Good day, dear readers. I hope this blog finds you doing well and enjoying your pretties. I got to thinking about the difference between men’s underwear and women’s panties. Even the very name suggests a sharp distinction – for men it is underwear and for women it is panties. Everyone knows men wear underwear, not panties. Although, women can refer to their underclothing as underwear instead of panties. It smacks at that same double standard that allows little girls to do typically guy things, like climbing trees and playing ball, but a little boy can’t play with dolls.
Men’s underwear is a rather boring topic – you can wear tighty-whities, or boxers. Hmm, not much variation there. I don’t know the reasoning behind the design of tighty-whities, but they look like a medieval torture device to me. I haven’t worn any in the last 35 years or so. I tried boxers a few years ago, just out of curiosity. I found the lack of support unsettling, and at the end of the day I took them off, only to discover that my skin was puckered around the waist line from the elastic waist band. I donated them to a charity thrift shop.
I suspect the reason men’s underwear is so limited can be summed up in one word; stereotyping. If a man wants to wear women’s panties, the almost immediate response I get is 'obviously he’s not straight' The reality is that the large majority of cross dressers are straight and in a relationship with a woman, according to every survey I have read. To have a feminine side is not an issue of sexual preference. It is an issue of sensing oneself as more than a binary male.
In recent years, the men’s underwear industry has experimented a bit with design and type of material, but you won’t find lace or bows on those “underwear”. Oh no, that would be as bad as a little boy playing with dolls! So, while they have experimented a bit, onward still they trudge with very limited choice.
Contrast the boring sameness of male underclothing to the amazing world of women’s panties. The colors, styles, type of material – what fun! Until I discovered XDress and Body Aware, I wore women’s panties and enjoyed discovering all the styles to find out what worked and what didn’t for my particular form. The only drawback is that the gusset is cut for a woman’s physique and is too narrow to support the needs of a man. It was a good day when I stumbled across a men’s lingerie boutique called XDress. Wow! Panties actually designed for men! I’m sure by now I qualify for the status of Preferred Customer. Why, they even have bras designed for men. Who would ever have thunk it? Many years past, I had a choice of tighty-whities or….thighty-whities. Now, for many years, every morning is fun – what pair of panties shall I wear today. It is fun every day!
In years past, before the advent of the internet, I thought I was alone in this. If you are in my age group (as in cross dressing before the internet) I’ll bet you thought you were the only one too. If anyone discovered I was wearing panties, they probably would have hidden their children from me.
Well, we do have an internet now, and the fact that there are boutiques such as XDress and Body Aware certainly does away with the notion that there are only a few of us strange men who like to wear panties and bras. They wouldn’t have been in business for over 20 years if that weren't true. No, we aren’t just a few. We are the folks that like lace and bows and satin. I have an idea – remember when the feminists had bra burning parties? Why don’t we have a tighty-whitie and boxer burning party?
So much for my thoughts. I’d love to hear what thoughts this article might have stirred up for you. Let me hear from you. In the meanwhile, enjoy those panties!
Fond regards,
Angie
61 comments
Hi Guys and Gurls,
Great rant Nathan. Long but well worth reading your comments and thoughts. I am one of those pre 80’s born pantyboys. Thought I was the odd duck and guys would never dare wear PINK in those days. The good news things have changed considerably. I actually think things will change even faster now that we have so many ways of reaching out and communicating. Just look around. Perhaps it depends where you live but I see young men wearing very feminine attire, even women’s dresses and skirts, in public here in the Phoenix area. Makeup is becoming so much more acceptable. Ten plus years ago I was carrying a purse (called man bag then). Today many of us carry them. Recently my wife purchased me a woman’s purse for Valentines day. Fairly large and very fem but I can and will get used to carrying it in public. That would have never worked 20 years or more ago.
PS. I love all the things us gurls can stuff into a larger purse.
Keri
I agree with your comments Nathan. You are 100% correct. We have been victims of stereotyping and societal norms for too long. Maybe this will change, but the change is coming very slowly. An example-now it is common for men to wear earrings—myself included on that one. Also another way I have seen norms change is that there seems to be more men—myself included also on this one—carrying purses aka man bags. With all the stuff we have to carry around—wallet, car keys, cell phone, cigarettes(I am a smoker)—etc it just does not fit into pockets anymore. I will admit that I do wear make-up sometimes—usually on the weekends-and see other men buying it as well. Also, I have been getting my nails manicured for years.
I think these are some ways that society and the norms are changing albeit slowly. All it will take is some high profile male celebrity to start talking about wearing lingerie or a scene from a movie or television program to start a change in thinking. Who knows, maybe in a few years it will be normal for a guy to touch up his lipstick after a meal?!
A forum like this is great to share ideas and thoughts. In reality—What really is all the fuss about? It is my life and I am going to wear what I want that makes me feel comfortable and happy—even if that means wearing lingerie, wearing high heels and a skirt, carrying a purse, putting on eye make-up, touching up my lipstick, and getting a manicure. My mother did not mind me doing this—she actually encouraged me—and my boyfriend is cool with it also!
Just a few thoughts Looking forward to more discussion!
Nathan
You nailed it
Your comments should be our Anthem!
Thank you all for your wonderful contributions to this thread. Nathan, thank your for your well-developed thoughts on the topic. You are correct in saying that we are still a long way off from being acceptable to general society, thanks to a lot of stereotypes that cast us as a weird bunch of perverts. That is so unfortunate, but it is the reality with which we must deal. The media hasn’t helped us at all, and celebrities (whom I will not name) who come out as cross dressers or transsexuals only create sensationalism and do us no credit at all. All of that prejudice is not going to rob me of the pleasure of dressing as I please. A nice pair of matching panties and bra is something that brightens up even a rainy day! For all of you other dear readers, thanks for your responses. I feel like we are forming a little family here.
Fond regards,
Angie
Hi, everyone! I want to say! Thanks God! I love panties!