Go Ahead. Look At My Panty Lines
After a two-year break from riding and a nearly four-year break from the show ring, I’m stuffing myself back into breeches. A heavy dose of adulting has me more than a couple pounds over my former show weight, but it really doesn’t matter. I’ve committed to getting back in the saddle.
I’ve set some goals, bought some bigger breeches, and am ready to begin the next chapter of my life as an equestrian.
Equestrian fashion has done some really awesome things since I left. Breeches and athletic underwear have come a long way since I was dressing in whites, but the issue of underwear lines is still the same. I can’t say for sure if these issues are magnified by my larger size (at my fighting weight I was a size 28-30, but now I’m a pleasantly plus-sized 40ish), but I certainly don’t remember seeing quite so many visible lines in my younger years.
It could also be that I’m just not willing to wear uncomfortable or *gasp* no underwear for the sake of vanity. What if my horse spooks? In that case I’ll wish I had doubled down on my most secure Granny panties. A thong just isn’t going to give me that kind of security.
Our sport seems to revolve around a certain element of aesthetic, especially in the English disciplines where tight breeches are the norm. I’ve heard my fair share of snarky comments about everything under the sun – personal appearance, horses, tack, you name it – and it’s always ugly and unnecessary. There is literally no reason to be negative about someone’s appearance, underwear lines included.
I’m almost 33 years old, and frankly I’m not willing to be uncomfortable to cover up the fact that I’m wearing underwear. Will I try to choose a pair that makes the lines less obvious? Probably. But the days of me caring if other people can see an undergarment mark on my butt while I have the time of my life loving on my horse in my happy place are long gone.
Frankly, they should be glad I’m wearing underwear at all, and I’ll take the fact that they’re looking at my butt as a compliment.