6 Excellent Reasons to Go Commando (Mommy Edition)

In our culture, there seems to be a taboo against "decent" women going without their underwear. It's viewed as inappropriate or even trashy, despite the fact that women outside Western culture have been going commando on a regular basis throughout history. Before you get caught up on all the why's of wearing underwear, take a moment to consider these why not's.

Underwear Stifles Self-Awareness

Our cultural taboo against ditching the underwear has its roots in the Judeo-Christian culture, in which menstruation is considered "unclean." If the natural rhythm that a woman's body follows is unclean, then to some extent the woman herself is "unclean." And in this line of thinking, that means that her body is something to be hidden rather than explored.

For the average woman, this leads to a diminished self-awareness of her own body, failing to tune in to the rhythms of her hormones and viewing her period as just a nuisance. At worst, some women lose the ability to feel sexual pleasure at all -- and that's more common than you might think. Of course, we can't blame panties for that; but ditching the underwear is the first symbolic step toward releasing the shame that lies beneath this phenomenon, and becoming more aware of the patterns your body naturally follows.

Underwear Loves Bacteria 

Bacteria tend to grow in warm, damp places. It's just a fact. When you go commando, there's plenty of air keeping your lady parts from becoming a breeding ground for those microscopic creatures who can wreak all sorts of havoc. But slip on a pair of cotton panties and an absorbent pantiliner, and problems ranging from bladder infections to yeast infections to unpleasant odors to itchiness start cropping up. And if you wear your undies religiously, you may not even realize just how problematic these problems are.

You Feel Cleaner Without It 

Research suggests that 25% to 45% of women have some level of urinary incontinence -- and this number includes women as young as age 18. The cultural knee-jerk reaction to this is to diagnose it, treat it with drugs if at all possible, and recommend wearing UI protection, like pantiliners or the dreaded "adult diapers." In a very few cases, these are the only measures that can be taken; for the average 20- or 30-year-old who suffers from UI after having a baby, however, losing the underwear can actually be a great motivator to solve the problem proactively rather than hiding it.

Mild UI can often be solved with the few simple measures of drinking more water, drinking less coffee and soda, and exercising lightly. Once you've kicked the undies, you can begin to tell if you're drinking enough water or if you've had too many cups of coffee, and you'll feel cleaner when the problem is resolved instead of absorbed by a pantiliner.

No Panties Means Less Laundry

Underwear don't take up that much space in the grand scheme of things, but it could add up to a whole load or two of extra laundry each week. Not to mention, folding those tiny things is a finicky job. Who wouldn't appreciate a load or two less every week, and the $50 a year you can save when you don't have to replace your old underwear every couple of months?

Your Clothes Will Fit Better

I am a long hippy-skirt wearer, and I can attest that my skirts look better without underwear lines, elastics bunched up at the waist, and random wrinkles across my butt. Underwear lines in jeans are way worse -- and with the skin-tight fashions of modernity, you could be advertising your Hanes to the world when you wrestle into those half-size-too-small jeggings. Lose the panties, and you'll lose the lines, wrinkles, and that half-size as well.

Your Lover Will Love It 

Struggling with underwear can be a real mood-killer, especially if you've just had to pause to peel those jeggings off. But even aside from sex, going commando just makes intimacy easier -- there's something of a psychological block when you know that there's a physical something in between you and your lover. There haven't been any real studies on the subject, but there's plenty of anecdotal evidence of the psychological freedom of undie-less existence out there, if you're willing to tromp through a few forums on the subject.

Going commando has some undeniable health benefits, as many experts agree. The official jury is still out on whether this advice is good for every day, or just for bedtime; but doing it all the time certainly can't hurt. As long as you wear breathable clothes that are loose enough to avoid irritating your skin, you will start to see the positive physical and psychological effects of ditching the panties.

Tune in next week to read the Going Commando Baby Edition!