One year, deep in the throes of some emotional complex about femininity, I wore dresses all summer. At the time, I had no car, and walked several miles a day. At the time, I also had (and still have) a rather meaty physique. That, plus heat and humidity, plus all the walking, equaled one of the most foul, painful chronic rashes I have ever seen or suffered. Just horrible.
But they are making such nice dresses these days! What to do? I was so pleased to discover that I’m not some kind of extra-damp freak of nature, and that lots of women have a hard time dealing with thigh chafing under those pretty skirts that everyone claims are so light and airy.
Here are a few solutions people have recommended. I haven’t bought anything yet, so I can’t personally vouch for any of these products, but they look promising. Note: these aren’t supposed to make you look skinnier — they’re just for cutting down on chafing.
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Here’s the most minimal. It comes in lace, but I’m leaning toward the plain ones: Bandalettes – about $12-$16
Most reviewers say they don’t slip around. This looks like the lightest option, as long as that thigh spot is the only spot that gets chafed.
Lots of VERY VERY BEAUTIFUL WOMEN manage to chafe in other spots, too, though. For that situation,
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Skimmies seem popular. About $20, These are actual underwear — again, not for tummy control, but to prevent chafing. The waist sits just on or below the belly button. Here is a version with moisture-wicking fabric, for those of us flowers who are extra dewey:
A few commenters complained that, while these stay in place well, the crotch isn’t ventilated well enough. If you’re prone to yeastie beasties, this might not be a good option.
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Vermont Country Store offers mid-thigh cotton panties, about $23 -$27
which would be more breathable, but probably won’t stay in place as well as the ones with lycra and such. They appear to hit higher on the waist.
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Mainly because I’m a sucker for a clever name, here’s a company called Thigh Society(ha!), which sells nothing but anti-chafing panty shorts:
They are $39 and are currently not in my size, which is “shut up I just had a baby,” but they look promising.
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One more option: Undersummers Shortlettes slip shorts, about $32:
These appeal to me mainly because the model looks like she only does sit ups when she damn well feels like it.
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There are also dozens of variations made with more fabric — bloomer-style short pants, pettipants, divided slips, gaucho pants, etc. I, for one, am hoping to find something with as little material as possible, to preserve the impression that I’m just wearing underwear like a normal human being.
Whatcha got, chaferoos? Have you had any luck with any of these products, or with something else?
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(You’ll note that most of these links are to Amazon products. That’s because I’m an Amazon Associate. If you arrive at Amazon by using one of my links, then I get a percentage of the price of whatever you buy — even if it’s not something I originally linked to. These bits and pieces add up tremendously, and help us keeping our big family afloat!
Here is a general Amazon page with my code embedded. If you would care to bookmark it, you could use this link every time you shop at Amazon. Thanks!)