Panties
Panties or knickers are female lingerie covering the hips and crotch, sometimes also the waist.
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Types of panties
A wide variety of types of panties exist. Bikini panties are designed so that the hip connectors are small, like on those often found in bikinis. String bikini panties are the most commonly worn type in the United States and are similar to regular bikini panties, but instead of a thin hip grip, they have a small string, which sometimes ties around the waist rather than being pulled up over it. String bikinis are considered more revealing. String bikinis are usually made of satin or silk, but occasionally from other fabrics. High-cut, or control top, are cut higher on the hip to pull in and shape the stomach slightly to conceal any stomach bulge. High-cut panties are usually worn by older women and are often shunned by younger women. Boyshorts describe a type of female underwear that has a lower, thicker cut of material around the hips, making them appear like shorts that men would wear. They are sometimes criticised by both men and women as not being feminine, although some women do wear them.
Panties are made of a variety of materials and fabrics including satin, silk, PVC, cotton, nylon, mesh, lace, leather, latex, lycra and/or polyester.
The term knickers is not generally used in the USA and Canada, where the term "panties" is usually favoured.
Briefs
These are a popular type of panties. They come up to the waist, or sometimes not that high, and do not have legs. They can be worn under almost anything. Briefs are a unisex item of clothing.
History
Before recent times, women's underwear were made with the primary function of body protection. In the 1940s, Frederick's of Hollywood opened shop in Hollywood, California and began selling corsets and lingerie with a much more fashionable appeal to them. These new styles of women's undergarments possessed a greater sexual feel, made even more glamorised by models such as Bettie Page.
Colourful, bright, sexy, and flashier fashions of women's lingerie were becoming available. More fabrics such as satin, lace and silk began to be incorporated into the makeup of women's lingerie, making them more desired by females and more sensual to males. This is perhaps the great turning point when panties became more than simple hygiene products and developed into an icon of pleasure and sexuality worldwide.
Since then, women in flattering and provocative panties and lingerie have become a staple of several functions of men's and lesbian's popular culture. Several men's magazines such as Maxim and FHM often use images of attractive females in sensual lingerie to capture mainstream appeal.
See also
| This article on "Panties" incorporates text from from Wipipedia. |
