Fashion Fix

GCSUnade.com 

Issue date: 9/23/05 Section: Variety

By Vanessa Voigt

It was in the lab that I was reminded of how much goes on behind my back that I am unaware of. I came to this realization when I happened to glance over my shoulder to see my bright red thong had been completely hiked above my jeans to spell the letter "T" to the table of guys behind me. After turning the color of my undergarment and executing a quick tuck-and-pull, I wondered if when a guy sees our underwear made of dental floss, he wonders how comfortable they are. 

But the thong is a surprisingly comfortable alternative to the "granny pants" that create the dreaded Visible Panty Line (VPL). Wearing a thong to avoid the VPL sometimes backfires though because it leads to another fashion don't, the Visible Thong (VT). 

The September issue of Glamour featured "Glamour's 50 Biggest Fashion Dos & Don'ts," and not surprisingly, obvious thong strings came in as Fashion Don't Number Five. Even less surprising was the number one Fashion Don't ...(drum roll please)...VPLs! 

So if you don't want to wear normal underwear because your butt will be divided into four, but you don't want to wear a thong because it will inevitably be seen, then you have to wonder: Is going commando sometimes the only solution? After surveying 30 girls from GC&SU, the resounding response was, "Yea! Going commando is ok!" and some even said, "I'm going commando right now!" 

Sophomore Lauren Edwards gives a warning though, "It's ok, but definitely not with short skirts or shorts, and I don't think I need to explain why." 

Although it is often annoying to have to always peer over your shoulder, I agree with Glamour. I know when I see a victim of the VT, I am not sure if I should inform them or not. By the way, I'll say this to all readers right now: Let me know if I have one! 

Out of curiosity, I surveyed some of GC&SU's guys to get a clue as to what the table behind me in lab thought. 

"Well, it is kind of trashy," Chase Topits, a sophomore said. "Eighty percent of the time it's not very pretty." 

Jason Long, a sophomore, said, "It depends on the girl." Jokingly, he added, "It's like what this comedian once said, 'There should be an application process for some clothing.'" 

O.K., good joke. HAHA (that's what my fake laugh looks like). Long's comment, however, isn't far off from what other guys said to me about the topic. 

Fortunately, in a more sincere tone, Long said, "It can be distracting to some guys, but personally I just don't care how other girls choose to wear their underwear. That is, unless it's my girlfriend"

The fact that Long said he didn't want his own girlfriend with a VT is a red flag for me that a VT doesn't go unnoticed, and that the attention the VT gets isn't necessarily good. 

As for guys looking at the female thong as something mysterious and uncomfortable, Topits said, "Oh no, I don't worry or wonder about girls being uncomfortable in their thongs. I think they are a very good idea- a great invention."