Lululemon's See-Through Pants Reveal Women's Secrets

1/7/2014 9:19:39 AM

I originally posted this on Yoga Pants post but it got lost among the Tainted Titty wars and other subsequent posts. Figured it was 'thought provoking' enough to stand on its own:

"'It's no surprise that much of the press is having a bit of fun with the story about Lululemon recalling a bunch of wildly overpriced yoga pants because you can see everything the good Lord gave yuppie housewives when they bend over in them. But for all the punning headlines and snark, I feel the lead has really been buried here. What, exactly, has the onslaught of transparent yoga pants taught us about the personal habits of ladies who simply cannot sweat in anything that costs less than my monthly phone bill? While I enjoyed this cheeky debate about whether or not there's a way to spin "see-through pants" as a good thing, I can't believe Charlotte Cowles just blew past this tidbit like it was no big deal:

"That said, there is the thong issue, which I can understand. The problem with sheer yoga pants isn't so much that your butt cheeks are visible, but that your thong is. Still, I don't see why this is a terrible concern, since lots of ladies' thongs stick out during yoga anyway."

Cowles talks about "your thong" as if nothing is more suitable for exercising than wearing underwear specifically designed to slide between your butt cheeks and attack you at the slightest provocation. What kind of sexualized hell are these poor women living in that they can't even give up porn-compliant underwear in order to keep their bodies lean and toned for future thong-wearing situations? I was under the impression that yoga was supposed to be a healthful activity, and yet here women are, contorting their bodies in a strap of fabric made to respond by straining painfully at your most sensitive bits. Yoga is supposed to be relaxing, and not reminiscent of a visit to the proctologist.

Here's an idea for women who really are this worried about having visible panty lines under your yoga pants: Don't wear underwear. It's not like flies or ants are going to get in there if you don't seal it off tightly. If your concern is maintaining maximum sexiness at all times, never fear. My careful perusal of photography provided for straight male audiences suggests that while men do indeed find the thong sexy, they have an even stronger preference for women who are wearing no underwear at all. If you choose to share your preferences with the world at large through the the yoga pants equivalent of vanishing ink, well, that's not up to the rest of us to judge.

Amanda Marcotte is a Brooklyn-based writer and DoubleX contributor'"