The concept of women wearing underwear started in ancient Rome where they’d wear breastcloths and loincloths but mostly in an athletic context. During the medieval ages, women (and also men) wore the chemise, which is basically a loose-fitting dress that resembles slips today, under gowns and robes. Corsets had also become popular in this era which they wore for bust and back support.
In the early 19th century, wearing women’s drawers that reached well below the knees became the norm. After the first world war, drawers became shorter sans the opening, making them look like the panties we have now. Corsets went out of style; bandeaus became in. The end of second world war is the beginning of structured bras and more fitted knickers.
Now we have the tight-fitting bras and panties. We’ve been taught and trained to always cover our genitals with these layers of clothes before our outer garbs. This is for modesty, of course, but also for practicality.
But you know what? Women could use a break from these garments, too. Here’s why:
Lesser risk of getting yeast infection
Yeast thrives in moist environments and this includes undies. Ditching the underwear may also prevent you from getting a urinary tract infection.
“Wearing no undergarments—or just cotton ones—allows the external genitals to dry and reduces bacteria growth that could otherwise make its way into your urethra and cause a bladder infection,” says Sherry Thomas, OB-GYN and surgeon at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in California.
No visible panty lines
This applies to red carpet-esque events where you’d have to dress up like those celebrities with nothing beneath their thigh-high slit dresses. Yeah, you could wear a thong to achieve this, but that could be uncomfortable, right?
It’s liberating
Don’t you love that anticipated after-work unhooking of bras at home? Well, if you go commando, you won’t have to wait to get home to feel that liberation. Also, it would be nice to feel a breeze down there.
And if you’ve decided to go commando, here are some tips:
- Test-drive it at night to see if the bare feeling works for you.
- If you’ve decided to do it every night, wear light and breathable cotton shorts or pajamas.
- During the day, put panty liners on your pair of shorts or pants if you need to—maybe when you’re ovulating, when you may be experiencing a lot of discharge. If you wear a skirt, you may need to make several bathroom trips throughout the day.
- Perhaps go commando when you’re not wearing jeans to prevent chafing.
- Wash your pants after a day of going commando.
- Don’t be overly suspicious that the people around you know that you don’t have undies on. They don’t. Unless you’re wearing a short skirt which is not really advisable.
Header image courtesy of Unsplash.com
Read more:
Heard of ‘pasador?’ Here’s why you should give cloth pads a try
Sleep more comfortably on summer nights with Zimmerli’s 260 Maude Privé