publicly. Our voices minimised and silenced on social media.

It’s heartbreaking to witness.

But I don’t believe the answer is in empowering women. The answer is in remembering.

Because we are not lacking. We are not waiting.
The truth is, we are powerful beyond measure — so powerful that we’ve even been taught to fear our own strength.

I know I forget this sometimes.
I’ve felt the weight of the programming, the conditioning that runs so deep it makes us doubt what we already are.

And this is why I started Vivi Leigh.
I wanted my brand to be a rebellion against that narrative — not another industry voice telling women we’re not enough.

The Manifesto

I started Vivi Leigh London because lingerie should never be about fitting in.

It should remind you of what you already are:

a force of nature,
a walking miracle,
magic.

A woman is not something to fix.
Not something to polish,
or empower.

She already holds everything.

We are as gentle as a sunrise
and as unstoppable as a storm.

We are beauty,
chaos,
creation.

Like nature itself —
we birth,
we destroy,
we rebuild.

We terrify.
We dazzle.

And yet we forget this power.
We let them tell us
we are not good enough.

So remember:

you are magic.

This is the heart of Vivi Leigh London.

It’s not about trends, perfection, or performance.
It’s about truth.

Lingerie is not just another object.
It’s a direct relationship with your body —
and with your self-expression in all its power.

It shifts with you,
whether you’re soft or fiery,
bleeding or blooming,
hiding or showing.

It doesn’t ask you to be anything other than what you are today.

We are nature.
We are creation.
We are magic.

xxx

– Arena Page, Founder