What's behind the fondness for not wearing underwear?
We analyze the reasons why many famous and anonymous people decide to save on lingerie and mark a command.
Do you remember that commercial for jeans starring a teenager Brooke Shields - at that time she was only 15 years old - in which, clad in Calvin Klein pants, she asked and answered the world: “Do you want to know what comes between my Calvin and Me? Nothing. ”It was the 80s and that slogan was an impact that helped the firm, which later would also dedicate itself to making underwear, to become transgressive and, therefore, an object of desire of the collective imagination. Feminism had burned a lot of bras and we were already somewhat used to seeing breasts, but walking with the crotch in the air, what is now known as going commando or, according to Chileans, “walking a la gringo”, was somewhat less frequent. , although it already had some practitioners. Marta Chávarri, Marchioness of Cubas, swelled the chapter of two diamonds in the history of Spain thanks to a photo taken in 1989 and published in Interviú magazine, in which she appeared in a nightclub, wearing a miniskirt, without panties - although yes, She was wearing crystal pantyhose - already crazy, long before Sharon Stone crossed her legs in Basic Instinct (1992) to the fear of lingerie makers.
Fortunately for underwear brands, this is still used, only it seems that the trend is now to wear it daily and do without it on big occasions such as premieres, award ceremonies, Oscar ceremonies, film festivals and others mass events. Going with nothing underneath is the slogan and has generated the birth of a new term, which the Anglo-Saxons designate as side butt –and which some media have already translated as “lateral ass” -. Forget the legs and necklines, the part of the anatomy that now triumphs is the outside of the buttocks, which naked are unequivocal proof that their owner has left her panties at home.
Gwyneth Paltrow, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson, Anne Hathaway, Melody Thomton, Kelly Rowland, Jennifer Lopez, Lindsay Lohan, Brooke Shields, Sharon Stone or Kim Kardashian are famous who have taught groin on the big occasions. Some have even shown something else, against their will, like when a gust of wind lifted Laura Pausini's skirt during a concert in Lima last summer, and made it clear that she wasn't wearing anything underneath. Many mothers from the old days, like mine, always insisted on changing the girls' panties when they went to an important event - in my case accompanying her on her purchases in the city of Vigo -, alluding to the possibility that you had a accident and in the hospital, when they treated you, they would repair that your underwear was not spotless - the least of it was if you broke your head or spine. How wrong they were and how much their ideas hurt us in our struggle to make a place for ourselves in society!
Following the philosophy of carpe diem and of living each day as if it were the last, some celebrities acknowledge that they not only dispense with underwear on big occasions, but on a daily basis, like Genevieve Jones; the American model Chrissy Teigen, as she confessed on the American television program Fashion Police; or Christina Aguilera, who has stated, “I don't like wearing panties. I like to be as free as I can for as long as possible, I am like that. Also, not wearing underwear makes me feel more powerful, that is, it gives me confidence in myself. On the male side, the biggest follower of this belief is, without a doubt, Jon Hamm, Don Draper on the small screen. His fondness for not spending a dollar on boxer shorts created more than one altercation and complaints from his co-stars during the filming of Mad Men; while the photos that the paparazzi made of the actor on the street, in command plan, caused this headline in the online magazine Gawker: "Jon Hamm's penis takes its owner for a walk."
Another area that joins the new fashion of ‘with nothing underneath’ seems to be that of sports, alluding to the fact of avoiding rubbing of intimate garments; its capacity for tightness, such as in the case of a bra, or to avoid unsightly marks from underwear when wearing very tight clothes. Many women who practice physical activities leave their lingerie at home earlier, which has already led to the appearance of the first yoga pants designed to wear nothing else, from the lingerie firm Dear Kate, or those used for running, from other brands, which have been on the market for a long time.
Although doing without a bra is a merely flirtatious act, it already has immovable feminist connotations. The bra oppresses, hides and reserves for its owner the fetish object of femininity: the breasts. Or it molds them into impossible shapes - even a pointed cone - to be consumed by erotic capitalism. The journalist Susan Brownmiller in her book Feminity, where she analyzed the concept of femininity throughout history and in various societies, went so far as to say that women without a bra astonish and provoke the ire of men because “they implicitly think that they are the owners of female breasts and only they can remove the bra ”. For those of us who seem to have already overcome that period by far, all they have to do is take a look at Instagram and their obsession with nipples or the fuss that the Femen girls still cause with their particular uniform.
The reason the bottom is dispensed with is not so clear, and it does not appear to answer to any known claims. Apart from avoiding marks on very tight clothes, it can be a double-edged sword, when worn with pants, as it sometimes further accentuates the camel toe, the antidote to lust par excellence, even more so than some men, devoid of any aesthetic notion but plenty of testosterone, they find it sexy. W Magazine in an article titled What Lies Beneath ?, tried to find explanations for the trend to save on lingerie. “We have moved from the feminist phase to the Aquarian age,” the report said, continuing, “Emily Weiss, the creator of the beauty blog Into the Gloss, commented,“ Bra marketing has a lot to do with transforming yourself into something. in what you are not. It has to do with creating that masculine image of what is sexy: breasts together and raised, which appear to be three sizes larger. It is feeding a lie, instead of supporting your own body, or making yourself see that you are exciting by putting something on yourself, simply because it is very beautiful. Needless to say, Weiss practices the no-bra ideology.
To argue the practice of going with the ass in the air, W Magazine relied on a category version. Nothing more and nothing less than that of Kate Young, stylist for Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams, among others, who explained that "the important thing about the ass is that you have to move it when you walk but, of course, not shake it too much." With actresses and ordinary people training like elite athletes in the gym, it is normal that they then want to show the world the results. "Some people don't wear underwear to show they don't need it," Young continues. “The message is: look, my body is incredibly perfect. She doesn't need any help, ”she adds. You know, a new task arises in the vast subject of "being like a cheese." The perfect ass consistency should be like that of James Bond's favorite concoction, shaken but not scrambled.
The origin of the expression "Go in command"
But let's not forget the bottomless hygienic reasons, which are. In fact, the origin of the term “commando plan” dates back to the middle of the last century, coinciding with the wars in Korea or Vietnam, when many soldiers chose not to wear underwear due to various reasons such as saving space in their backpacks. or not having time to wash it. Although the most powerful was the fact that due to the excessive heat and humidity in conflict zones, commandos were advised not to wear underpants to avoid rashes, itching, chafing and fungal infections in the crotch. "The truth is that the quality of sperm has decreased a lot," says Francisca Molero, sexologist, gynecologist and director of the Institut Clinic of Sexology in Barcelona, "and that may be due to many factors: chemicals, pollutants, environmental ... But the fact that wearing very tight and warm briefs is unhealthy. The testicles are outside and need a room temperature ”. Too tight panties or thongs can also cause infections or problems in women. This gynecologist speaks of what is known as vulvodinea, “it is a disorder that is characterized by vulvar discomfort, such as irritation or chronic pain without an apparent cause, or infections, and without the vulva showing visible changes. Although the cause is not yet known and the treatment of this pathology is directed mainly to the control of pain symptoms, patients are recommended to wear loose cotton underwear, use hypoallergenic soaps and dispense with the chemistry and perfumes in pads or tampons ”, says Molero.
Finally, do not forget the erotic uses of the lack of lingerie, as a method to excite yourself and others. Sometimes a good formula is to reverse the established order and go to a date without underwear and, of course, let our partner know; at the same time that you have to leave some garment - perhaps garters - for privacy. That is, go against the current without even fearing the air currents. Who knows, perhaps the strength of the Scots lies in the habit of not wearing anything under their kilts.
