Life

Women Wore Fancy Lingerie For A Week

by Lara Rutherford-Morrison

Lingerie is polarizing for a lot of women. Some adore it, others loathe it, and a few (like me) like it but are also sort of afraid of it (Why are there so many straps?!). In a recent episode of BuzzFeed’s Ladylike series, women wear fancy lingerie for a week. Though some of the results were mixed, on the whole, the ladies found wearing fancy undies to be a fun and even empowering experience.

At the beginning of the video, one of the participants, Kristin, offers a pretty solid definition of “lingerie”: “Anything that your mom would be mad at you for showing to other people.” None of participants in the challenge (Kristin, Safiya, and Freddie) are people who wear lingerie regularly. One is in a long-term relationship (and therefore doesn’t feel the need to “impress anyone”), and the others seem a bit baffled by lingerie in general.

At the beginning of the week, the ladies sit down with Christina Grance, founder of the lingerie website Serpent Lane, who offers her explanation for why so many women are intimidated by the idea of fancy underthings. “We’ve really [been] sold on one kind of way of being sexy, so unless you fit some kind of ideal, then [lingerie is] not meant for you,” she explains. She also dispels some of the common myths about lingerie, saying,

For women who think that lingerie is uncomfortable, I would say to them that they just haven’t found the right lingerie yet. … Lingerie isn’t just [there] to excite your partner, but also for women to enjoy their own bodies.

During their Week O’ Lingerie, the women have to face a few different challenges, including a “Sexy Bra Day” and a “Sexy Panty Day,” wearing thigh-high pantyhose for a day, sleeping in a sexy nightie, and spending a day wearing a matched bra and panty set. There are a few hiccups along the way, like when Safiya’s high-waisted undies give her a belly-button panty line, or when Kristin realizes that her “sexy panties” are actually butt-less:

Freddie doesn't find the stockings very sexy, but they do make for a great Clueless cosplay:

Overall, however, the Ladylike ladies really seemed to enjoy their lingerie challenge and learned to appreciate fancy undies for their own sake. Freddie said of the experience, “I learned that lingerie can for sure be a form of self care, and feeling just good about yourself.”

Images: YouTube (3)