Thanks to Leeds-based potter Emma Low, you will now see boob pots along with cheese plants and marble-top coffee tables on Instagram thanks to her hugely successful company Pot Yer Tits Away Luv. Here's how it works: You send her a topless selfie, which she then turns into your own mug.
"I first made a pot of myself for a gift, and someone commented on how they'd like one of themself, which got me thinking about making customised pieces," Emma explains. "Boobs are having such a moment, but we only really see very generic normative tits, so I wanted to make something that was a little more diverse and representative. I started it off as a little side project, and now it's my full-time job, which is mad!"
She has now made thousands of these pots, and her Instagram page is a refreshing representation of how varied women's bodies really are. "Most people are interested in buying pots as a representation of themselves," Emma says of her pots. "I think it's empowering, whether you absolutely love your boobs and want to show them off or you want to see your boobs from a different perspective.
"Just like the pots themselves, everyone's reasons for wanting one is individual. I'm not actually very sure why they're so popular, but I'm grateful that people love my work."
Journalist Pandora Sykes posted a picture of her commissioned pot on Instagram, and in the caption explained why she decided to have one made: "I've long loved the inclusive work of the artist, Emma, who aims to celebrate and represent all the myriad tits in the land. Like many women, I have a conflicted relationship with my boobs. I've written about it beforem and I'll undoubtedly write about it again, from the post-feeding terrain I now inhabit. This evening, though, I shall simply admire my pot from a whole new perspective."
Emma has been inundated with commissions. In fact, this now her full-time job, as she manages all aspects of this business. "I do everything alone—from replying to emails to packaging up the pots. It's all me, so it would be impossible to make pots every day. I'm a big believer in listening to your body. There was a time I was churning pots out, and I wasn't happy with them. Now I like to take my time," she says. "I make slab pots, so I roll the clay out flat and wrap them around a mould, add the boobs and remove the mould, allow them to dry and then paint them with acrylic paint. They're made from air-drying clay, so they're suitable to hold liquid."
Next up, see our guide to the key interiors trends for 2019.
