All the rage

[radegund]

My sister told me something yesterday that sounded depressingly plausible: apparently, the latest fashion among young teenage girls in Ireland (and quite possibly elsewhere) is to wear their knickers around their wrists.

Their knickers.

Around their wrists.

Yes, we agreed, generations of teenagers have done their best to shock their elders, and therefore this fits into a long and honourable tradition. But still. It's an unedifying little vignette in the endless, maddening performance of femininity, and I feel like a captive audience member.

Or am I wrong, and is this in fact a bold, sex-positive, ironic statement of twenty-first-century emancipation? What do you think?

Comments

[chiller.livejournal.com]

Nope, it's just tragic sex-object behaviour. But I'm starting to conclude that most women need to go through that.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

In this society, sure, they "need" to. But wouldn't it be nice if they didn't. You know, just like most boys don't.

[chiller.livejournal.com]

Boys go through tragic sex object behaviour most of their lives. It's just not the same model of tragic behaviour so we tune it out (while the banking systems collapse, bombs go off around us and so on).

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

I'm interested in what you see as "tragic sex object behaviour" on the part of boys and men, but would like to make it clear that I am not interested in getting into a "more oppressed than thou" competition.

Could you please give me some examples?

[l33tminion]

Both, I'm sure.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

I'm sure some of them _think_ they're being ironic, bold, sex-positive etc, but how many of them have the context for which that's actually true?

As for shocking the elders, they appear to be doing a decent job of that.

[radegund.livejournal.com]

As for shocking the elders, they appear to be doing a decent job of that.

Well, indeed! But I wish the means were less tediously patriarchal. Or something.

[sshi.livejournal.com]

I suspect that there is some sort of similar logic to the daytime pajama wearing going on - you have one lot for show and another lot actually carrying out their intended function. I think it's going way overboard as an interpretation of 'we're positive about sex', mind you...

[ailbhe]

My sister used to have knickers under her showing-above-her-trouser-waistband knickers. I do wish I'd seen the pyjama thing because I heard about it and I've never seen it.

[sshi.livejournal.com]

The problem with getting photographic evidence is that I'd rather not be hanging around Donaghmede and North Strand, photographing young ladies with a long lens without a damn good excuse. I must see if any of the fashion history students might be on for doing it - we had a really good essay about the White Ladies last year and this isn't a million miles away as a topic. There was an Irish Times article about the Pyjama People sometime last year, I think.

[ailbhe]

See under "what was I arrested for?" meme...

I did read about the pyjama people and my baby sister told me about it but I never saw it.

[buzzy-bee.livejournal.com]

I saw it somewhere, but I can't remember where.

[biascut.livejournal.com]

I have a vague feeling that I have heard it before, a few years ago, when all the panic was about thongs. I'd definitely refrain from commenting until I'd heard it from a teenage girl!

[sshi.livejournal.com]

*considers asking first years*
They're certainly in the right southside disco demographic, anyway...

[radegund.livejournal.com]

Please report back if you do! :-)

[yiskah.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am similarly suspicious. It just sounds so...unlikely.

[radegund.livejournal.com]

It does tick the "urban myth" boxes, all right, since I'm saying to you, "my sister's friend's little sister told my sister...". But as I said, it sounds depressingly plausible to me. I'll keep an eye out for confirmation :-)

[syleth.livejournal.com]

My sister reported it nearly 8 years ago from teen discos in Dublin (which she attended a few times). The suggested idea was that since these discos are "patrolled" by responsible adults, ladies would appear more attractive if they displayed that they were wearning no knickers and therefore were readily accessable for quick sex when a short window of opportunity presented itself.

So yes, sadly true, and horrifying.

[radegund.livejournal.com]

Oh, I hope it's rare! (And in my matronly way, I hope they're wearing an extra pair in ... um ... the usual place, so they don't Catch Their Deaths™.) But god, this sort of story inclines me to feel relieved I have boys. Which is yucky.

[barsine.livejournal.com]

Is it definitely true? I've heard things like this about certain Dublin Southside discos for about ten years. It COULD be true, but there were always rumours about the North Dublin disco I went to that actually weren't true at all, or at least were rare occurences.

[radegund.livejournal.com]

It could be rare, all right. But it does seem to have a certain degree of corroboration (see syleth's comment above: her sister noticed it).