# Business casual pants for a fat girl that won't cause crotch-stink after 8 hours? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 10, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184 "2011-03-10T15:46:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/41 "2011-03-11T03:22:45Z")
I was just going to recommend a [nice pair of pants…](http://www.coldwatercreek.com/product-detail/56399/62662/natural-fit-stretch-twill-pants.aspx?colorid=111&refLink=pants.aspx) Their regular price stuff is a killer, but the [outlet rocks](http://www.coldwatercreek.com/Outlet/prodList.aspx?provider=productsearch&cmd=czNewPage&path=All+Products////Apparel////AttribSelect=Size=%27Plus%20Size%203X%20%2824W-26W%29%27////UserSearch=Dept.Channel+ID=2) and they carry the same products in conventional and big sizes. [If these ever go on sale, they’re linen.](http://www.coldwatercreek.com/product-detail/56628/62922/natural-fit-striped-linen-pants.aspx?colorid=996&refLink=pants.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Surb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Surb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Surb)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/42 "2011-03-11T03:30:18Z")
Three weeks ago on my flight from Dulles to Denver, the flight attendant leaned over me to help push a roller-board into the overhead bin. It took her about 3 minutes to get it situated so she could close the door. She had the same issue as the OP. I am going to follow this thread to see what remedies are available so I can offer some sage advice should I be in this situation again. I might even carry some corn starch with me, just in case. It sounds like there may even be snacks at the end of the flight. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/43 "2011-03-11T03:55:55Z")
kind of wish i could unsee this thread. my own fault for opening it, wow. ---
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/44 "2011-03-11T04:21:42Z")
Is this really any grosser than any of the other absolutely disgusting things we discuss? It seems like we always have threads about TMI things or concepts that are just plain nasty. Wasn’t there a thread on cooking with semen? That makes me gag way more than this. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/45 "2011-03-11T04:46:26Z")
> [@Gestalt](#): > > Is this really any grosser than any of the other absolutely disgusting things we discuss? … Agreed. This thread doesn’t even come close to some of the threads here which have turned my stomach. I can only add ‘natural fibres’ to the other members who’ve made similar suggestions. Oh, and cotton knickers. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/46 "2011-03-11T04:56:23Z")
Knickers, how quaint! 🙂 I definitely have chubby thighs so I can see that being a source of the issue. But like I said, I don’t have odor problems with cotton material. I just haven’t found a pair of nice dress pants that are all-cotton. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/47 "2011-03-11T05:05:47Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Knickers, how quaint! 🙂 > > I definitely have chubby thighs so I can see that being a source of the issue. But like I said, I don’t have odor problems with cotton material. I just haven’t found a pair of nice dress pants that are all-cotton. Wearing knickers is quaint? I’d be trying to buy pants which have the highest proportion of natural fibre, even if you can’t get 100% ones. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/48 "2011-03-11T05:06:10Z")
[Old Navy, but online only](http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=7043&vid=8&pid=770232&scid=770232002), grrrrrrrrrr ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/49 "2011-03-11T05:58:38Z")
Along the lines of Land’s End, I’d recommend LL Bean. They have nice [cotton twill](http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/34032?feat=503110-GN2) pants that hold up well, and apparently come in sizes 4 to 26w. Dockers are nice too, and ones like [these](http://us.dockers.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4304856&cp=2271558.3363811.2283043&parentPage=family) that are 97% cotton are up to size 24w. > [@jabiru](#): > > Wearing knickers is quaint? No, but calling them that is in the US. It’s probably been more than 60 years since people commonly used the term. Oh, and I’d like to second **sandra\_nz** ’s panty liner suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/50 "2011-03-11T07:12:21Z")
Some of us just have more …\*ahem" natural moisture, if it’s not kept fresh and dry (the aforementioned baby powder) things can get dicey. So it’s not a fat girl thing, it’s an “I have way too much girlie hormone” thing methinks. I triple recommend the other dopers’ suggestions of a panty liner and looser fitting pants. Also, if you get cheap polyester as opposed to the more modern weaves, that will cause a problem too, so try to spend a bit more and buy a better blend (try Value Village, garage sales, and/or consignment shops for less expensive quality used clothing). I’ve always been overly concientious about this issue, have you tried taking baby wipes with you to work? You can use glad snack bags and put a handful of them in there and then discreetly take them with you to the ladies’ room whenever you go. Helps keep you fresh all day, and baby wipes are more gentle than those bathroom “personal cleansing cloths” for grownups. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/51 "2011-03-11T07:21:36Z")
> [@Gestalt](#): > > Is this really any grosser than any of the other absolutely disgusting things we discuss?It seems like we always have threads about TMI things or concepts that are just plain nasty. Wasn’t there a thread on cooking with semen? That makes me gag way more than this. EXACTLY, and why exactly would such delicate flowers OPEN a thread so titled in the first place, if their wilting sensibilities are so easily offended? Honestly, this thread is NOTHING next to some of the things that have been discussed on the dope (does no one remember the prehensile rectum? or the goatse?), and yet some are suddenly acting as if a drunk stumbled into a church picnic. Worse even, a (GASP!!!) Republican Drunk! sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/52 "2011-03-11T07:34:12Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > I definitely have chubby thighs so I can see that being a source of the issue. BodyGlide ([Amazon.com: Body Glide Original Anti Chafe Balm | Anti Chafing Stick | Prevent Arm, Chest, Butt, Thigh, Ball Chafing & Irritation | Trusted Skin Protection Since 1996 |2.5oz : Sports & Outdoors](http://www.amazon.com/BodyGlide-Anti-Chafing-Stick-2-5oz/dp/B0025UIZUU)). I love this stuff. I wear cute little khaki skirts in the summertime now, with sandals and no hosiery. And no chafing! ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/53 "2011-03-11T07:37:04Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > Honestly, this thread is NOTHING next to some of the things that have been discussed on the dope (does no one remember the prehensile rectum? or the goatse?), and yet some are suddenly acting as if a drunk stumbled into a church picnic. Worse even, a (GASP!!!) Republican Drunk! sheesh. But this one is about a problem that a fat person is having. So it’s automatically much more disgusting than any problem a thin person might be having. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/54 "2011-03-11T07:56:19Z")
I think it’s the charming, evocative term “crotch-stink” in the title that raises this thread to new levels. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/55 "2011-03-11T08:51:16Z")
Natural fibers, check. Proper fit, check. Both good plans. I strongly suggest against applications of either cornstarch or talcum. Both are ill-advised to be used in close contact with the female genitalia. Baking soda, on the other hand, does work for both moisture and odor issues, as a dusting powder all over the body, in all the various creases. I’d also advise against antiperspirant between the thighs for the same reason, but Body Glide or silicone lubricants work nicely. ([Some good advice is here](http://frocksandfroufrou.com/2010/12/perfect-girls-need-not-apply/).) As for pants themselves, in warmer months, you can go for [casual](http://www.silhouettes.com/Product/Search+Results/Unknown+Product/D-0/P-506158A1XBA&An=102&Au=RollupKey&A=540) [linen](http://www.silhouettes.com/Product/Search+Results/Unknown+Product/D-0/P-504952A1XBA&An=102&Au=RollupKey&A=20), which is much easier to care for/wear than you may think, and maybe some [trendy widelegged things](http://www.ullapopken.com/product/soft+cotton+knit+pants.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=Search), though they may be more casual than your business casual ethos. > [@Annie](#): > > [Old Navy, but online only](http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=7043&vid=8&pid=770232&scid=770232002), grrrrrrrrrr All Old Navy “plus size” clothing is online only, and if you have to return it, you have to send it back at your cost. For this reason, no matter how cute, Old Navy’s semi-sweatshop made clothing should probably be avoided. Fat tax. Feh. > [@StuffLikeThatThere](#): > > But this one is about a problem that a fat person is having. So it’s automatically much more disgusting than any problem a thin person might be having. Sounds about right. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/56 "2011-03-11T22:25:08Z")
> [@StuffLikeThatThere](#): > > But this one is about a problem that a fat person is having. So it’s automatically much more disgusting than any problem a thin person might be having. Or, some of us just don’t want to think about someone’s sweaty, stinky crotch? That’s a wee more TMI, no matter the weight of the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/57 "2011-03-11T22:28:03Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > All Old Navy “plus size” clothing is online only, and if you have to return it, you have to send it back at your cost. For this reason, no matter how cute, Old Navy’s semi-sweatshop made clothing should probably be avoided. Fat tax. Feh. I just ordered some stuff from Old Navy, and the fine print on the receipt said that anything from Old Navy Plus Sizes or from Piperlime (their shoe brand) can be returned for free. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/58 "2011-03-11T22:39:15Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I just ordered some stuff from Old Navy, and the fine print on the receipt said that anything from Old Navy Plus Sizes or from Piperlime (their shoe brand) can be returned for free. (reminds self not to shop at Old Navy.) ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/59 "2011-03-11T22:43:35Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > From hiking, which hikers use a lot of synthetics and tend to avoid cotton, I can say that synthetics get stinky and sometimes stay stinky through the wash cycle. It is fairly well known in that hikers will sometimes discuss how best to clean them. I think this is the most sensible thing you’ve ever posted. ---
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184/60 "2011-03-12T00:09:56Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Or, some of us just don’t want to think about someone’s sweaty, stinky crotch? That’s a wee more TMI, no matter the weight of the OP. Yeah, you were so adverse to thinking about it that you opened the thread, read it, and responded. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-casual-pants-for-a-fat-girl-that-wont-cause-crotch-stink-after-8-hours/574184.md?page=4)