Underwhat?

Underwear - we all wear it. Well, most of us do. Even the lack of it is a choice. There's all different kinds - men's, women's, granny panties, tighty whities, thongs, and boxers. In 1992, a teenager even asked then presidential hopeful Bill Clinton if he preferred boxers or briefs. (He said he usually wears briefs.) A few years ago, Michael Jordan made boxer briefs a household item after his Hanes ad campaign. Britney Spears' lack of underwear made headlines a few months ago and her bare, er, bottom, spread across the internet.

While there are many, many choices of undergarment out there these days, many people are still guilty of walking around with a visible panty line. According to wikipedia, the first pop culture reference to the visible panty line (VPL) was in Woody Allen's film "Annie Hall." (And apparently the problem is very prominent in Asia.) People, that movie was made 30 years ago. It's time to get with the program and address the problem. You've got options.

While mostly a problem for women, it does affect some men too. To these men I say, go buy yourself a pair of boxers or boxer briefs.

For women, I suggest one of the following tactics:

First, opt to go sans underwear. Granted, if you're still guilty of walking around with a panty line, you're probably not going to opt to stop wearing underwear all together. I'm not saying it's the best solution, after all you might get caught like Britney, but it is the cheapest.

Second, those that find themselves guilty of sharing their panty line with the rest of us can also opt for boy shorts. There's more coverage, some guys think they're cute, and you're less likely to have a rigid line under paints or a skirt.

Finally, the thong. You know that article of clothing that Sisqo sang about back in the day. (I'm not advocating showing, by the way.) Thongs are the oldest form of underwear - just ask the primitive peoples of yore. They're the fastest selling form of women's underwear in the United States. Some people complain that they're uncomfortable - get over yourself. You must be trying on the most god awful underwear if you think that. Sure if it's the wrong size you're gonna be picking material out of your butt all day, but if you're old enough to know what a thong is you should be old enough to pick out the right size. There are even companies such as Hanky Panky that claim to have the most comfortable thongs ever made and have the celebrity clientèle to back them up.

So the next time you see a friend that looks as if she (or he) is going to cut off her butt circulation because of her underwear, let her know there is a solution. Throw out the bad underwear!