# Women, explain this "going commando" thing to me **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941 "2012-12-13T18:06:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/41 "2012-12-13T22:55:00Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Hey guess what guys don’t really care about? > > Panty lines. On the one hand, I don’t care about panty lines. On the other hand, Anne Hathaway caring about panty lines leads to stuff like this. In conclusion, I really care about panty lines. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/42 "2012-12-13T22:56:05Z")
None of the photos I’ve seen of any of the young entertainers flashing their sweet spot had any discernible detail. You guys are bunch of pervs if you think you saw something there because I’ve enlarged these photos to 1000% and processed them through photo enhancement software and I still can’t see anything. If this is the net effect of chicks going commando then I don’t see what there is to get all lathered up about. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/43 "2012-12-13T22:58:39Z")
When you look like Anne Hathaway, flashing your private parts can only be a good thing for your career. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/44 "2012-12-13T23:02:42Z")
> [@well\_he\_s\_back](#): > > VPLs were a punch line in a Woody Allen movie nearly 30 years ago. I didn’t think anyone still cared. And I thought the problem had been solved back then ([second commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o68uyLIuXAs).) ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/45 "2012-12-13T23:05:14Z")
[QUOTE=TriPolar] You guys are bunch of pervs if you think you saw something there because I’ve enlarged these photos to 1000% and processed them through photo enhancement software and I still can’t see anything. [/QUOTE] 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/46 "2012-12-13T23:05:17Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > None of the photos I’ve seen of any of the young entertainers flashing their sweet spot had any discernible detail. You guys are bunch of pervs if you think you saw something there because \*\*I’ve enlarged these photos to 1000% and processed them through photo enhancement software and I still can’t see anything. \*\*If this is the net effect of chicks going commando then I don’t see what there is to get \*\*all lathered up \*\*about. Whilst reading for further enlightenment, am dying of laughter. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/47 "2012-12-14T01:27:13Z")
She’s wearing space ships for shoes, and we’re wondering why she _doesn’t_ wear knickers? I dunno, sometimes you don’t wear socks, or a tie. Sometimes you don’t wear knickers. VPL will have been the reason with this dress, but there could be any number of reasons. I forget sometimes. I’m scatter brained. I also sometimes forget to take them off in the shower, it’s a running joke among my family. No knickers can be comfortable, particularly with a skirt. A bit of fresh air is nice. **Two Many Cats** is right about some ooze concern, but it’s usually fine with normal clothes. Could be to have easy access in case of a quickie. I’ve taken that into consideration before. Knickers are just optional, AFAIC. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/48 "2012-12-14T03:21:31Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > When you look like Anne Hathaway, flashing your private parts can only be a good thing for your career. Come on. She’s not _that_ hideous. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/49 "2012-12-14T03:28:15Z")
I haven’t worn underwear since 5th grade, when the boys made a very big deal out of running around pointing out the girls’ panty lines. :eek: I wasn’t exactly scarred by that, I just haven’t worn underwear since. No need for it. So I voted ‘Fashion’. Except for doctor appointments. Or date night. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/50 "2012-12-14T08:45:52Z")
The dresses are not made to be exiting cars in, or traveling in. You are meant to be upright. A chariot is the only way to do it. If you need to exit a car, you can wear a large bandage or a patch to cover the vital areas. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/51 "2012-12-14T09:05:26Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Well, I guess it’s up to me to get disgusting. I’m a woman, and I can never predict when something’s going to ooze down there. I’d rather have a panty catch it, than slough it off on a designer gown. No commando for me. I’m a man, and I heartily agree. I once knew a guy who made a point of never wearing underwear, and I couldn’t help but wonder how he managed to keep his nether regions so squeaky-clean as to never soil his pants even minimally. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/52 "2012-12-14T09:26:11Z")
> [@Lukeinva](#): > > Perhaps the lady commando could perform the derriere-swivel move to exit the limo, keeping both knees together and landing with both feet on the ground. Problem solved. She did. The derriere swivel caused the deep slit on the side of her dress to rotate. Her knees were together in the pic I saw. I went looking for it because that was the first thing I thought of, “she didn’t turn in the seat first,” but she did, and that’s what ended up causing the problem. It was a pelvic flash, really, not a crotch shot. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/53 "2012-12-14T10:08:35Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > The dresses are not made to be exiting cars in, or traveling in. You are meant to be upright. A chariot is the only way to do it. … I see a market niche here. You don’t even need horses, you can just rig a tow bar between a “chariot” trailer and the limo. Another option would be to raise the roof of limo passenger compartments to like 7 feet, so the celebs can stand up in the vehicle, open the door and step gracefully down to the sidewalk. Of course then you’d have all these limos looking like pickups loaded with over-sized Port-A-Johns. ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/54 "2012-12-14T10:41:38Z")
> [@Ephemera](#): > > I’m not a woman. It shows. I don’t buy the panty-line excuse, and I’m a woman. The reason I don’t buy it is because there are a few easy solutions that don’t involve going without. One is control-top pantyhose. Another is wearing a style of skin colored underwear that reaches from your waste to your upper thigh, kind of like a pair of lycra shorts: [HerRoom: Women's Lingerie, Bras, Panties, Swimwear & More](http://www.herroom.com/spanx-004-power-panties-mid-thigh-shaper-with-tummy-control.shtml) There are many variations on this theme to fit all styles of dress. The ironic part is that I didn’t notice that the link I posted claims that Anne Hathaway wore this solution during a movie! ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/55 "2012-12-14T10:48:31Z")
> [@Rusalka](#): > > … skin colored underwear that reaches from your waste to your upper thigh, kind of like … and do you know why they call it that? because that could have been room for another pair of boobs. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/56 "2012-12-14T10:52:53Z")
Hur? Nobody wears pantyhose any more. And have you seen the dress? Couldn’t possibly wear the Spanx you linked with a slit up to the thigh. Unless she wanted to look like a 60-something grandma wearing her granny panties, and then she may as well have - just worn panties. I would have gone the commando option in the same situation. As much as the dress looked like a Hefty bag, the material was too slinky to put anything under it without being visible in some way. ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/57 "2012-12-14T11:07:28Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Hur? Nobody wears pantyhose any more. And have you seen the dress? Couldn’t possibly wear the Spanx you linked with a slit up to the thigh. Unless she wanted to look like a 60-something grandma wearing her granny panties, and then she may as well have - just worn panties. I would have gone the commando option in the same situation. As much as the dress looked like a Hefty bag, the material was too slinky to put anything under it without being visible in some way. No, the dress looks like it’s made of some thin, stiff material, not clingy. That’s why it gapped when she left the car. It stands away from the body and would not have shown a panty-line. She could easily have worn shorter pair of lycra shorts, but the ones I posted do not reach the gap in the dress. Are you suggesting if a dress is really short, that people should be going without anything? That’s just unsanitary. You will never convince me that it’s ever necessary. What are people thinking these days? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/58 "2012-12-14T11:18:50Z")
Maybe her panties are so fantabulous she was worried about damaging _them_. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/59 "2012-12-14T11:57:02Z")
> [@Rusalka](#): > > No, the dress looks like it’s made of some thin, stiff material, not clingy. That’s why it gapped when she left the car. It stands away from the body and would not have shown a panty-line. She could easily have worn shorter pair of lycra shorts, but the ones I posted do not reach the gap in the dress. You’re thinking of the parachute-capelet part. [That dress couldn’t cling any closer.](http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1217561.1355241302!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/anne12n-2-web.jpg) I’m not trying to get into some big argument, but I just don’t see any undergarment that would work with that. As seen in the photo of her in the car, the slit in the dress rides up when sitting, as any dress/skirt will do. You have to count on at least a 4 inch rise in any skirt, upon sitting down. > [@Rusalka](#): > > Are you suggesting if a dress is really short, that people should be going without anything? That’s just unsanitary. You will never convince me that it’s ever necessary. What are people thinking these days? Well, personally I think any dress/skirt/shorts that would be considered unsanitary without underwear probably shouldn’t be worn at all! ('scuse me, would you please sit on this towel instead of directly on my sofa?) Anne’s isn’t unsanitary because her nethers and butt are covered when sitting down, it’s that pesky slit that’s the problem. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941/60 "2012-12-14T14:10:42Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Well, I guess it’s up to me to get disgusting. I’m a woman, and I can never predict when something’s going to ooze down there. I’d rather have a panty catch it, than slough it off on a designer gown. No commando for me. Yeah, that’s why my wife doesn’t do the commando thing too often these days. Back in the early days of our relationship, when we were much younger, she would occasionally surprise me when we went out by leaving the panties at home. But these days, she says that the occasional leakage makes her uncomfortable with going commando. So she won’t do it for the whole night while we’re out, but she will occasionally remove them and slip them into my pocket on the sly if we’re going to be leaving shortly. Which is nice. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-explain-this-going-commando-thing-to-me/643941.md?page=4)