What I Learned About Myself By Going Commando For A Year
I'll say one thing for sure: it was freeing!
LightField Studios / Shutterstock Once upon a time, a long time ago, I had some roommates who were very ... organic in their living style, and one of the habits I picked up from them was never wearing any more clothing than I absolutely had to.
They inspired me to throw my thongs to the wind — actually, I probably just threw them away — and embrace the comfort that comes with going commando (AKA wearing zero underwear under your clothes) 100 percent of the time.
It’s impressive what letting go of underwear did for my level of body confidence.
I began to become much better friends with it after taking away the unnecessary barrier between us.
(I should probably mention, now that you’re thinking I leave clam prints wherever I go, that 90 percent of the time I wear yoga pants or leggings, so you can sit anywhere I've once been with ease.)
The Pros of Going Commando
When I say that not wearing underwear for a year made me feel more comfortable with myself, I don’t mean just masturbating or generally chillin' with my babe. I mean it made me feel less ashamed of my body and more open in all areas of my life.
To say it more cohesively, living without underwear helped me include my vagina in the idea that a body is just a body — everyone has one, and in regard to vaginas, approximately 49 percent of the world population has one of those too.
So, if I happen to be wearing a dress and it’s windy, I’m no longer running around pulling my dress down. Let me tell you, that feeling is SO freeing.
The cost of wearing underwear is also fairly pricey when you add it up.
Let’s assume that you wear one pair of underwear a day and go through two pairs on the three days you work out. That comes out to 10 pairs of underwear per week.
Assuming you aren’t perfect at timing laundry, you’ll need at least two or three extra pairs of underwear in your drawer to get you through until laundry day replenishes the fresh underwear supply. Rounding up, that’s 15 pairs of underwear over about a week and a half. Panties can run anywhere from $4-$40 (and up!) each, depending on where you buy them ...
That means on the low side, you spend $60-$600 for one week's supply of something you wear only because society wants you to cover up your lady parts!
And of course, once they get stained or start to fade, you’re expected to replace them. See the BS there?
The Cons of Commando
One of the big questions people ask about losing the undies is this, "Is going commando unsanitary?"
My answer comes in two parts.
One, I am not a doctor, so I can’t professionally comment on sanitation.
Two, if you’re worried about catching STIs from random things around town, please learn more about STI’s and how they work. (Hint: it’s not that way.)
I did learn that underwear absorbs a lot of vagina sweat — you have it too, don’t lie to yourself — so when you take away that absorption layer, the sweat absorbs into your pants instead. If it’s really bad (like because it’s so hot) that sweat CAN leave butt sweat stains on places you sit.
The smell and the amount of sweat/discharge may vary based on where you are in your cycle, your diet, and simply just your biology.
This added moisture can supposedly increase the prevalence of yeast infections, though I haven’t personally experienced that. In fact, research shows that certain kinds of underwear are among the most common causes of yeast infections, and going commando at least come of the time is a recommended preventative measure!
Some people just have more powerfully smelling vaginas and I happen to be one of them, which brings me to my next point: laundry.
For me and my powerfully smelling vagina, that means I can’t wear a pair of pants more than once before they’re dirty, which isn’t a big deal for me since I have a washer dryer in my apartment. IMO, this increase in laundry equals the decrease in the laundry I have without having to wash underwear.
At the end of the day (or in this case, the year), I’m grateful for those sweet stoners who helped me realize my vagina is just another part of my body.
And I’m a big fan of going commando.
I now have a job that requires me to wear dresses and I feel more comfortable wearing underwear in the workplace, but I encourage you to go out without — at least on occasion — and feel the empowerment breeze yourself!
But whether you’re Team Panties or Team Commando, I wish you years of confidence and 'comfort-ability' with your vagina (or whatever you’re sporting down there).
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