B and I had a discussion yesterday about French women and undergarments.
With the warmer weather, I've seen more women wearing white linen pants or skirts or in camisoles, and I'm struck by the number that wear colored or patterned underwear or bras that you can totally see. One of the women I work with has a white top that she wears often, and she always has a dark colored bra underneath. I met up with some friends a few weeks ago and the other girl in the group was wearing a white camisole with a black bra.
I have yet to do any field research and ask French women, but B and I have different hypotheses. I say it's tacky; B says it's part of the French feminine mystic and being able to see green flower underwear through white pants is almost an act of seduction. B talks about it being suggestive, without actually revealing. But if you can see the blue flowers on my bra through my shirt, that's more than suggestive (in my opinion).
Is it just American to avoid showing your undergarments in public at all costs? Is it just my mom that taught me to chose wisely and if possible to wear a slip just to make sure? Or was it that time in 7th grade when I wore a pink training bra under a white t-shirt and everyone made fun of me all day long? Would I be proudly ignorant of whether or not you could see through my clothes if not for that fateful day in 1997?
3 comments:
I was just thinking about this the other day!! I saw a lady with white pants and black underwear, and I was like "LADY, ARE YOU BLIND?" but maybe she does it on purpose. I don't know, I think it's tacky too. But I am obviously very non-French.
A friend's French gf has a habit of wearing teeny tiny tops with buttons unbuttoned and lacy black bras underneath, but being 19 and stick thin, I guess she can get away with it. I hate her for it though, lol. Will keep an eye out for the white clothes issue, haven't seen it so in my head it does kind of look seductive.
Totally with you on this one. The other thing that drives me crazy is when they wear lacy bras with tight shirts. I think that's trashy.
But if you ever cast your eye over the lingerie section at Etam, you'll see that the majority of it is lacy and patterned and not at all like our basic, smooth nude bras in the US. Perhaps a dearth of choices drives the problem?
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