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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

I wear big comfy pants. I’d like to understand why people wear uncomfortable looking underwear

107 replies

Cutchemist · 20/05/2026 08:30

Is it for men? If so why wear it on a daily basis when you’re not having sex? If you lived on a desert island on your own would you still wear the uncomfortable itchy lace stuff? Aibu

OP posts:
ThreeStripeQueen · 20/05/2026 08:31

You want people online to tell you about their lacy pants? Mmm ok then 🙄

Cutchemist · 20/05/2026 08:33

Oh I don’t want them to do that. Just to understand why they wear them

OP posts:
CoffeeCantata · 20/05/2026 08:33

If you (and I, who also wear comfy pants) wear clothing which is comfortable but unappealing aesthetically, only one person feels the benefit. Countless thousands have to look at a very unpleasant site.

I we choose our clothing with care and taste we might feel a bit uncomfortable but many, many more people will feel the benefit.

Was it John Stuart Mill who said we should pursue the goal of happiness for the greatest number of people, or something? 😂

CoffeeCantata · 20/05/2026 08:33

Sight, not site.

Gowlett · 20/05/2026 08:34

I think people enjoy different clothes.

Some like jeans, others prefer leggings.

Same with pants, I’d have thought?

Shallotsaresmallonions · 20/05/2026 08:34

I find big pants far more uncomfy.

pepinillo · 20/05/2026 08:34

They don't find them uncomfortable

ineededanewnameitsbeentoolong · 20/05/2026 08:35

Newsflash: your comfortable isn’t everyone’s comfortable. I find granny pants incredibly uncomfortable. Either proper boxers (as in men’s tight boxers), or thongs. I don’t like anything in between.

PrizedPickledPopcorn · 20/05/2026 08:40

@ineededanewnameitsbeentoolong boxers are loose, surely? Boxers shorts?

I’ve traded up, OP. I’ve discovered the joys of the long John. Big knickers with legs. Supreme comfort.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 20/05/2026 08:43

CoffeeCantata · 20/05/2026 08:33

If you (and I, who also wear comfy pants) wear clothing which is comfortable but unappealing aesthetically, only one person feels the benefit. Countless thousands have to look at a very unpleasant site.

I we choose our clothing with care and taste we might feel a bit uncomfortable but many, many more people will feel the benefit.

Was it John Stuart Mill who said we should pursue the goal of happiness for the greatest number of people, or something? 😂

We're all different, but I don't go out with my underwear visible, so there is no risk that thousands of people will be traumatised by seeing my pants. Do you do a Superman act and wear yours over your trousers?

All joking aside, fashion changes all the time. I find it absolutely bizarre to think that anyone feels I have an obligation to choose uncomfortable clothes so that other people can see something that is currently fashionable. I choose what I want to wear. There are aesthetic considerations but I'm not going to choose something impractical and uncomfortable.

UnDeuxTwuh · 20/05/2026 08:44

When I was very slim a throng was the most comfortable thing to wear. Who wants all that extra granny pant material?

GoodkneeBadKnee · 20/05/2026 08:46

Cutchemist · 20/05/2026 08:33

Oh I don’t want them to do that. Just to understand why they wear them

Why do you need to "understand" other people's underwear choices? Why does it affect you? Wear your big pants, live your life, no one cares!

Shinyandnew1 · 20/05/2026 08:47

I don’t find big pants comfortable and they show under jeans.

When young and slim, g-strings were far more comfortable than anything else, but I wear stretchy low rise (non VPL) shorts now which are fabulous.

Horses for courses?!

Dearg · 20/05/2026 08:47

Why do people make choices which differ from your own ? Why have choices at all?

Perhaps some women’s anatomy is slightly different in shape, and an alternative style feels better? Perhaps granny pants show lines under their gym clothes?
Perhaps they like a draft on a hot day ?

CoffeeCantata · 20/05/2026 08:51

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 20/05/2026 08:43

We're all different, but I don't go out with my underwear visible, so there is no risk that thousands of people will be traumatised by seeing my pants. Do you do a Superman act and wear yours over your trousers?

All joking aside, fashion changes all the time. I find it absolutely bizarre to think that anyone feels I have an obligation to choose uncomfortable clothes so that other people can see something that is currently fashionable. I choose what I want to wear. There are aesthetic considerations but I'm not going to choose something impractical and uncomfortable.

Edited

You're right, of course. I should have made it clearer I was talking about clothes in general. Heaven forbid that anyone should be exposed to my knickers!!!

But I do think that thoughtful dressing (if you have that luxurious choice) makes the world a nicer place. I've noticed that older people tend to make an effort to dress with other people in mind, and not just their own comfort.

But I'm of the school which doesn't want to see people in their pyjamas outside the house...and I know that's not a popular view on MN.

JustFrustrated · 20/05/2026 08:57

I just don’t find them uncomfortable? I find bigger pants uncomfortable as they sit wrong…. Or sit weirdly under my clothes.

SwatTheTwit · 20/05/2026 08:59

To each their own?? On my day to day I wear plain black underwear, but I have friends who are very, very into lingerie and wear matching lace type sets every day. If it’s how you feel good, why not? It’s no one’s business.

cheezncrackers · 20/05/2026 09:02

It's the same as anything, surely? Clothes that are comfortable, above all else, also tend to be ugly and some people don't want to wear ugly clothes - they want to look and feel nice.

thisisajoke22 · 20/05/2026 09:04

I find big pants so uncomfortable. I don't want all that extra material touching me. I've worn thongs for over 25 years and the only time I wore big pants was just after I gave birth to keep the ginormous maternity pads in place.

Additup · 20/05/2026 09:12

I wear nice/lacey/colourful/sexy underwear because it makes me feel good. It makes me feel sexy and happy. Of course I only wear underwear that I find comfortable as well.

Wearing big pants would make me feel depressed and like I'd given up on life, but if you like it then that's your perogative OP. Who am I to judge 🙂

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 20/05/2026 09:15

I miss the days when people had the imagination to answer these kind of questions for themselves.

Of course it could be trying to get this info for nefarious purposes

Agix · 20/05/2026 09:17

I don't see the point in thongs. May as well not wear any underwear. They seem just for show, no real function.

I like big pants.

MargoLivebetter · 20/05/2026 09:18

I find big pants uncomfortable. I am not in a relationship, so I definitely don't wear pants for anyone other than myself but big pants are not what I find comfortable. I also like to wear pants that sit well under my clothes and again big pants fail that test for me. I like pants that are comfortable and don't show nasty lines through the clothes you put over the top of them, so I choose my pants and all my underwear on that basis, regardless of my relationship status!

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 20/05/2026 09:21

cheezncrackers · 20/05/2026 09:02

It's the same as anything, surely? Clothes that are comfortable, above all else, also tend to be ugly and some people don't want to wear ugly clothes - they want to look and feel nice.

That is the lie that women have been fed since birth. Men don’t generally have uncomfortable clothing.

Women are encouraged to wear ridiculously uncomfortable stuff because it pleases the male gaze and we are lead to believe that comfortable = ugly.

Some people then feel they prefer uncomfortable, impractical clothing.

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 20/05/2026 09:24

CoffeeCantata · 20/05/2026 08:51

You're right, of course. I should have made it clearer I was talking about clothes in general. Heaven forbid that anyone should be exposed to my knickers!!!

But I do think that thoughtful dressing (if you have that luxurious choice) makes the world a nicer place. I've noticed that older people tend to make an effort to dress with other people in mind, and not just their own comfort.

But I'm of the school which doesn't want to see people in their pyjamas outside the house...and I know that's not a popular view on MN.

But wouldn’t the world be a better place if more people dressed for themselves instead of buying into all this crap?

That said I totally draw the line at pyjamas etc in public but that’s because it’s a skanky thing to do and instantly gives the impression that the person is filthy