Denim Underwear Is a Thing—One New York Ob-Gyn Weighs In on Going Commando

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I can only recall a handful of instances when I didn’t wear underwear with my jeans. Most of these situations involved me forgetting to bring an extra pair to the gym before work or packing three pairs for a five-day trip. None proved to be the end of the world, but I was uncomfortable. Denim tends to be a thick, usually rough fabric—not the kind made for contact with your delicate parts. Thoughts of going commando reentered my mind over the weekend when I saw that a very curious piece of clothing called “janties” went viral. The French-cut denim panties from Y/Project’s Spring 2019 collection went on sale Friday, and Twitter went wild. One tweet read: “How do I feel about $300 denim panties, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you how I feel. Utterly and thoroughly chafed.” She has a point.

A Japanese designer by the name of Meiko Ban showed what Vogue’s Emily Farra dubbed “thong jeans” on the Spring 2018 runway for his label Thibaut. It was a risky design tactic but one that was at least conceived with a miniscule amount of practicality in that his denim was styled with a bodysuit, a protective layer between butt and jeans. The Y/Project janty apparently removes any in-between barrier. I wondered, aside from the discomfort, would these be bad to wear for an extended period of time? In an effort to find out, I rang my gynecologist for some answers. Rebecca C. Brightman, M.D. responded by telling me that, in her opinion, “it’s an interesting underwear concept, but the heavy fabric would cause chafing of skin of the vulva and panty line as well.” She added, “Pubic hair protects the underlying skin and also serves as a buffer against irritants. Without pubic hair, or with excessive grooming, that buffer is lost and would likely make wearing denim panties a bit uncomfortable.”

Doctor’s orders: If you buy Y/Project’s $300 janty, be sure to invest in a thong.