# Guys: what's YOUR take on the VPL (visible panty line)? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 28, 2001, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096 "2001-07-28T18:30:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/61 "2013-01-03T20:19:55Z")
If she’s hot, it’s hot. And if she’s not, it’s not 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/62 "2013-01-03T20:58:42Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The latter, visible panty _line_, however, is when you see not the panty itself, but the indentation created in the fat on the butt and hips by underwear that’s way too tight. I try to avoid this at all costs, and I can’t imagine how anyone could find it attractive. You’re taking a nice, round, supple butt, and [squeezing](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0hfJ3k4dTok/TbYC7M8vG7I/AAAAAAAACvs/JonLYHV-wBg/s1600/IMG_1053.JPG) [big](http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&tbo=d&biw=1280&bih=869&tbm=isch&tbnid=-WfSPKXkKbWmCM:&imgrefurl=http://ph.makeupandbeauty.com/how-to-avoid-visible-panty-lines/&docid=wgstdvQHf8BluM&imgurl=http://ph.makeupandbeauty.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/How%252Bto%252BAvoid%252BVisible%252BPanty%252BLines.jpg&w=380&h=543&ei=xJ3lUIgjkurRAffegNAJ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=989&vpy=382&dur=3750&hovh=268&hovw=188&tx=111&ty=125&sig=106849213310022597355&page=2&tbnh=143&tbnw=101&start=47&ndsp=51&ved=1t:429,r:54,s:0,i:256) [gross](http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&tbo=d&biw=1280&bih=869&tbm=isch&tbnid=HZFJDyrmKs1VtM:&imgrefurl=http://wannabebrazilian.wordpress.com/tag/visible-panty-line/&docid=MsN4n3so81jDLM&imgurl=http://wannabebrazilian.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/bulging.jpg&w=495&h=660&ei=xJ3lUIgjkurRAffegNAJ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=760&vpy=400&dur=5646&hovh=259&hovw=194&tx=121&ty=194&sig=106849213310022597355&page=1&tbnh=145&tbnw=107&start=0&ndsp=47&ved=1t:429,r:25,s:0,i:169) [folds](http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&tbo=d&biw=1280&bih=869&tbm=isch&tbnid=KeT1TaOgDZxzlM:&imgrefurl=http://megaramarie.blogspot.com/2010/06/brief-rant.html&docid=Q77UZRtVJCepqM&imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lXU8MAlpOXI/TBkJ_V_dbKI/AAAAAAAAALA/RZhiWlLvrtg/s1600/vpl_too%252Btight.jpg&w=1600&h=1200&ei=xJ3lUIgjkurRAffegNAJ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=176&vpy=562&dur=711&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=184&ty=184&sig=106849213310022597355&page=2&tbnh=135&tbnw=188&start=47&ndsp=51&ved=1t:429,r:82,s:0,i:340) [into](https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTF4pYMn495Lt0ZJjcQxyThXl4NIh0GA33iVEBsbEpRaZHqq-su) [it](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8oarhIU78kM/TqWjZ4F6qAI/AAAAAAAABSI/QKSAzSssEXM/s1600/vpl.jpg)\*. It’s the posterior equivalent of “Hey, watch - [I can make my belly button talk!](http://www.superchargemyhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/how-to-loose-belly-fat1.jpg)” Not hot. Those aren’t especially attractive, but mostly because those are extreme examples. Something more subtle is fine, but what the person is wearing has bearing and that can speak to general indifference, vs comfort, vs being conscious, vs specific intent to attract attention. > [@](#): > > Or is it? So let’s hear it: if you like “VPL”, do you mean the former, or the latter, or both? Or are you one of the confused souls who thinks it means something else entirely? To me, if I can see underwear from the exterior of your pants, its a VPL-- I don’t over or under qualify. Whether or not its attractive, depends on other factors, such as whether or not it’s actually good looking underwear (everyone has their preference, right?), combined with the clothing and person wearing it. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/63 "2013-01-03T22:44:01Z")
If she is at least moderately attractive to me, things like a visible panty line or a bra strap that can be seen under a sleeveless shirt are pretty erotic. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/64 "2013-01-03T22:54:48Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Woman here. I used to be fat, am now thin. I’m very surprised that the men seem to think it no big deal. > > I think of a VPL (on my hips/bum) as a sartorial sin. A VPL is like having your underskirt hanging out from under your skirt, or like wearing something inside out, or wearing stained clothing. It looks unkempt and dorky, and not in a good way. > > So I do my best to wear tight shapewear over my comfy granny panties to combat the VLP. And those suckers are warm, expensive, and not always comfortable. So I’m tricked into wearing those? Huh. :mad: A VPL or bra strap is a nice inadvertent reminder that women are sexual creatures. Because we men tend to forget about that fact unless reminded. ---
**Author:** ![simplyvisual30](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@simplyvisual30](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simplyvisual30)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/65 "2015-09-02T10:34:40Z")
Personally I find visible panty lines to be extremely sexy. Whenever I see a beautiful woman with a great figure and can see the outline of her panties while checking out her butt …that’s actually more of a turn-on than seeing a thong sticking out above her waistline. To me there’s just something very erotic about it. I know the fashion police HATE VPL, but that’s their problem. Let them freak out because it’s not _“fashionable”_. What those idiots don’t realize is that not all men care as much about fashion as they do. For a straight male, they’re going to check out an attractive woman. If whatever they see turns them on, that’s what matters most, not what the fashion police said on television or in magazines. No one truly cares about what they have to say. With men, it all comes down to sex appeal - plain and simple. Visible Panty Lines have sex appeal, trust me. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/66 "2015-09-02T13:33:37Z")
I just don’t think they are nearly as obvious as people make them out to be. I’ve never encountered one that I noticed without either specifically looking for them (after someone mentioned it) or actively checking someone out. So I assume it, like most fashion, is something men don’t care too much about but that women do. Because fashion is not just some tool for attracting male gaze. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/67 "2015-09-02T13:54:53Z")
Warning: really old thread. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/68 "2015-09-02T14:17:05Z")
And the posters on page one are probably all wearing granny panties by now. ---
**Author:** ![Oops\_I\_Went\_Poopies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Oops\_I\_Went\_Poopies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oops_I_Went_Poopies)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/69 "2015-09-02T20:26:21Z")
From a strictly sexual appeal point of view, the VPL is a multiplier. If someone is hot, it makes them look more attractive. If someone is ugly, it makes them look more disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/70 "2015-09-03T02:54:35Z")
Scary on a zombie. Otherwise, still sexy years later. And I bet the OP is right about the evil marketing angle. Jeez, stop making women insecure about looks for profit. They’re pretty much all beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/71 "2015-09-03T16:36:37Z")
It’s unflattering, kind of frumpy/sloppy. Certainly doesn’t do anything for me. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/72 "2015-09-03T16:43:46Z")
I don’t have VPL because I wear underwear that fits my body size and completely covers my butt (hi-leg semi-bikini, BTW, not GPs). If you wear “sexy” bikini undies made of polyester, they don’t cover and don’t stay put. Thus, VPL. Women confuse undies you wear in private with undies you wear under clothes. They aren’t the same. ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/73 "2015-09-03T18:07:38Z")
Reminds me of an old “Cathy” comic, where the sales lady tells her the new kind of pantyhose makes her look as if she’s not wearing any underwear. Cathy says, “Why would I want people to think I’m not wearing underwear”? ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/74 "2015-09-03T18:56:41Z")
VPL doesn’t do much for me. I’d rather not see any. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/75 "2015-09-03T19:05:08Z")
I was giggling, reading through the first couple of pages at all the talk of the concept of the VPL being the latest marketing ploy, sort of like the trend would pass or something. I don’t recall my reaction back then, and didn’t read through to see if I had commented, but I know that back then I did object to panty lines and thus wore thong underwear. Neither my opinion nor my underwear of choice have changed. I mean, I’ve changed my underwear, but not the style :smack: I find vpl to be tacky and sloppy. I suppose I should take comfort in the fact that a lot of the men here don’t mind it; that reflects nicely on them.However, as was said, women dress first for themselves, then for other women and only then does the male opinion come into play. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/76 "2015-09-03T19:31:03Z")
Well, that’s kind of the thing: you’re not fooling anyone with thongs. You’re just moving the line to the top of the butt. G-strings or commando are the only ways to eliminate the lines. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/77 "2015-09-03T20:07:05Z")
I’m surprised that anyone notices this stuff. I mean, visible bra and camisole straps (often both at the same time) became normal years ago. If nobody gives a shit about that, I can’t see a hint of a panty line under the clothes being a big deal either. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/78 "2015-09-03T20:15:25Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Well, that’s kind of the thing: you’re not fooling anyone with thongs. You’re just moving the line to the top of the butt. G-strings or commando are the only ways to eliminate the lines. Are they not the same thing (the girl asked the guy:smack:)? Whatever the floss like contraption I wear is called, there is no sign of it through my clothes. [QUOTE=RTFirefly] I’m surprised that anyone notices this stuff. I mean, visible bra and camisole straps (often both at the same time) became normal years ago. If nobody gives a shit about that, I can’t see a hint of a panty line under the clothes being a big deal either. [/QUOTE] I find this equally as tacky. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/79 "2015-09-10T00:15:56Z")
I’ve never quite understood why you’re checking out that area unless you are attracted to them. And if you’re attracted to them, I don’t see why a panty lin would matter. I don’t look at guy’s butts, as I’m not attracted to them. Why do straight women or gay men look at women’s butts? ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096/80 "2015-09-10T02:01:23Z")
I only wear relaxed fit jeans, not skin-tight, hence - no VPL. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-whats-your-take-on-the-vpl-visible-panty-line/74096.md?page=5)