All about panties

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PANTIES

Panties in different colours

Panties in American English (typically called knickers in British English) are a form of underwear worn by women. Panties are most often form-fitting, but may also be loose. Typical components include an elastic waistband, a crotch panel to cover the genital area (usually lined with absorbent material such as cotton), and a pair of leg openings that, like the waistband, are often made of elastic. Various materials are used, but are usually chosen to be breathable.

While panties were originally designed to cover the entire lower half of the female torso, since the 1970s panties have had either no legs or, in some cases, very short ones, and have become increasingly briefer over time.

TERMINOLOGY

In countries such as the United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, Canada, South Africa, and occasionally in other Commonwealth countries such as Australia and New Zealand, panties are often referred to as "knickers" or "undies". In Australia, men's underpants are often referred to as "undies". The term is little used in the United States (US) and Canada, where the term "panties" is usually favoured. In the UK, the term "pants" is also used for both men and women's underwear (not to be confused with the North American usage of pants, which refer to what both Americans and the British call "trousers").

STYLES

Various styles of panties (Thong & G-string: back view)

Panties are classified into various styles based on criteria such as the amount of rear coverage, width at the sides and height at which they are worn. These categories are not necessarily distinct and usage may vary somewhat among brands:

• Briefs rise to the waist, or just below the navel, and have full coverage in the rear.
  • Classic (or full brief) features sides that extend below the hip. Sometimes these are called "granny panties" by young women.
  • High-cut (or French cut) is designed with sides that are somewhat narrower.
  • Boyleg (or boyshorts) are styled after men's briefs and may have short legs extending below the crotch.
  • Control panties (or control briefs) are special and designed to offer support while giving a slimmer appearance. This type usually contains a stretch material such as spandex and may extend above the waist.
• Hipsters are similar to briefs, but are worn lower down the body (a lower "rise"), with the waistband around the hips.
• Bikinis sit at hip level, like the Hipsters, but the fabric of the side sections is narrower. With the string bikini type, the side sections disappear altogether and the waistband consists of only string-like material; also, the rear coverage of the bikini is not as concealing as the design of the brief. Bikini is the most widely worn style among women worldwide.
• Tangas provide a moderate to minimal coverage with back coverage that is more than a thong but narrower than a bikini. And the waistband is reduced to a narrow strip at the sides.
• Thongs have a waistband similar to tangas, but the rear coverage is mostly cut away. The crotch is extended to the back of the wearer and a narrow strip of fabric fits between the buttocks, becoming wider towards the top.
• The G-string has just a vertical string at the back connecting crotch to waistband, sometimes featuring a tiny triangle of fabric.

Panties are made of a variety of materials and fabrics, including satin, silk, PVC, cotton, nylon, mesh, lace, rawhide, leather, latex, lycra, and polyester. Construction typically consists of two pieces (front and rear) that are joined by seams at the crotch and sides; an additional gusset is often in the crotch, with the waistband and leg-openings made from elastic.

WEARING STYLE

G string panties

Though women are often shown wearing panties under a garter belt with stockings, in everything from catalogues to pornography, panties are actually worn over the garters to allow the panties to be easily pulled down or removed without unfastening the garters. If wearing low shapewear, or a girdle, with attached garters, tap pants or panties with side ties may be the only practical options apart from unfastening the garters.

When wearing pantyhose or a bodysuit, women may also wear panties underneath. Panties are usually not worn under nightwear or swimwear.

HISTORY

The earliest known use of underwear that resembles modern panties dates back to 4,400 B.C. during the Badari period in Egypt. Statuettes found in Badari tombs show the modern panty as we know it today: triangular in shape with very little cloth around the hips. Most modern cultures have created their own style of underwear, but modern panties closely resemble those that adorn Badarian statuettes.

As modern Homo sapiens left Africa 100,000–200,000 years ago most wore some kind of loincloth around their waists. This primitive form of clothing was replaced by more elaborate ensembles as modern civilization evolved. As civilization spread across different continents, so did various forms of clothing, and with it, underwear.

Modern panties are much different from undergarments used by ancients, because modern society has a different view on sex and the female body. As society's view of the female body changed, so did women's underwear. Modern lingerie stores like Victoria's Secret include different forms of underwear that are specifically meant for sex and stressing the beauty of the female body.

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