I Haven't Worn Underwear in Nearly Two Decades
How, when, and why I gave up on underpants.
One day I decided to try not wearing underwear, and I never have again since; I've not even owned any underpants for many years. This is the story of how I came to that idea, why I think underwear is ridiculously pointless, and why I think you should try going without too.
How it came to light I do not recall, but for some reason it was common knowledge among my friendship group at school that one of our friends always wore thongs, rather than more substantive underwear. This seemed an exotic and flamboyant choice to my sixteen-year-old self, and so I quizzed her about it once. Her rationale was to avoid the (apparently dreaded) V.P.L., which if like my younger-self you are not familiar, is "visible panty line". Perish the thought that someone might be able to tell you are wearing underwear of whatever shape, size, and style of your choosing!
It was then, and remains now, to my mind, a thing really not worth worrying about. But there also seemed to be an even more elegant solution which I suggested: If you're worried about the detectability of underwear, rather than wear little more than a bit of string, why not just forgo underwear entirely? That was beyond the limits of my friend's imagination, sense of decency, or comfort zone, and so she did not run the experiment to see how effective a solution it would be. But it did start an idea forming in my mind.
I wasn't in the least bit concerned about the V.P.L., but having hit upon the notion of not wearing it, I did start to wonder why we actually wear underwear? Clothing that in most circumstances no one can see. Something too insubstantial to give you much in the way of extra insulation when it's cold, yet does add that little bit too much when it's hot. Something that (looser styles) gathers around the crotch unappealingly, or (tighter forms) clings tightly to your body. Something that adds to tangled mass of fabrics we wrap ourselves up in that need constantly adjusting to be comfortable.
About the only half decent reason I could think of was a matter of hygiene; but I wash my clothes regularly, and attend to my own personal hygiene well enough I don't need underwear to act as a cleanliness barrier - I worry about the bathroom habits of those who would make the argument it is needed for that! Nor am I a woman managing a period every few weeks, nor dealing with overwhelming amounts of discharge.
So why the heck was I wearing this pointless uncomfortable extra item of clothing?
I decided to try going without.
Having grown up encapsulating my loins in underwear the sensation was revelationary! So much freedom, so much more comfortable. Why the hell did anyone ever choose to wear underwear when we can feel like this?
I must have first tried it out at home, although I don't recall that exact moment. But I'm sure I instantly took a liking to it, as I know never wore underwear again after that first time without. I can better recall the first time I "went commando" in a public place, which I suppose must have been the same day, or very shortly after. It was while going shopping in Asda!
That memory is vivid, as I can remember being extremely self-aware walking down the aisles of the supermarket. My penis felt like it was swinging like a pendulum; surely everyone could see and judge me for my less constrained genitalia? Except of course no one could tell at all, as most people don't spend their days examining each other's crotches. And of course in the event anyone could tell they were hardly likely to make a fuss about it; if nothing else that would reveal where their eyes had lingered too long on something they should not have been looking at!
But moreover it's actually very difficult tell unless you're wearing either a very tight fabric (which would probably seem no bulgier with or without underwear), or something very thin that drapes more revealingly. I mostly then and now wear slightly-thick cotton trousers, which are not revealing in the slightest.
Of course if you're a woman, or anyone else without a penis, it's even easier to "get away with it", as there's nothing to shield from the perverted eyes of the world. You can go underwear free without the slightest concern and the only way to tell would be the lack of the dreaded V.P.L.!
Not that you should harbour a sense of guilt for daring to possess human body parts, and still shielding them from the direct view of the prudish world. Sometimes I wear linin trousers, or looser thinner cotton fabrics such as those I wear for yoga; in those cases there definitely is more chance of it being easier to spot where the penis might be in existence- But years into being free of underwear I've lost any self-consciousness about that very much fleeting possibility. As described above, if someone is looking long enough to notice what might be beneath my clothing, that says more about where their eyes and mind are at, than me!
Like clothing in general, I feel we only wear underwear because we've been socially conditioned to consider that "normal". But with limited exception for those that choose to use sanitary pads, there is no real reason we need to wear underwear; it's just extra clothing to sell to us, for us to wash, for us to be constrained within.
For me, giving up underwear was the first step towards nudism, having realised any item of clothing could be optional. While I know many will never be able to do the mental gymnastics to move past society's nudity taboos, there's no such barriers to giving up underwear. What you wear or do not wearing beneath your outer clothes is something only you will know about. So why not give it a try? You too might find it gloriously comfortable and freeing!