College News asks if skimpy outfits automatically translate to great sex
Victoria’s Secret “Angels” strutted the runway earlier this month in the company’s annual televised fashion show, which allows the models to show off the newest lingerie lines. The show drew in 8.3 million viewers—all of whom are no doubt interested in lingerie or, more likely, the women wearing it.
Each Angel stormed the runway for just as long as the average person might keep the lingerie on in the bedroom: about two minutes. With lingerie having so little practical use in the average person’s life, does all that lace go to waste? Or are the results more than just about getting physical?
Lingerie is made to mold the female body into a desired form or to accent an hour-glass silhouette. With so many options, women can accentuate their breasts with a push-up bra while hiding their hips with a short skirt, or suck in their stomach with a laced-up corset and show off their toned legs in knee-highs and garters. And that’s only the tame stuff.
With woman strapped, pushed and sucked in, lingerie can be quite complicated. Just like the fashion show, lingerie seems to be made to gawk at and nothing else.
While the 30 eyelet corset looks really hot, the idea of ripping it off in a hurry and attempting to untangle it from the come-hither clothing could get kinkier than ever anticipated.
So what does spending an hour or more tucking yourself into the outfit, fixing your hair and make-up, and practicing those seductive poses and phrases add up to in the end?
“I am not the biggest fan of how uncomfortable [lingerie] is, or how expensive it is for the minimal use you get out of it,” said student Sagan Myers, a sentiment seconded by another student Alyssa Newcomb who said, “It stays on for such little time, it’s really not worth it.”
Worth—an interesting word to apply to the lingerie dilemma. While on the body, lingerie is only appreciated for two minutes (give or take). Then, in a moment’s notice, the $65 you spent is lying on the floor in a crumble. And yet, the results of dressing up just to take it off linger much longer than just a mere moment of passion.
“[Lingerie] makes for good foreplay and gives you confidence. I believe every girl should have at least some lingerie!” said lingerie lover and student, Liv Burke.
In other words, the motto “Dress for Success” applies more places than just a job interview. Lingerie, like the work “power suit,” can be just as influential in a sex-situation.
Confidence, as Burke mentioned, may be the number one problem for many women in the bedroom and a hang-up for exploring more of her sexual desires and needs. Through envisioning her body positively, achieving these desires will be beneficial for both partners.
Empowerment through sexual attire, including lingerie, is a dilemma third-wave feminists have long attacked. However, as writer Kate Taylor explains in the article “Today’s Ultimate Feminists are the Chicks in Crop Tops” for The Guardian, women use lingerie and sexy clothes to feel better about their body.
These women should not be chastised anymore than women who spend time in a gym to get those Michelle Obama arms. Confidence is confidence, no matter how it is packaged.
Do skimpy lace and six-inch heels make the physical experience of sex better? Maybe, maybe not. But the image your partner has of you when they come home after a long day of classes or work might not slip their mind anytime soon…nor will you forget the look on their face when they walk through the door.