Underwear: What are we so afraid of?
One day when I was in seventh grade, I arrived at school wearing an enormous pink shirt given to me from a breast cancer awareness walk with the words “Victoria’s Secret Sensations” adorning the front. I’d been one of the last ones to receive a shirt; therefore I was given an XXXL size. Why they make so many that big, I think, no one will ever know; everyone always ends up grumpily stuck with them. Although the benevolent message of breast cancer awareness seemed fine if not admirable, the shirt evidently contained a meaning so horribly distasteful and utterly improper that I was forced to change. That absurd pink shirt was deemed inappropriate by one of the teachers because it was accused of “advertising underwear”. And as I was walking towards my locker to change into the only other shirt I had, a much more revealing and see-through wife beater, I was left confused, wondering what was wrong with “selling underwear”.
Looking back upon the history of underwear, it has not always been what it is today. One would think that we would be proud of our modern undergarments, proud that they have evolved so much from underwear in history. Corsets, long johns and petticoats definitely did not mark the high point in the record of the undergarment. Finally, underwear seems to have changed from something unbelievably uncomfortable to something not only comfortable, but convenient, practical, and overall much lovelier. There is underwear for people of all ages and styles with every want in mind. There is underwear in different materials and colors and designs to fill the wildest desire of anyone. It would seem that as much time and research goes into making new, revolutionary underwear as does that which goes to rocket science. Men proudly boast the option of boxers or briefs, women the preference of boy shorts, granny panties, bikini, or even thongs for the daring. The everlasting search for the utopia where non-existent panty-lines waltz in harmony with comfort prevails. Even still, we are reprimanded for even showing this fortunate right to pleasant underwear. Schools don’t allow their students to show even the slightest bit of their undergarments of any kind. Dress codes restrict the visibility of everything from boxers to bras. But why is underwear viewed as such a negative product?
The dress code at my high school states that all straps on shirts must be at least three finger widths wide and no bra straps can be visible. Visible bra straps are considered inappropriate and must be covered immediately. Yet why should we women be ashamed of our bras? Why are they so improper that they must be hidden away like convicts? Women should boast the fact that their breasts indeed do not sag but are held high with pride with the support from those straps. Nevertheless, the war between the bra straps and the school authority rages on. One is left to wonder whether the school would rather have all bras banned, whether they think that it would be more appropriate for the school to look more like a National Geographic special on aboriginal tribes.
Upon reflection on that day in seventh grade, I have to wonder why “advertising underwear” was a negative thing. Is advertising underwear a negative thing because the underwear itself is not good? Would they rather have us not wear it at all? This couldn’t be true. Not many people can deny the comfort and anti-chafing power of underwear. Everyone enjoys the benefits of modern underwear, the softness, the security, the breathability. Why should something that the majority of the population wears and takes pleasure in be something that they are also supposed to be ashamed of, something that it judged negatively by many establishments?
Granted, when most people get dressed in the morning, they don’t think about other people seeing their underwear. They cover it up with clothes and therefore when they see other people’s underwear it may seem inappropriate because they never intended for anyone to see theirs. Underwear can be as personal as the wearer makes it. It can not be denied that society has turned underwear into something that should be covered and reluctant of, but that seems to be slowly changing. It has become more and more fashionable for underwear to show. Underwear now comes in fascinating new designs and colors; it has become a way of expressing your creativity with anything from decorations to writing. The concept of underwear is almost an oxymoron these days; the need for it to be covered up struggles against the new, fancy underwear that begs to be showed off.
Underwear. What are we so afraid of? Most people can agree on underwear’s benefits and most of us wear it. Not wearing underwear would be much more uncomfortable and embarrassing than showing it a little bit, yet in most dress codes in schools across the country, visible underwear is forbidden. Humanity should embrace the quantum leaps we have made in underwear development and wear our undergarments with pride.
Looking back upon the history of underwear, it has not always been what it is today. One would think that we would be proud of our modern undergarments, proud that they have evolved so much from underwear in history. Corsets, long johns and petticoats definitely did not mark the high point in the record of the undergarment. Finally, underwear seems to have changed from something unbelievably uncomfortable to something not only comfortable, but convenient, practical, and overall much lovelier. There is underwear for people of all ages and styles with every want in mind. There is underwear in different materials and colors and designs to fill the wildest desire of anyone. It would seem that as much time and research goes into making new, revolutionary underwear as does that which goes to rocket science. Men proudly boast the option of boxers or briefs, women the preference of boy shorts, granny panties, bikini, or even thongs for the daring. The everlasting search for the utopia where non-existent panty-lines waltz in harmony with comfort prevails. Even still, we are reprimanded for even showing this fortunate right to pleasant underwear. Schools don’t allow their students to show even the slightest bit of their undergarments of any kind. Dress codes restrict the visibility of everything from boxers to bras. But why is underwear viewed as such a negative product?
The dress code at my high school states that all straps on shirts must be at least three finger widths wide and no bra straps can be visible. Visible bra straps are considered inappropriate and must be covered immediately. Yet why should we women be ashamed of our bras? Why are they so improper that they must be hidden away like convicts? Women should boast the fact that their breasts indeed do not sag but are held high with pride with the support from those straps. Nevertheless, the war between the bra straps and the school authority rages on. One is left to wonder whether the school would rather have all bras banned, whether they think that it would be more appropriate for the school to look more like a National Geographic special on aboriginal tribes.
Upon reflection on that day in seventh grade, I have to wonder why “advertising underwear” was a negative thing. Is advertising underwear a negative thing because the underwear itself is not good? Would they rather have us not wear it at all? This couldn’t be true. Not many people can deny the comfort and anti-chafing power of underwear. Everyone enjoys the benefits of modern underwear, the softness, the security, the breathability. Why should something that the majority of the population wears and takes pleasure in be something that they are also supposed to be ashamed of, something that it judged negatively by many establishments?
Granted, when most people get dressed in the morning, they don’t think about other people seeing their underwear. They cover it up with clothes and therefore when they see other people’s underwear it may seem inappropriate because they never intended for anyone to see theirs. Underwear can be as personal as the wearer makes it. It can not be denied that society has turned underwear into something that should be covered and reluctant of, but that seems to be slowly changing. It has become more and more fashionable for underwear to show. Underwear now comes in fascinating new designs and colors; it has become a way of expressing your creativity with anything from decorations to writing. The concept of underwear is almost an oxymoron these days; the need for it to be covered up struggles against the new, fancy underwear that begs to be showed off.
Underwear. What are we so afraid of? Most people can agree on underwear’s benefits and most of us wear it. Not wearing underwear would be much more uncomfortable and embarrassing than showing it a little bit, yet in most dress codes in schools across the country, visible underwear is forbidden. Humanity should embrace the quantum leaps we have made in underwear development and wear our undergarments with pride.