In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set || First feminist blog on the internet

Quick hit: Underpowerment and belfies

Caperton

It’s not my place to tell a woman she shouldn’t spend $25 on a pair of panties if she wants to.

I would never say that a feminist can’t enjoy pink bubble letters.

And if you’re so comfortable with your body that you want to take and share a selfie of your butt, that’s good for you.

Thus I present this without comment.

“Young Women Say No to Thongs”

“I only wear granny panties,” Julia Baylis, a willowy 22-year-old, declared proudly. Ms. Baylis and her best friend, Mayan Toledano, 27, design the boutique clothing label Me and You. Their best seller is a pair of white cotton underpants with the word “feminist” printed in pink bubble letters across the rear. Since the line’s introduction on April 7, the panties have sold out.

Besides sales, the “feminist underwear” has inspired countless Instagram “belfies” (that’s a selfie for the behind) from Me and You customers eager to show off their feminist convictions as well as their pert posteriors.

21 thoughts on Quick hit: Underpowerment and belfies

  1. Personally, I think underwear is one of those areas where “I choose my choice!” is perfectly valid.

    I think it’s weird to label a type of underwear as more or less feminist than another.

    There’s a level of, what.. Slut shaming? Femme phobia? Something that doesn’t sit quite right with me, as far as the denigration of those who wear thongs as somehow unfeminist.

    I know there is, ostensibly, some patriarchal stuff that plays into it.. The fear of visible panty-lines and such.

    I don’t know. I don’t wear thongs, but I’m assuming there has to be some other practical reason why some people prefer thongs to briefs, or hipsters or whathaveyou?

    1. Speaking for myself, I just find thongs more comfortable under most clothing. The extra fabric from other styles of underwear usually bothers me.

    2. Considering that the synthetic most “sexy” underwear is made from does promote infections, there ARE kinds of underwear more feminist than others.

      White cotton underpants that you can wash at 95Ā°C are what gynecologists recommend (at least the few good ones I’ve met) , and placing one’s own health over fuckability is most certainly feminist.

      If there are cotton thongs, then maybe thongs can be feminist, too, but I am not sure such a thing exists.

      Going commando … I suppose if your clothes are made of cotton or silk, or maybe wool, that’s as good as cotton panties. Healthwise. (Under a skirt, I would recommend women to wear panties for entirely different reasons.)

  2. So here I am, a large-assed woman, thinking about all of the times when I wished that I could buy some cute little bikini-style panties that were A: in my size, B: comfortable, and C: affordable. Then along comes this trend.

    Oh! But they aren’t talking about the briefs you can get 10 for $5 at the big box stores; it’s all about designer grannies now…smh…

    Tbh, I think the article was overthinking things. After all, people wear their irony on their sleeves. I think that it’s a bit of a stretch to say “Granny panties are popular cuz feminism” when the reason could be as simple as “I’m wearing granny panties! Lol! [wink kissy face emoji]”

    1. ā€œIā€™m wearing granny panties! Lol! [wink kissy face emoji]ā€

      The ironic wearing of granny panties?

      Well, that brings new meaning to hipster underwear.

      Nyuk.

  3. I have wonder woman panties cut like men’s tighty whities. And a black pair with a pink bat signal.

    And a pair of Marvel panties.

    I’m adulting wrong.

      1. Those are my expensive panties lol They were 5.99 each at target. The rest of my undies collection comes from Hanes.

        If I have the extra cash I’m going back for the red spider man.

    2. Oh! And if you go to the men’s graphic t-shirts area, for 12.99 you can find The Breakfast Club, Star Wars, Hogwarts and other geeky tees.

      Yes. This is what I splurge on when I can. Marvel panties and Star Wars shirts. And Doctor Who from Hot Topic when I’m getting something for my b’day or xmas.

      My The Breakfast Club shirt never fails to get compliments from women.

    3. If your way of adulting is wrong, then I don’t want to be right. What I do want is geeky underwear in my size for under $7 a pair.

  4. I want to know about going commando: Is it more feminist because it isn’t wearing a thong, or is it less feminist because it isn’t wearing granny panties? If you get “feminist” tattooed across your butt cheeks in bubble letters, does that make a difference?

    1. I’ve considered having The Way Is Shut tattooed across my ass after hearing how ass play is suddenly on trend.

    2. Ooorrr…..

      What if you wore a thong while taking a belfie of your tattoo of someone wearing the “feminist” grannies??

      (Incidentally, I accidentally typed “feministe”, instead of “feminist”. Now I kinda want a pair of “Feministe” panties.)

      1. So if I got a pair that had Speak, Friend, And Enter on the front, would that be unfeminist or feminist because only my husband would see it ? Panty politics are confusing.

      2. I don’t know whether it would be feminist, but as a LotR fan, I approve. šŸ˜‰

        From a feminist point of view … well, likening your vagina to the mines of Moria is better than comparing it to a sheath or something else that is designed for a phallic object to go inside.
        The metaphor at least gets across that female anatomy is awesome in its natural state. As the mines of Moria were.

        You probably don’t have any Balrogs in your uterus, although menstruation can make it seem so at times …

  5. Wearing feminist underwear sounds excessively ideological to me, but if someone wants to wear that and take selfies of themselves, more power to them. Personally, I’d rather just wear men’s boxers like I always do.

    I’m more puzzled by thongs being singled out as sexist and granny panties that say “feminist” on the rear talked about as subversive. I don’t think there’s any such thing as a uniquely sexist or subversive piece of women’s clothing.

  6. I’m also a little baffled as to how taking photos of your behind and publishing them, whatever underwear you chance to be sporting, can remotely be construed, irony or not, as a “feminist” act…but hey. “To each her own, as the woman said when she kissed her cow”. (Thank you, Batman!)

  7. On the one hand: women wearing not-meant-to-be-sexy underwear as a “fuck you, we’re not your sexual objects” fashion statement! What’s not to love?

    On the other hand…. Like many people, I am thin but not fashion-model thin. If I wear low-cut panties (or go commando), I look thin, but high-cut briefs hide the curve of my waist and instead emphasize the belly fat. Especially if I’m wearing what I typically wear on top, namely a sports bra. So I am kind of wondering if this supposed trend (who knows if it actually exists outside of the NY Times) might also be about showing off how thin you are.

  8. Went for a hike with the boyfriend up in the Muskoka’s yesterday and became a lunch buffet for the ungodly amount of Mosquitos and deer flies. I’ve had at least two people comment that they thought I had poison ivy, I have so many bites.

    Also, people who drive their ATVs on hiking trails that are marked “No motorized vehicles” are giant assholes. (Also people who drive them on ATV trails, but in such a way that it rips up the trail, leaving giant mud holes and shitty terrain).

    The giant mud holes make it harder for hikers because one, I nearly ate shit several times yesterday trying to navigate around and through all the mud, and two, it leaves large amounts of standing water that is great for attracting Mosquitos.

    There’s also the issue of being nearly run down by the damn things,

    I find there’s a real sense of entitlement among the recreational snowmobile and ATV crowd.

  9. And dammit.. This was meant for the open thread. It’s not possible to move it, is it? Or just delete if I copy the comment to the other thread myself.

Comments are currently closed.