Panty lines are a foreseen problem coming from wearing panties under tight leggings. And while some people think of underwear as sexy panty lines, for others, it is an unpleasant occurrence that draws unwanted attention.
If you want to learn how to get rid of underwear lines, we recommend you stay with us and use the tips we include in this article. We will name the things that promote the panty line show.
What are panty lines?
Panty lines, or as people call them, VPLs, are the unpleasant lines made by the underwear on your clothes, especially on leggings. Sometimes clearly visible, other times just enough to draw unwanted attention, and panty lines are unflattering. They make outlines of your undergarments and make your clothes look distorted while giving your bum indentations and folds.
Even though panties lines are not anything out of the ordinary, and sometimes even impossible to completely conceal, some women don’t like them drawing unwanted attention.
Aside from the visual negative consequences of panty lines, they might also cause:
- discomfort on your crotch
- irritation or rashing on the skin
- swelling of the crotch area
Having panties visible underneath your leggings can also make your outfit “messy,” distracting for the wrong reason, and confidence degrading. As we said, panty lines leggings are completely natural, and there isn’t anything fundamentally wrong with pantie lines. But if you are the type who wants to go for impeccable smoothness beneath your clothes, then stay with us and find the best ways to prevent pantie lines.
What causes panty lines on leggings?
Panty lines are primarily caused by your underwear. Usually, your undies will show under your pants, especially if they are lightweight or pretty tight.
How much your pantie lines will show depends on a couple of things, like inappropriate underwear size, the thickness of the material of your undies, and the seams they have. Furthermore, visible panty lines might happen due to the thickness of the leggings you wear and their material.
Inappropriate underwear size
If your underwear is big, they might leave a panty line. If you wear tight leggings over oversized panties, the panties’ material will fold or bulge in some places, like the seams or the middle. This will cause lines all over your butt, a sort that is similar to badly tucked clothes.
If your undies are small, their seams or elastics might press your butt and make noticeable indentations. Elastic is the number one cause of panty lines, and that’s a fact. To save on materials, some factories use less elastic than they should for an appropriate fit. So, if you have a visible panties line, you might have bought undies from some of these companies.
If you want to eliminate this option, you can either go for better-made pairs of undies or get them in one size bigger than what you usually wear. Your underwear should not squeeze you on your thighs, crotch, or hips.
Thick materials
You might already know that cotton is the best material for underwear. It’s highly breathable and absorbent, while it stays soft and comfortable on your skin. But cotton undies do have one big disadvantage – they have thick seams. These seams can be easily seen through tight yoga pants.
So, cotton undergarments are perfect panties in jeans, linen pants, denim shorts, or dresses, but they are not suitable for leggings.
Thick seams
Underwear with thick seams tends to be more fixated against your skin and prevent misplacement or uncomfortable wear. If they are the right size, that is. If they are small, you might feel pressure on your thighs and hips. But, no matter how comfy they are when worn with trousers, they can cause panties to outline on leggings.
Some underpants also have decorative seams at the lines. Yes, they might look cute and decorative, but those panty lines in yoga pants will make the panties visible and will draw attention.
Type of leggings
Even if your undies are the right size, they aren’t very thick and have soft seams, your panty lines might be visible if your leggings allow that. For example, leggings made from bright materials are more likely to show panty lines, even if the panties are as they should.
Also, if your leggings are see-through and made from a very light material, the lines can be visible due to inappropriate coverage of the leggings.
To fix the problem of your visible panty lines due to inappropriate leggings, you can either go “commando” and not wear leggings at all, or you can find yourself better leggings.
In the next sections, we will propose multiple ways to solve the VPL’s and we will give you tips to help you solve this problem.
How to prevent panty lines from showing on your leggings?
We’ve been through the reasons for visible panty lines in leggings. Now, it’s time to find suitable ways to prevent them. In the following sections, we will present you with some of the best ways to prevent yoga pants VPL.
Choose the right underwear size
The easiest way to prevent panty lines from ever showing on any of your clothes, including VPL in jeans, is to own the right underwear size.
Most women stick to a certain underwear size when buying undies, but they often forget that some manufacturers don’t follow national (or international) standards for size. And, since one size up or down from the one appropriate is still “good enough,” women tend to just continue to use the undies they already have. But, inappropriate underwear size will cause a legging panty line and a panty line on almost all of your other clothes.
Wear Thongs
Thongs are a great way to prevent panty lines in leggings from showing. Most women report that they are comfortable and quite confidence-enhancing. Plus, contrary to some people’s opinion, thong lines don’t provoke rashes or infections.
If you opt for a thong, you have three styles to choose from:
- the traditional thong – has a wide enough waistband for support, gives full coverage on the front, and has a strip panty behind.
- the samba thong – is a mix of regular panties at the top combined with a traditional thong outline on the butt cheeks. They can be very useful to prevent visible panty lines and compliment your buttcheeks under the leggings.
- the g-string thong – has a thin strip both at the waistband and the fabric between the cheeks.
If using this kind of panty, you should be careful about the seams and visible thong lines. Even though the thong liners are thin, they might be reinforced with seams to secure the fabric. If that’s the case, you might once again end up with a thong panty line instead of the traditional undergarment lines.
Wear Seamless panties
Another underwear that does not show lines is seamless panties. The good thing about seamless panties is that they don’t have seams around the edges, which makes them discrete yet pleasant.
Seamless panties have the same coverage, moisture absorption, and level of comfort as regular panties, and they are a great fit for working out or yoga practice. Furthermore, these no panty lines panties are much more comfortable than thongs and offer greater coverage.
Wear Body Shorts
Boyshorts can be another great way to conceal leggings and panty lines. They are long enough not to make a cut across your buttcheeks and short enough not to show on your thighs.
If you have the appropriate size of body shorts (or boyshorts), they will end just at the lower part of your butt cheeks, making them the least visible. Furthermore, they might even enhance the look of your behind since they will cut right beneath your cheeks, making them well-defined.
You can get seamless boy shorts, one of the best options for girls who don’t like thongs or regular seamless undies. Another great plus of owning boy shorts is that you can use them as your primal panty leggings outfit during hot summer days when full-length leggings cause too much sweating.
Use Undergarments
Undergarments are a known friend of women. They are shaping underwear whose purpose is to conceal any unneeded skin or body fat and tighten the contour.
There are generally three types of power panties – ones that tighten the upper body and the torso, cover the waist and legs and do both.
If you want to cover your panty line in leggings, you should opt for ones that cover the legs, but you can choose whatever option you’re comfortable with.
Even though undergarments are great during colder weather, they might be too much to wear during hot summer yoga practice in leggings.
Don’t use any underwear
For some people, going “commando,” i.e., not wearing any underwear, is the best way to prevent panty lines. As you might suggest, not having any underwear is the best way to prevent underwear lines from showing.
Some people love it, while others hate it. If you decide to wear leggings with no underwear, or at least try to see if you like it, you need to keep a few things in mind. First and foremost, ensure that the leggings you wear are just coming out of the dryer and that you haven’t worn them before. Next, make sure that you only wear those leggings once before putting them in the washing machine for a cycle. Last, but not least, ensure that you also go in for regular showers throughout the day to prevent bacteria from staying on for too long.
Avoid unfitting yoga pants
Your yoga pants may be the reason behind the leggings panty lines and not your underwear. You might have chosen very light yoga pants that are see-through or became see-through after a few washes.
Other times, your VPL yoga pants might have too low of a rise (also called a low waist), so they continuously roll, slide or fold as you move through your day or your practice. To avoid this problem, make sure that you buy medium or high-waist leggings since they tend to stay put even during complex asanas.
Cover leggings panty line with other clothing
If none of these options seems appealing to you, you still have the chance to fix the problem the old-fashioned way. That is to cover your butt with another piece of clothing, most often a longer shirt over your leggings.
For most women, this is not a long-term solution, but if you don’t have any other option, this might help you solve the problem this one time.
What to look for in underwear to prevent panty lines?
If you want to find the best underwear to stop panty line leggings, we recommend you make a smart decision the next time you buy underwear. These are the things to look for:
Right fit
You can calculate the right fit for you by identifying a pair of your panties that make visible lines when worn and buying one size up from them. But, there are still chances of buying yet another wrong size since not all manufacturers follow the same sizing standards.
The better way to find the right underwear size for you is to measure your circumference. Do so by using a soft tape measure and wrapping it around your waist, where the pants usually stay when worn. The number you get, in inches, is the appropriate underwear size for you. Briefs, bikinis, and thongs should fit comfortably but not tightly. They shouldn’t leave imprints on your skin.
If you are between sizes, opt for the smaller one, but make sure that the difference is not considerable. You might end up with another pair of visible panties if it is.
Right fabrics
The best materials for tight-fitting leggings are, without a doubt, synthetic ones. Even though synthetic materials make it harder for your skin to breathe, they are good against panty lines. Since they have raw, unseamed edges and don’t have elastics on the sides, they can lay nicely on your skin and prevent any panty lines.
If you are worried about not having enough breathability and moisture absorbance, we recommend using your synthetic underwear only when you wear your leggings. You can still opt for cotton fabric undies for other clothes.
Right seams
If you want your yoga pants to be panty lines free, you should opt for underwear that doesn’t have any elastics or seams at the edges.
If they do, note the thickness of the seams and make sure that they aren’t too thick. Lastly, there is the option of lace-reinforced seams.
Even though this type of panties is primarily decorative, the lace might give just the right transitioning from the seam to your skin, so the lines that the panties make are not visible.
What to look for in leggings to prevent panty lines?
Choosing your undies wisely will help prevent panty lines on leggings. But you can also adapt your leggings and choose the appropriate ones to minimize showing underwear lines.
Yoga pants design
Hundreds, if not millions, of different yoga pants manufacturers try to leave their innovative print on their line of yoga pants.
But, not all yoga pants are equal, and naturally, the design of the leggings can determent if you have panty-line yoga pants. To minimize leggings VPL, we recommend going for yoga pants that:
- are a good fit for you
- have high-waist
- have a thick enough material
- are not see-through
Material thickness
Some yoga leggings are more prone to visible panty lines than others. One thing that really sets them apart is their thickness.
Thin yoga pants are more prone to showing panty lines and even the color of your panties. Too thick leggings might restrict your movement and make you sweaty. So, balance is the way to go! If you want to prevent panty lines in yoga pants, choose leggings that are medium-thick, have 4-way stretch technology, have enough compression, are squat-proof, and are made from quality materials.
Material patterns
One way to ensure that your legging underwear line is concealed is to choose the material pattern. Colorful yoga pants with different prints or applications are a great way to ensure that even if you have a panty line, it will not be easily visible and it is good for yoga pant camel toe.
So, go for checkered prints, leopard prints, abstract art prints, polka-dotted prints, or anything colorful you like.
FAQs
How do you wear leggings to avoid panty lines?
If you want to prevent panty lines yoga pants, wear your leggings with no underwear, wear thongs, boy shorts, and seamless panties, or use undergarments to conceal the panty lines.
How do I get rid of panty lines on my waist?
If you want to eliminate the panty lines on your waist, choose an appropriate underwear size or wear undergarments. Most of the time, the line on your waist is done by leggings or panties that are too tight.
What’s the simplest way to remove panty lines?
Depending on your preference, there are three most straightforward solutions for yoga pants panty lines- don’t wear any underwear, wear a thong or wear seamless panties.
Conclusion
Visible panty lines are neither good nor bad. They are natural, and while some love them, others hate them. If you are in the second group of people that considers pants with lines in them a drawback to your look, then use the tips we provided in this article to help you eliminate leggings panty lines, or cover them.
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