Pondering Life's Big Questions...Foundation Studies

There are a lot of things that I think about in the middle of the night, or early in the morning but I am not sure what's on my mind today.  I woke up thinking about underwear. Specifically what's the difference between underwear and lingerie?  Why do women wear "lingerie" but not men?

Underwear by its very name gives a hint to its purpose, it is underwear that is worn under something (take note those young people who like to wear their pants down around their knees) however lingerie conjures up visions of lace, ribbons and sheer fabrics.  (and some other things, but this is a "g" rated blog!)

So when I am vexed about these big life questions I go to the font of all knowledge and ask the question then I cross reference it and then I get side tracked by the foundation garments! I tell you this subject is very murky indeed!


Do you remember foundation garments? I remember my mother and her "step-ins"

Not my actual mother,  but a genuine step-in!
I'm surprised anyone could become a mother wearing one of those!

which were instruments of torture designed to give you the "perfect silhouette", but I wonder who for ?Then I found this retro ad while researching this topic

Now I am not sure how this would appeal to men,   (unless you were Daniel Cleaver from Bridget Jones Diary***)   I reckon by the time you got it off for any action they would be asleep, or maybe that is why you choose it for men!  (get my drift??)  


That brings me to the thought, why is underwear, lingerie, foundation garments (or now more likely called shape wear  marketed  mostly to women? From what I see men's underwear is designed to be comfortable and practical and scant attention paid to the visual titillation  factor. 

But fear not, this is an equal opportunity blog and  I have found some men's foundation garments are available,  so it seems in these body conscious days even they are not immune to marketing pressure warning the images below are not pretty.........

Are you sure you want to see them?











Just saying........... you have been warned

I didn't feel the need to caption them, I think they say enough all on their own!


But  I am still confused, when does pretty underwear become lingerie?  I am now worried I was giving my daughters a bad example when I used to buy them some pretty french underwear every year when I went to Paris for a work conference, was I buying them pretty underwear or lingerie. Is the name in the eye of a beholder? 

I used to say to a very dear friend of mine who was pretty pedestrian in the underwear department that "every woman deserves to wear beautiful underwear every day". 

Anyway it looks like this big philosophical question is not going to be answered in one blog post, so I am going to leave you to ponder that on this Friday morning and just to give you a laugh here are a couple of shockers I also found!

Happy Friday,  and don't forget to wear your good undies in case you get run over by a bus! 

only joking!



*** We call super big sucky in undies Bridget Jones'es in our family.