Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Underwear for the Calliphygous and Others

There was a recent news item that Lululemon, a Canadian-based vendor of women's clothing, is allowing customers to return yoga pants that use fabric that is a little too revealing for their tastes.  The original story is that customers would have to show clerks by assuming the downward-facing dog pose while wearing the risqué yoga pants is untrue.  Thank goodness!  You can imagine this tableau in a store!

One bit of information revealed in the original story is that the thin fabric pants were selling for $98.  On the other hand, yoga pants have become a strong substitute for jeans as comfortable, casual pants in settings that don't require mats or yogis.

Putting it another way, they're on target for people who think their butts are shapely, and want everyone to know it!

But this article in Slate by Amanda Marcotte seems to either miss something entirely, or she was ironically dense:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/03/25/lululemon_s_see_through_pants_reveal_how_many_women_wear_thongs_to_exercise.html

Why do women find the prospect of wearing see-through yoga pants to be troubling?  It's not because of V.P.L. exposure.  No, in some settings, a woman showing evidence of panty lines might provide a sign that she is conventional, if not virtuous! 

What a woman is wearing under her yoga pants opens her to be judged on different levels by others.  (The author herself specifically took women who wear thongs to task.)  But, given this fact being open to others' judgments, it's one of those situations in which, whatever choice she made, it's going to be the wrong one to someone else.  Some people might feel free to find fault with someone else's choice in a multitude of occasions, not to mention whether she's wearing a thong, a bikini, regular step-ins, or even granny panties!  Or going commando, heaven forbid!

Simply put:  the women who wear thongs under their yoga pants do so because they're pleased with their asses, and want them displayed in all their glory without the tell-tale V.P.L. shifting the focus from the butt to the thong.  If the pants are sheer, the color and pattern of the underwear is obvious to others.  Do you want everyone to know that you're wearing pink polka-dot panties?  Not usually. 

There's another matter: clothing that might be too sheer is going to be typically sheer both in front and in back.  There might be some unintentional disclosure that could further lead to a negative evaluation that is definitely morally tinged!  That's why some women wear thongs!






calliphygian -- kl-pj-n) also cal·li·py·gous (-pgs)

adj.
Having beautifully proportioned buttocks
 

9 comments:

Randomly Rachel said...

That was a rather cheeky post.

Insane Penguin said...

Do you wear s thong for that reason, evil pop tart?

Bilbo said...

I've heard it said that the wearing of thongs is uncomfortable and can lead to the development of irritating rashes which can remain even after the thong is no longer being worn ... or, in the words of the old song, "the thong is ended, but the malady lingers on." Oh, and I loved Rachel's comment!

Grand Crapaud said...

It's really nice that there's a word for that concept.

MarkD60 said...

I have seen yoga pants that are not see-thru until she bends over.
I have never heard anyone who wears a thong say they are uncomfortable. Only those who don't wear them say that.

Big Sky Heidi said...

MarkD60 is so right. When you first start to wear a thong, you notice the strap, but you quickly stop noticing it. Its feel is a non-starter.

Mike said...

I think a thong would be camouflage for a landing strip.

eViL pOp TaRt said...

Rachel, I liked your remark muchly!

Penguin, a wise woman is one who is content with her caboose and how it might be covered.

Bilbo, thongs become less noticeable very quickly, as Mark and Heidi mention. It's kind of a sensory adaptation.

Crapaud, it's a word that has, unfortunately, few occasions for it to be used. Certainly not in department meetings.

Mike, you got it!! Or a full Brazilian.

Clarissa said...

That was an evasive answer, or a zen one.