What you wear underneath your clothes can be as much a challenge as what you wear on the outside.
It can be governed by your life and work choices, your life circumstances, your current weight, your acceptance or not of current trends, that little voice in your head that is not yours and whether you are dressing to please yourself or someone else.
Phew! It’s definitely not easy being a female.
What you choose to wear underneath is not always a serious decision. So here’s a few of my underwear insights – both fun and serious.
Comfort – The Underwear Difference
Whether it’s your bras, undies or bodysuits, comfort definitely is important.
One of Australia’s top selling bras is the ‘Barely There’ range by Berlei. They also have a ‘Barely There’ undies range. It’s a ‘dress and forget’ comfort feeling.
Are you finding as you get older, it’s very easy to slip into always choosing comfort first whether it’s bras or undies. Suddenly you look and discover that your underwear drawer is full of very boring styles. How did that happen? Do they do anything for your posture and your self-confidence? Comfort is important but not at the expense of becoming slouchy.
Medical Issues – The Underwear Difference
Sometime Life throws you curve-balls. These are the cancers, operations, replacement parts and degenerative body issues. From experience, I know that Breast Cancer radiation required me to totally change the types of bras I wore. Comfort and breast protection came first. Now there are more companies specially catering to female underwear needs at these times. For some women also the front closing bra becomes more important as you age (and maybe deteriorate). Your style of undies can also change after operations.
For some of us these may be permanent underwear changes. For others, like me, after my breasts healed, it was important to regain my sense of underwear normality again.
Feminine or Sensual – The Underwear Difference
I’ll share a story that started this article and the topic of this month’s Dressing Circle Meeting below.
A business friend mentored a protégée in a very male-dominated and conservative business area and told her that simply because her outer clothing reflects her fitting in, what she wore underneath can be an expression of her femininity.
The same may apply to you. Your outer work uniform or fitting-in dressing does not have to be the same as your underwear. Bring out your feminine or sensual side. Only you have to know what’s underneath. And it can be the reason to wear a secret smile or stand a little straighter and taller.
Posture – The Underwear Difference
Oh the challenge!
When your breasts go south, your waist thickens, your tummy protrudes more and your abs are no longer taut or firm, good posture and feeling good in your clothes presents underwear challenges and changes.
A good bra or bodysuit, well-fitted, can make a big difference to your posture and attitude. Its difference also shows in lengthening the distance from your waist to your breasts. That makes you look slimmer and younger. And you feel very good.
Another choice is Shapewear which is more comfortable than it used to be. Yes, it makes a difference to how slim you look. But if it’s not comfortable and you do not let it keep straightening your posture, you can easily slip back into slouching. All the good effect is then lost.
Still, it’s cheaper than plastic surgery AND you can take it off at the end of the day.
To Show or Not to Show – The Underwear Difference
Underwear fashion has changed. Today’s younger generation are less uptight about showing their underwear and either don’t care or make a feature of showing it. Whether you buy into that trend is up to you.
Some of us still have modesty as the first criteria when deciding whether to buy underwear that shows. If I think that a white bra or undies are showing under a white top, I will change to a beige colour.
Your height or breast size will also make a difference as to your accepted level of modesty when close to males.
The accidental showings are another matter. We probably all have experienced sitting somewhere behind a woman whose G-string or undies are obvious to everyone. They are usually not aware that the back of their pants or jeans are gaping. To quietly speak to them or not to is an embarrassing challenge.
The Other Voices in Your Head – The Underwear Difference
Remember all those things you were told as a child.
Here’s one. ‘Wear clean underwear. You might get run over by a bus.’ It’s not that you will get run over by a bus. (I googled it and it’s less than two in a million per year.) Your mum’s warning was a reminder to wear clean decent underwear when you walk out the door to avoid embarrassment. The bus reference was only to frighten you and me.
Is there a mother, husband, partner, daughter or any other authority figure in your head telling you what underwear is acceptable and what is not? Are you still conforming or being yourself?
The Elephant in the Room – When I Lose Weight
Like all those clothes we keep for when we lose weight, do you have bras and undies not currently worn but waiting for when you lose weight? Oops! I do too.
Do you have bra extenders because you don’t want to feel embarrassed by buying a bigger size? Are you falling out of your bras or over your top of your undies?
Time for a de-clutter. Yes, there are places where you can recycle underwear.
Good fitting underwear is a boost to your posture and attitude. Undersize underwear reinforces your feelings of shame.
Last Words
Back to my introduction. Choices! Choices! Choices!
It’s time to sort out your underwear wardrobe and decide exactly what you want to wear to represent the best YOU possible for today and tomorrow.