We might have a love hate relationship with our bras, but you have to admit that panties can be just as annoying too! Like wearing a panty wasn’t bad enough, we also have to make sure that we’re wearing the ‘right’ panty under certain clothes. Panties and their existence in our life is unavoidably annoying but we bet there are a few things about them you have NO idea about. Here we are, with 11 surprising facts about panties that will absolutely blow your mind!
1. Ancient Romans used to wear a panty that is SO hard to pronounce!
It was called subligaculum and looked like boy shorts. Well, fashion does take a full circle!
2. Panties were also once called the ‘whale tail’
Oh, we’ve all seen this one! When the waistband of a woman’s thong or g-string rides up high, over the her pants, it’s called a ‘whale tail’. Remember that time when low rise jeans were all the rage? Many a whale tail were flashed back then!
3. Red panties = good luck!
Italians consider it good luck to bring in the New Year wearing red coloured underwear. Women wear their best red panties to start the year on a good note!
4. Open crotch panties, anyone?
During the Victorian age, open-crotch panties were considered more hygienic and hence, worn by many. It was the Can Can dancers in Paris who ushered in the closed-crotch panties! *phew*
5. Panties were also referred to as drawers… WHY?!
Drawers are something you pull. Since we ‘pull’ our underwear down, people during the 16th century referred to panties as ‘drawers’!
6. The world’s most expensive underwear is a chastity belt that costs $20,000!
For those of you who don’t know, chastity belts are garments designed to prevent the woman wearing it from having sex. Jeweller Uwe Koetter created a gold, diamond and pearl chastity for a private client worth $20,000! We’re still counting the number of pizzas we could’ve got if he had that much money!
7. Panty raids were a real thing!
Panty raids were a popular American college prank during the 1950s. In this prank, large groups of boys would invade the dorms of girls hostels to steal panties. They would later put them on display as a trophy of a successful raid! Men will be men. *sigh*
8. When women were commando at all times!
Until the mid 1800s, it was considered improper for women to wear anything between their legs. Hence, women wore heavy petticoats to keep the breeze from blowing up their skirt!
9. How much money does the undie market make?
It’s estimated that over $30 billion is spent on underwear each year! Woah!
10. The one who broke the world record
Yes, you read that right. 10 year old Jack Singer of New York who wore 215 panties simultaneously on 13th June 2010, set a panty wearing world record! The record he broke was of 200 pairs!
11. Where are all the sexy people?
The country with the most underwear models is, *drum rolls*… Brazil! Now you know where to find the man of your dreams!