GIRL, LOVE YOURSELF!

I WAS driving home the other day and couldn’t believe my eyes just as I parked outside our gate.

From my rear view mirror, I could see a guy and a girl – they looked cosy and I concluded in my mind they were probably a couple. It’s how the girl was dressed that I couldn’t get over. It was around 5PM and she had a towel wrapped around her waist, she wore an old light brown pair of pantyhose on her head and a clumsy white T-shirt.

I sat in the car for an extra minute as I got over the shock but before long, I was asking myself 21 questions as they walked down the road together. Where on earth was she going dressed like she just woke up? Had she even taken a bath? If she had, why was she still in her towel and sleep headgear at 5PM and strutting the streets like it’s nothing?

Was that her boyfriend and if it was, wouldn’t she like for him to see her dressed in some decent clothes with her hair combed? Here I was asking myself all these questions with no one to answer them. I watched in awe as they slowly walked down the road but purposed in my heart to never be the woman who gets out of the house let alone the yard after 12 noon still in my nighties and sleeping head gear.

I’ve seen in some neighbourhoods, women walking all the way to the shops to buy bread and milk in their nighties and I’ve often wondered how a woman who loves herself can do this. Some often say, “It’s just the shops, what’s the big deal?” Yes, they’re just shops but you have a reputation to maintain. Imagine the people you might just meet while you’re out there with a stocking on your head.

With some women, they may not necessarily get out of the yard in their nighties but they keep them on for way too long. At 2PM visitors come to your house and find you still in your pyjamas! Unless you’re sick and bedridden, there’s no excuse for you to still be in your nighties after 10AM and you still haven’t taken a bath. Taking a bath and getting into a decent set of clothes should be one of the first things you do even when you have nowhere to go. 

I remember when we were kids, taking a bath was such an occasion you wouldn’t bath unless you were going somewhere. My brother and I played outside a lot and wouldn’t get into the house unless our mother summoned us to eat or to take a bath. If bath time came up before 4.30PM, we would need to know why we were bathing. There must have been a destination requiring us to wear “town clothes” if we had to bath during the day on a school holiday.

This should never be you. A grown woman who loves herself will always make sure she’s cleaned up and well put together even if she’s got nowhere to go. Your spouse can’t even tell you you stink and need to take a shower because they love you too much and don’t want to hurt your feelings. Save them the hassle and do the right thing. Even when you’ve showered, being at home doesn’t give you the ticket to dress anyhow. Of course you won’t wear your Steve Madden heels and Levi’s jeans but do pick a decent set of clothes – nothing with holes or unsightly for anyone who might visit you. I know you’ll be at home and want to feel comfortable but comfort doesn’t mean you wear trash.

Invest in pretty “home” clothes like cotton T-shirts, shorts and airy dresses that will let you live. They’ll be comfortable and roomy but also give you that fresh “chillas” look when you get unexpected visitors. Nothing is as embarrassing as needing to shower or get a change of clothes while your visitors sit in the lounge waiting for you. Imagine that untamed hair being what someone experiences when they come to visit you. Surely, slay queens also keep it on a style low when they’re at home.

Maybe Zodwa just doesn't like visible panty lines...

Zodwa Wabantu

It’s amazing how whether or not one woman steps out of the house wearing a panty has been on the national agenda. South African entertainer Zodwa Wabantu has been all over the news because the government doesn’t want her to perform panty-less at the ongoing Harare International Carnival.

 

I’ve been trying to think how she became so popular in the country to begin with and now we’re so worried about whether or not she wears panties. It must have been her appearance at Durban July, South Africa’s premium horse racing event that really got people talking.

She wore a red dress with slits running all the way up to her waist. The bulk of her legs were bare for everyone to see but it was one curious journalist, I assume, who brought our attention to her undergarments. There was no way she could’ve been wearing lingerie under that dress otherwise we would’ve seen the seams of the panties at least. Her biggest mistake was probably then blatantly saying she doesn’t wear underwear at all. 

 

I think her reason was that she doesn’t like it or something. But we’ve also never verified if indeed she doesn’t wear underwear. No one has ever seen for sure that she doesn’t. She just said she didn’t and people’s imaginations ran wild. I’ve seen a couple of her pictures and videos and to be honest, she’s just a woman living her life probably with French knickers on for all we know! 

Maybe it’s such a big deal whether or not she wears undergarments because she’s become a celebrity of sorts but women go panty-less all the time. I’m not one of them who could walk out of the house with no undergarments but it’s actually more common than we think. And it’s simply because someone doesn’t want visible panty lines. These can be really distracting and I honestly understand why one would want to get rid of the panties all together. 

Visible panty lines can kill your vibe and you really don’t want the whole world seeing what underwear you have on. I know there are seamless panties, G-strings and all sorts of underwear that can help eliminate visible panty lines but these don’t always work. Well, they may work but like me, maybe a G-string is not your thing. I’d rather walk around with visible panty lines than wear a G-string! Hey, don’t judge me – comfort over everything.

Just the other day, a friend of mine was complaining about how the material of her dress showed every crevice of her body. The dress was pretty but it needed some smart underwear to be flawless. So she decided to wear her pantyhose panty-less and guess what, no one would have ever known she wasn’t wearing panties unless she said it herself. 

The visible panty line struggle is real. Sometimes you don’t even realise its showing. But it’s no excuse; you absolutely need to make sure your bottom is seamless before you step out of the house. You could put together the perfect outfit but it’ll all be ruined when you realise that your panty lines are visible through your clothes. Even though it happens to every woman out there, you should aim to avoid them as often as you can. It’s not that hard to do, as long as you know what causes them.

You can avoid those pesky panty lines we all hate by buying seamless underwear. It helps wearing thicker fabrics with more texture which help mask whatever lumps and lines might be lurking underneath. You could try layering with tights or pantyhose. A thin pair of tights or pantyhose should smooth out any lines you might have and they won’t add any bulk to your look.

There’s a reason professional stylists use G-strings exclusively. They might not be as comfortable as good old granny panties but they work. G-strings are not as bad as long as they’re not too tight and they’re not peeping through your waistline from the back. That’s just the worst! If you’ve ever been on a commuter omnibus, you’ve come across a woman sitting in front of you with a peeping G-string.

It gets worse when she attempts to get off the kombi or make room for someone else to drop off. Make sure that person is never you by ensuring your G-string isn’t out there for everyone to see! If thongs just aren’t your thing, try boyshorts. They go under the butt cheek instead of cutting across it. A little lace is also good for making the lines less abrupt and not so noticeable. Just make sure it’s a flat lace so it doesn’t look lumpy under tight clothes.

You could also get shapewear, which are great for seamlessly smoothing everything out. Whatever your choice of outfit, save yourself and the people you’ll encounter some visible panty line drama!