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Underwear! We all wear it. Or you know, most of us do; there are some exceptions, scroll down and you’ll see. Our underwear choices are just one more part of the beautiful kaleidoscope of choices we make about our presentations and our bodies and what looks good under leggings. We know you have a lot of feelings about underwear too; our long-ago Underwear Week was pretty popular with y’all. Tell us your faves in the comments!

Riese, 35, Editor-in-Chief

Boys Boxer-Briefs and Thongs

Depending on the pants I’m wearing, I’ve either got boxer-briefs or a thong underneath. I’m afraid of panty lines and that’s where thongs come in — for when my pants’ fabric is really thin or if the pants themselves are just super-tight. The H&M boy’s boxer-briefs are my fave boxer-briefs, I get them in the largest size available and I like them ‘cause the “functional fly” pouch is minimal since they’re for boys and not men. Sometimes I’ll pick up boxer-briefs from the men’s section at Target, but those I mostly wear to bed or under baggy jeans. I used to love the Victoria’s Secret V-Strings but now I mostly get thongs from American Eagle or Target. I feel like choosing one or the other also has something to do with how I feel about gender that day.

Alaina, 26, Staff Writer

Black underwear

I used to have over 100 pairs of underwear, I counted them. Now I have barely 12 pairs, and they are all black. The style varies, but mostly they’re that hipster/cheeky style. I’d say 7/12 are from a pack of underwear from Target. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with Hanes. The other five are also probably from Target, but some are briefs from the boy’s section, or boxer briefs from the boys section, and a few really high-waisted lace type things from when I thought I wanted to be a person who wears lingerie? Honestly, I only wore lingerie for sex, and everyone I slept with just took off my underwear first thing, so they didn’t give a shit what they looked like, and now, I don’t either. I also have (black) bike shorts that I kinda count as underwear, because sometimes when I wear dresses, I’m not into underwear lines, and also my thighs chafe.

Kayla, 25, Staff Writer

Boyshorts & Boybriefs & Boxerbriefs

I don’t ever wear thongs, because I find them uncomfortable. But when I was younger, I used to want to wear thongs so badly that I actually had dreams where I did and then also eventually actually used my allowance money to secretly buy real thongs at Target in my waking life, which I hid in the corner of my closet. While it was never explicitly stated, I understood thongs to be forbidden by my parents. But the cool girls in middle school wore them, and I wanted to be/be with the cool girls, so I coveted thongs to the point of literally dreaming about them. Yet, once I was an adult and in control of my own underwear decisions, I realized I didn’t personally care for them (on myself, at least). Anyway, that’s my long and weird story all leading up to the fact that I pretty much exclusively wear boyshorts and boybriefs and also the occasional ugly patterned hipster-style underwear that my Indian grandparents buy for me all the time for some reason. Considering the fact that my grandma describes my job as “this and that,” I’m pretty sure they think I can’t afford underwear. 90% of my underwear are probably good ol’ fashioned Hanes. They’re usually black, but I do have a couple pairs of Wonder Woman underwear from Target.

Erin, 31, Staff Writer

Bikini/HiCut Briefs

For everyday scenarios I’m usually wearing something like these Calvin Klein bikini cut briefs because I like their design and they wear really well. They’re simple but they’re also a look. If I feel disappointed in the outfit I’m wearing I take solace in knowing my underwear is killing it. That’ll get you through a day. When I’m wanting to feel a little more powerful I’ll wear a high cut lace or silk brief situation. They’ll put you in the mindset of a woman standing at the top of some stairs overlooking her impressive home with robe open and wine in hand contemplating everyone who has ever wronged her. You can get them online but I’ve also had luck finding them in those international markets that sell everything from spices to batteries to, well, these underwear.

Stef, 33, Vapid Fluff Editor

Hiphugger Situation

I usually get the Victoria’s Secret stuff you can get in like a pack of 5 for $28 or whatever, though lately I’ve been selectively buying slightly lacier things. It makes me feel slightly more confident, even if nobody knows I’m wearing them. I seem to end up buying things called stuff like “hipkini,” which makes me want to die. I only ever order underwear online because walking into a store and talking to a human being about underwear is one of my all-time least favorite activities.

Laura M, 30, Staff Writer

Lacy underwear

I acquire handfuls of “hipster” low rise undies whenever Victoria’s Secret has that once a year sale, so that’s what I’m wearing most of the time. When available, I really like the way I look in lace and it also breathes well. For situations where I want to avoid visible panty lines, I have a single purple thong (it looks awesome but tends to ride up my butt, which is why I don’t have more) and a bunch of boyshorts, including this really rad pair of black lace “Foxers” from Bluestockings Boutique. I also like Thinx and Dear Kates for shark week.

Mey, 30, Trans Editor

Black Hipsters

Obviously, I started wearing women’s underwear way later than most of the people in this roundtable, so only in the last year or two have I finally figured out what kind of underwear I like. I used to wear boyshorts, but I recently changed over to hipsters, which are a lot more comfortable for me and make me feel super sexy. I’ve also started buying more black pairs of hipsters because, again, they make me feel sexier. I like these hipsters from Torrid, but I’ll get ‘em wherever I can find cute plus size ones. Also I’m going to take this opportunity to say that the word “panty” is maybe the worst word ever, especially when men say it.

Alexis, 23, Staff Writer

Boxer Briefs

I usually wear like cotton briefs from Target but since trying to live that butch life I’ve been on the lookout for new undies. Recently, I got these last chance green stripe boxer briefs from TomboyX. I don’t usually like shopping online for underwear cause my butt is not conducive to every store’s sizes but they have great deals and I thought this was a great chance to put my Princess Nokia lifestyle into action. I’m really happy with these (I wish you could’ve heard the sigh of relief when I could get this over my butt and they still held their shape) and once I fall into a pile of money, I’ll probably be buying out the entire shop. I’m working on getting more boxer briefs specifically because, let’s be honest, I look phenomenal in them.

KaeLyn, 34, Staff Writer

Commando or Lacey Stuff

90% of the time, I’m not wearing underwear and feel just fine about that. No panty lines, no problem! As I have grown older and more generally concerned about the emotional comfort of others when unexpectedly confronted with the glory of my beautiful bare crotch, I’ve started wearing underwear when wearing shorter dresses and skirts. Some of the time… If I remember… When I choose underwear, equal parts comfort + sexiness is my priority and lacey hipsters and briefs are my favorite thing, like these cuties from Torrid that I have in black and red.

Tiara, 31, Staff Writer

Boycuts

BOYCUTS BOYCUTS BOYCUTS. The more rectangular the better. I don’t really care about visible panty lines or whatever, I just find them more comfortable. I’m not particularly picky about brands; a lot of times I get mine as part of a 5-pack from some department store like Target or whatever (the ones I’m wearing in the photo came from Metrojaya, a Malaysian chain). I’m pretty open with patterns, though have an affinity for purples, reds, blacks, and sometimes blues, like the rest of my wardrobe. When I was much more actively involved with burlesque I had more sexy and cutesy underwear, though a lot of that has now been Konmari’d to oblivion.

Nora, 29, Fashion and Beauty Editor

The Platonic Ideal of Boyshorts

I’m pretty bad at the whole “signature look” thing with my outside clothes, but underneath, I’m hopelessly devoted to Maidenform Pure Genius Tailored Boyshorts. Their fabric is substantial and thoroughly stretchy, and the cut actually covers my (admittedly not particularly juicy) butt; I’d definitely recommend getting them off Amazon, though, since I tried ordering the supposedly same style straight from the Hanes-Maidenform-etc conglomerate (those bulk deals were calling my name), and the underwear I received was totally different — thin and wedgie-full. If I’m feeling fancy, I also really love Playful Promises pieces; they have all sorts of vaguely bondage-y stuff with cool cutouts, and they’re more size-inclusive than a lot of their competitors. But I don’t often wear lingerie for myself, and like Alaina said, nobody I’ve ever slept with has seemed to care about it. Which is fine — it just means I get to stay with my shorts on the train to Cozytown.

Carmen, 31, Staff Writer

Briefs

Generally speaking, my gender presentation exists somewhere on the spectrum between Jasika Nicole cozy domestic femme during my everyday life and Beyoncé/ Rihanna diva femme on the rare occasion I go out at night. Even my queer friends are often surprised to find out that my underwear preference is for plain cotton men’s briefs. I started wearing “boyfriend style” women’s briefs in high school, much to my mother’s dismay. In my 20s, I moved over to the the classic Fruit of the Loom men’s 5 pack in whatever color was on sale. Now I’ve settled into Hanes Premium brand for most of my needs. Men’s underwear often comes in a thick, more dense cotton, which feels unbelievably soft after a few washes. They also they provide more room in the crotch. I enjoy that wearing them screws with people’s preconceived notions of gender binaries. More than anything, I find that I feel my most powerful, sexy, and at home in my skin with a pair of Hanes underneath my dress. In the last few years, I’ve also returned back to Lane Bryant’s hipster cut panties on occasion, as long as they are not frilly or lacey or have any design on them whatsoever. No matter the underwear I am buying, you can bet that it’s basic cotton, because anything else makes my vagina sweat and I hate that feeling. I buy all my underwear one size larger than I need, panty lines be damned, because I loathe the feeling of a tight waistband against my skin. Most of my underwear is black. It matches my bras with the least amount of effort, which I find to be both practical and sexy.

Rachel, 29, Managing Editor

Boyshorts? I Guess?

I feel like I’m in a weird transitional state where none of the cuts of underwear I have are working for me and I maybe need to buy all new ones, which isn’t helpful to you but I’m just being real, I’m sorry! Like so many others, I like a sort of boyshort cut that doesn’t ride too low but also doesn’t run so high that it shows over the waistband of my jeans; it’s also great if they reach at least a little of the way down my thighs, BUT not in a way where you can see them if I’m wearing leggings or tight jeans. While I had some underwear that fit all these requirements when I was thinner, I have yet to find the pair that does all these things for the size I’m at now. The closest I’ve gotten is something like these which are pretty good but still kind of ride up over the day. Recommendations appreciated!

Reneice, 28, Staff Writer

Boyshorts boyshorts boyshorts!

I basically live in boyshorts because I love to wear dresses and skirts but hate thongs. Boyshorts are perfect because they don’t ride up or roll down (for plus-side women this is a struggle!) and can hold their own under loose things cause of the elastic band but are also thin enough to wear with tight things without much of a VPL. I have the Lane Bryant no-show boyshort panty in pretty much every color. I also get my bras there as they have some of the best options for big breasted women.

Yvonne, 26, Senior Editor

Hipster/ Boyshorts

I was never the type of girl who was into cute underwear. For 18 years of my life, my mom bought me Hanes or Fruit of the Loom briefs pack from K-Mart before school started and it was just fine for me. Now, I’m at a point where cute underwear makes me happier and I’m an adult who can buy my own damn underwear. I get mine from the GAP because they’re extra comfy and soft. They always have an array of colors and patterns so you’re not limited to pink hearts or flowers if that’s not your thing. I love the hipster ones because they’re not too low or too high on my hips and don’t give me wedgies. I will say though, don’t wear these underwear to work out because they will fall off your butt while you’re running on the treadmill because they don’t have a good grippable band. My other favorite cut from the GAP is what they call, the “shorty,” which to me is their version of boyshorts. They’re extra comfortable and make me feel gayer.

Sarah, 30, Business and Design Director

Boyshorts

I scoff at the Victoria’s Secret lace that used to grace the curve of my ass, because these boyshorts are the only underwear I will wear now. They are just so incredibly soft and comfortable, and plus they come in a bajillion fun colors and patterns. MeUndies doesn’t actually give Autostraddle affiliate discounts, which we are still trying to figure out, but if you’ve decided based on my recommendation alone that you’d like to try them out, use our offer code to get 20% off your order, and give us a $20 credit so you can keep our senior staff in underwear!

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