Unmentionables - YouLookFab Forum

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Unmentionables

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

So I have some pretty old undies that don't quite fit right but still function. The cheapskate in me doesn't want to throw them out because they still you know, work. Because I live alone, without a SO, nobody sees them. Recently I bought a whole slew of Hanky Panky thongs because they work well with the brace I wear under my scrubs at work. But I have all these other pairs that just clog up my underwear drawer. Do you toss your unmentionables when they're ill fitting?

Dressing

23 replies

Latest reply was from rachylou

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

Yep. No equivocation or second thoughts with me, into the trash they go.

Irene

Veteran

Yes, from time to time, especially if I get new ones. I never wear the old ones or ill fitting ones anyways. It's good to have a couple in case of, you know, emergencies... but no more than two or three. Besides, don't know about your closet but my drawer gets full pretty fast so new incorporations force the elderly ones to go...

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Yes, I throw them away. But I will say that I keep a few less-than-perfect pairs around for certain, um, times of the month. Which is happening less frequently these days at my age. (Total TMI right there.)

Louise

Veteran

If I'd be embarrassed to have them seen by an ER team then in the bin they go. I know, if I was in ER I'd have more to worry about than undies but still!!

jayne

Veteran

I feel the issue. I have been making an effort to tell myself that even when they 'work' they dont because I catch myself in a mirror and feel less than fab. So I am slowly tossing for any excuse I can find...small hole, not white enough, little hanging strings. etc etc. Gotta do it!

ironkurtin

Veteran

I recently threw out all of my underpants and started fresh. Nothing makes you feel classier than underpinnings that do what they're supposed to do.

christieanne

Veteran

Worthwhile to have non-ill fitting, non-classy undies for a variety of reasons. You don't have to spend a fortune to at least have some that you wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen in (under whatever circumstances) so replace the immediate needs to get to an adequate supply.

catgirl

Veteran

Okay, confession: I buy cheap underwear from Target, usually Hanes or Fruit of the Loom. I used to buy the Aerie boy-shorts but they don't make them the same way. When they are worn out, I use a washed pair to dust or scrub something, then toss them. I don't care so much how they look but they gotta fit. Nothing worse than a wedgie at work!

Aziraphale

Veteran

Oh, absolutely. I toss uncomfortable underpants every time. Like Una, I will confess to owning quite a few pairs of extremely unsexy underpants. My faves for comfort are the 100% cotton Jockey low-rise bikini ones, which give terrible panty line and thus can't be worn under anything but a full skirt or thick denim. I have pretty, lacy ones and sporty moisture-wicking ones that aren't quite so wonderfully comfy as the Jockeys, but adequately comfy in that they stay put and don't give me a wedgie. If they do, into the bin they go.

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

I love your honesty here and when I buy new ones, out go the same # of old ones. I still do have some older pairs, but the elastic looks good and there's nothing riding up, so I'm keeping them, because, as you say, they still "work." If I begin to see any stretching or mileage on them, then it's time to let them go.

Kari

Veteran

Anna I keep the ill fitting undies around sometimes. They're usually at least five pairs lurking in my drawer. I always know it's laundry time when I get down to them.

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

If they are uncomfortable I totally toss...esp if I have plenty to last between wash days.

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

Once worn out, in the garbage they go!

velvetychocolate

Veteran

If they are uncomfortable in any way or I'd be embarrassed to be seen in them - out they go. I have a trash can in my laundry room, and this is where stuff like this goes.

This isn't to say I don't also have undies that only work for certain situations - there are some that work perfectly for the gym, some that work for certain skirts and dresses - but I do try to make a point of throwing out stuff that is in any way ill-fitting or uncomfortable. I am also keenly aware of how they look, because I once ended up in the ER wearing white cotton undies with a bunch of strawberries printed all over them. Never again!!! (I wanted to die of embarrassment, and I even got comments on these things!) I simply won't buy stuff like this, and if my Mom or someone else somehow gives these things to me, I discreetly get rid of them.

Definitely throw out the ones that don't feel comfortable, and the ones that you don't like the looks of.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Oh, I definitely have quite a few that have seen better days but I also have a hard time trashing them until there is an actual visible tear or the elastic is beyond hope.

I have some that I do not like because they just don't look flattering on me (like, who will actually notice this?), and some that ride up, which I tend to forget until I wear them with a skirt or dress instead of pants, which keep them in place more. Because I have big hips and thighs, but a flat butt, I have an awful time with getting undies with generous enough cut openings but not too much fabric in the back. I wish I could just find my perfect pair and stock up on that style exclusively!

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

The funny thing is since I work in healthcare, I'm just happy when they're wearing underwear. They could be festooned with rainbows and flying unicorns for all I care. I will purge next laundry cycle.
I do have really good underwear like Chantelle, La Perla, Aubade and Marlies Dekkers. I use them more when I travel though. I like having matching sets then, plus you know the TSA and all.
These are mostly random bits from sales. Remember when Banana Republic sold underwear.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

I'm glad to hear that from a healthcare perspective - that undies in general are a good thing.

I don't make a habit of ending up in the ER, but the one time I did - I just happened to be wearing these stupid-looking white cotton undies with berries printed all over them. (thanks Mom, for putting them into my Christmas stocking...). I don't know about you, but sometimes when I get to the end of the laundry, I somehow end up wearing all the undies that I wish I didn't own in the first place. Because the laundry's not done, and no one's going to see you anyway.

HA! It was just such a situation (behind on the laundry) that had me wearing these goofy-looking things, and ... lo and behold, I ended up in the ER that day.

I might be just a wee bit paranoid about these things, having survived *compliments* from medical students on my berry-printed undies. GAH. Extreme embarrassment for me.

So, yeah - I'm quick to toss things that don't fit right, are old, look funny or what have you.

Echo

Veteran

I am in a bit of a panic now because they no longer MAKE the undies I have been wearing. I have quite a few of them, but still, when they wear out I am in trouble because it took me forever to find comfortable, flattering underwear. But yes, normally if they have seen better days I do get rid of them.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Along Echo's line - I am buying up the Gilligan O'malley modal thongs from Target whenever I see them back in stock. They are by far the most comfortable undies I've ever come across (and reasonable to boot). I recently moved all my less worn undies to the back row of the drawer, with the newest and best fitting pairs up front I ditched several pair that just were not comfortable, wondering why I'd held on to them this long.

Kari

Veteran

This is also very timely for me, because I just did a purge of my undies (which were really in bad shape and worn out) and found new panties that I love. They are a nylon/elastane bikini by Flirtitude (from JC Penney) that are ridiculously comfortable - enough stretch to move, but they stay in place so well, and the seam is so small and flat that there is no VPL at all. And I feel SO MUCH MORE comfortable!

Mander

(website)

Veteran

This is another area where I am picky, but overwhelmed at the same time. I really only like certain kinds of underwear, but sometimes I try new styles or brands and then decide that I don't like them. So I wind up with a drawer full of barely-worn things that I never wear but that I can't bring myself to get rid of due to guilt over wasted money and "those could be useful someday" thinking. I have the same problem with socks.

teeandcee

As long as they're comfy (no wedgies!) I tend to wear undies long past their fab days. Comfort overrules condition at my age.

rachylou

Veteran

For some reason, I am convinced another pair of undies can never hurt. My drawers inform otherwise. I toss when the collection becomes too ridiculous.