Knickers, undies, skivvies, drawers, bloomers — while ‘underwear’ is the most universally accepted term, we’d be lying if we said we’ve never used one of these nicknames to describe our undergarments.
There is one slang word that seems to have a cultural significance of mythic proportion, tending to elicit either complete indifference or a guttural sense of disgust.
Enter the word panties, widely regarded amongst women to be on par with the discomfort level notoriously surrounding the word moist.
Origin of the word 'panties' — where does it come from?
Unlike much of the context surrounding its reception and usage when describing women’s underwear, the term actually hails from surprisingly simple origins.
Panties is the diminutive of pants, meaning that it was modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning — with the addition of the -ies, pants roughly translates to “little pants”
The word pants itself can be traced back to the French pantalons, a term inspired by the 16th century Italian comedic character, Pantaleone, who iconically donned a pair of trousers.
Why does the word 'panty' bother some women?
For some this idea of “little pants” is where the overall concept surrounding the term starts to become rather uncomfortable, placing it in the same ballpark as ‘booties’ or ‘blankies’.
Accordingly, many women find that the origin gives a word with considerably adult implications a creepy, childlike edge. In fact, the first known usage of the term panties can be traced back to a 1908 set of instructions for making doll clothes according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
You can certainly see how this mixture of baby and sexy can certainly make the word uncomfortable for some women.
The fact that panty seems to have a definitively feminine connotation to it also stands out as a viable reason for its general lack of popularity. On the other end of the spectrum, underwear appears as a remarkably asexual umbrella term that seems to transcend both age and gender.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to a mixture of personal preference and experience.
So what do we recommend using? Tomato-tomato, because no matter the word choice, they all come to describe our favorite part of any outfit.
Regardless of you calling them underwear or panties, Parade has got you covered
Starting at $8 a pair, Parade offers seamless, smooth and comfortable underwear in colors for every day of the week.
We have over 200+ style and color combinations sized from XS to 3XL.
Shop across our top underwear collections:
Parade underwear is made from recycled materials & fabrics: cotton lining & mesh for breathability, nylon for a silky feel and spandex for comfortable stretch.
We offer three fabric platforms across our underwear collection:
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Universal: No visible panty lines (even under leggings), this seamless underwear feels like you're wearing nothing. Made from recycled fabric with an organic cotton lining
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Silky Mesh: Luxurious superfine silky mesh underwear, with a breathable cotton liner, lightweight & buttery feel with 360 degree stretch
- Re:Play: Ultra-soft underwear for everyday wear. Made from recycled super-fine fabric, a breathable cotton liner, lightweight & cool touch with 360 degree stretch
