<![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets - Jezebel Comments]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets - Jezebel Comments]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @Maulleigh: I was the same way in junior high and high school. All about being girly and making sure that my bangs were high and sprayed to hell.

Now, I rarely bother with make-up, and my hair is very low-maintenance.

@warmaiden: I love cheeky panties and boy-shorts. (Torrid has Hello Kitty cheeky panties, which really made my day!)

scarletvirtue

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Good lord. The term 'breast buds' makes me cringe because when I was about 11, I was watching a movie with my family, and went to scratch an itch on my chest, and noticed a hard bump under my nipple.
I was totally freaked out and discreetly asked my mom to come in the bathroom with me to check it out.
After she explained it to me, I was relieved, and kind of excited. Until she announced to my brothers and dad that "Molly's just got her breat buds, she's okay!"

Mortifying.

franceshasbeen

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @MGB: This is true. I have been buying vintage slips for years and hang out in them all the time, especially in the hot summer months. Very "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and I thnk it confuses my children, but it has always been a hit with the men in my life.

Trixie from Toronto

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> If you want a decent slip, go vintage. They're made of nicer, prettier, more slippy material and are way prettier than new slips. Department store-type slips are a waste of time, ugly and cheap-feeling.

You can find vintage slips on eBay, or search "vintage slips" on Google. Failing that, try a thrift store. It's not as jank as it sounds -- many of them were rarely or never worn anyway.

I have full and half slips in red, blue, coral, pink, green -- and I wear them to bed, as dresses and skirts and under almost everything. I love them and highly recommend them.

MGB

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> 13 is high school age so I don't see whats wrong with push up bras and thongs starting then.. I wore thongs to prevent the VPL and its not like anyone could see them. I was also dressed quite conservatively compared to most high school girls :o

Rabmonk006

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @thegreatladies: It's cool. I know my job is kinda fucker. I don't take seriously.

The HZA.

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> When you have a job and can afford to buy your own fancy panties, go ahead. Until then, my daughter (eventual daughter, I guess) will wear something decent that covers her ass and girly bits better than some string.

warmaiden

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Thongs: not made for short chicks with wide waists. I lost the panty line, and ended up being strangled to death width-wise. No thongs for this chunky chick, but I do love me some cheeky panties...

warmaiden

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @ArmCandy: I agree. And I want proof that all 13 year olds who wear thongs are also giving blowjobs. And by proof, I don't mean anecdote.

lisas

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> OK, since when is it en vogue to want a padded bra at age 10? I held off as long as I could! Finally, when I was down to, like, 4 shirts that I could wear without 'them' poking through, I caved and started wearing a training bra. So itchy! So uncomfortable! Did not want!

I also didn't purchase first thong until age 21. Very handy for avoiding panty lines, though.

ForeverBlueGirl

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Ugh...when I was 12, I was already a D-cup and my mom would laugh at me when we'd go shopping and she'd buy a 'bralette' for her less than A-cups. In spite of buying all of my own clothes for years, I only ventured into thong territory when I was a sr in high school because I had fitted khaki capris with NO back pockets and the panty lines would have been attrocious.

I like thongs now. But that is just because I've recently gotten away from being Ms. Commando. But I'm weird and only wear thongs or boyshorts and my undies ALWAYS match my bra due to an ex who told me only whores wore non-matching bras/undies.

SpaghettiStreetwalker

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @avidreader:
That reminds me of the time I had to go to Wal-Mart for a new showerhead or something boring like that, and on the way through the store I passed a rack of underwear that appeared to be for preteens that read "Daddy's Little Girl" on the back. Ugh. So disturbing.

unshine

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @anndog224: True true. Lemurs are those great little monkeys.

Oh, Friday.

thegreatladies

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @andBegorrah:
Hah! I always wondered if she took it in a bag or something to Cam's house or she ha it tucked into those big shorts of hers.

Panda-Attack

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @the greatladies

I think you meant "lemmings"

anndog224

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Assuming that this 13-year-old is like most other 13-year-olds in this day and time, you can bet your ass she's buying the thong to show someone, not because it will make her so much more comfortable. I mean, have you seen early teens nowadays? Low cut tops, padded bras, 6 inch heels, and yes, ultra-low rise pants to showcase what? THONGS. When my future daughter can explain to me with good reason the practicality behind a thong and why it would make her life easier, than she can wear one. At 13, you're learning about pronouns, for christ's sake. Most 13 year old's cant even SPELL practicality.

OhButOfCourse

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Y'know what's so interesting about this? My sister and I were total girly girls in Junior High and her in highschool. We read Teen and Seventeen and bought all sorts of beauty products and bras and stuff. I wore high heels to church.

Now, both of us could give two sh*ts about that stuff.

I guess my point is: being a kid sucks ass and all you want to do is be an adult.

Maulleigh

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @lolkate: That's what I thought but HeatherNumber1: confused me.

TwiceShy

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @ArmCandy: Oh, OK. Understood.

SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @TwiceShy:

pretty sure "buds" is how the medical community refers to the early phases of breast development.

lolkate

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> I missed the part where "buds" means panties. Or did I?

TwiceShy

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @SarahMC:

Me neither! It was Wal-mart 3-packs for me.

collegecallgirl

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Some Slip Links for the Ladies:

[www.anthropologie.com]

[www.barenecessities.com]


www.vintageslips.com


lynneboston

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @SarahMC: I really am sorry if you misunderstood, but the "Skinny/Pretty/Different opinion? Fuck you!" was in relation to a regular Jezebel tag, and I was definitely not saying that directed at you.

Also, the thong question was for a 13-year-old, not a 10-year-old, and while it may not seem like a big difference, I was in high school at that age. That's old enough for a girl to understand her choices in underwear, and you absolutely cannot assume that just because she prefers to wear a certain kind, she is being trampy and trying to attract boys.

@thegreatladies: You make a valid point, and I definitely understand your concern. My defensiveness is because as I said, I chose thongs at 13 because I found them comfortable and didn't like panty lines, and I most certainly didn't fit into some of these other stereotypes.

ArmCandy

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @petuniacat: I found a bunch of great slips randomly at an Anthropologie store. Sure they were insanely overpriced but I've had all three for at least 2 years now and they still look perfect. The material is amazing and they have adorable feminine touches without being skanky...

lynneboston

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @doxastic: You just described me - except I was in 5th grade when the underwires started happening. Le sigh.

hellodarling!

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> And no, pre-teens should NOT be allowed to make up their own minds. They're children. Not women. Their parents are not oppressing them by restricting their dress a bit. That's their fucking job, and many of them should be FIRED!

SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Another thing: my mother would NEVER have dropped money on VS underwear for me. It's expensive! I got Jockey on sale and I was fine with it.

SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @serreca: Kind of the same difference between my sis and me. She's only four years my junior, but she was a little faster than me. Not much, but a little.

Sheesh. I still played with Barbies and rode my bike when I was 12. And I thank my mom for that ALL the time.

@heathermylove: Please don't take my VS rants personally.

@doxastic: commando under jeans has always been my fave.

@ArmCandy: I'm all for making up your own mind. Even if that means you choose to wear thongs or whatever at any age. I think the big problem is so many girls are making their choices without the benefit of all the information. If you can be honest with your daughter/sister whomever and arm them with knowledge, then sure, celebrate and encourage their choices. But I feel like we're watching these girls follow each other over the cliff like lemurs or something.

thegreatladies

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Just to add in my two cents, Body by Victoria and Cosabella are the only thongs I've ever found comfy. Like, seriously comfy. As in - you forget you're wearing undies. Wheee!

hellodarling!

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> I, on the other hand, was incredibly shy and modest and covered myself up head to toe, and that included granny panties. My mom used to buy me sexy silk undies for Christmas every year in high school and put them in my Christmas stocking, just to embarass me. Now she does the same thing to my niece, who is 17 and is too embarassed to even go into the VS store in the mall. Modesty is apparently genetic.

Snakeophelia

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @SarahMC: Amen. Maybe I was a teen/tween freak, but I would have died of embarrassment had any member of my family who happened to be doing the laundry have to wash a "sexy" undergarment like a thong or lacy bra.

But I hate thongs anyway. To me, the whole object of underwear is to stay out of my ass crack. I'd rather go commando than wear the one thong I own.

funnyface

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @ArmCandy: Fuck me? No thanks. How would a 10 y/o KNOW she "prefers" thongs if she's never worn one before? The reason she wants a thong is so the other trampy tweens will like her and to attract boys (who will then demand bj's). A 10 y/o is not supposed to be sexy. Strong and independent, yes, but not independent from her parents, who are the ones buying her undergarments.

SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @petuniacat: Yeah. Too bad my Grandma moved to a condo and got rid of all her old things...
One of those starlet wanna-be-fashion-designers should do something useful for a change and start up a line of slips n stuff.

TheGintheCity

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @serreca: word. the slip is key.

doxastic

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @petuniacat: &@SarahMC: That seems like quite a stretch to me. Just because slutty girls may prefer thongs doesn't mean that a girl who prefers thongs is necessarily a slut.

What happened to the Jezebel voices for strong, sexy, independent females who can make up their own minds? Or is it just Skinny/Pretty/Different opinion? Fuck you!

ArmCandy

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @TheGintheCity: I think what we need to do is to take a joint trip back in time...maybe 25 years back? I'm thinking we're out of luck trying to find them in this century.

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Was anyone else completely confused by that silk teddy Mia Sara was wearing in the jacuzzi in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"? Lingerie under your clothes in high school, people. What, was she Alexis Carrington's long-lost daughter?

andBegorrah

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @petuniacat: I'm totally with you on the slips. I usually have luck at thrift stores. Also, if you're in a city with a Chinatown, there are usually garment stores there with inexpensive silk slips and nighties.

BarnOwl

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @optical_allusion: @petuniacat: Word ladies. I have one of those cute cream croched dresses and all I wanted was a sweet, plain nude slip (like the Carrie Bradshaw "Naked Dress"). Couldn't find one ANYWHERE (not even Calvin Klein) and had to go with one of those bodyslimmer things. So uncomfortable, rides up, and cuts of the circulation in my thighs.
Where where where can I find a normal slip!?

TheGintheCity

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @serreca: "I didn't date or have sex until college, didn't wear thongs til college, didn't drink til college"
Me either. I was a breeze for my parents.

SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> p.s., thank god there is a big commando contingent out there. i thought i was just pervy and gross for preferring to be bare.

doxastic

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> I work at Victoria's Secret and it really hurts me when mothers and grandmothers even bring their girlie in for a push up bra and she is 10. They think they are treating them to something special, but buying a first bra at VS is so not cool. I usually say we don't run in girl's sizes. But some mothers don't care and ask about inserts.

My first bra came from Lamonts or something like that. There was no big deal, it was just a plain cotton Jockey bra to cover me so I could pretend to be adult.

The HZA.

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @thegreatladies: Oh I'm not a parent, but I do feel a very maternal instinct toward my little sis, since she was born when I was 12 and I did a lot of babysitting/mentoring/crisis-intervention-when-she-didn't-want....

My parents were great with me. I didn't date or have sex until college, didn't wear thongs til college, didn't drink til college... my little sister, though? They are just really struggling with her and I find it hard to believe that it's just because she and I are *that* different. It's also the environment she's been brought up in (not home environment, but media/friends/etc. - for example she lurrrrves Britney Spears - scary, I know).

But yeah she wanted to wear thongs since she was 12, maybe sooner. I know she has a few now but I don't know when she started wearing/buying them. She must buy them with her birthday money or something.

serreca

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @hypnotic: preach on. i am, erm, busty...and at 12 i wanted to just have a training bra like my friends. mom marched me out to get bras with underwires, but they were uncomfortable and weird as far as i was concerned. sadly mom then pointed out that i had boob stretch-marks and needed to treat my girls better.

you know what feels worse than being the 12-year-old flatchested girl? being the modest and embarrassed 12 year old b-cup on her way to a d.

doxastic

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> I am pretty sure that at age 10, I was still wearing Wonderwoman Underoos.

polypam

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @lisas: A blow-job is step 2.

SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @thegreatladies: I have fallen head over heels in love with Natori underwear. Very comfortable, and sexy in a subtle way. I find it on sale at Macys or at TJ Maxx.

I'm with you - I can't go into a VS anymore without being nauseated by the combination of their cheap perfume and equally cheap sleazy sorority girl underwear.

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @serreca: I know. I'm probably wagging fingers since I don't have children yet. I'm afraid of the media, too. In fact, I think mainstream journalism is the root cause of many of the problems for U.S. Americans.

Which is scary, since I work in advertising...

(For the record, I kind of don't love it very much.)

But, good for you for taking your role as parent/role model seriously. If more moms tried to find a balance like you are, I think we'd see some obvious changes and be able to ensure future women had a chance at actual childhood.

thegreatladies

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @petuniacat: those little sets, sooo cute.

I wanted a bra earlier than I needed it but my parents just said no! (Hence why I also don't believe in allowance, kids don't need to be buying this crap!)

washionfore

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @optical_allusion: Oh for a nice, lace-edged real SILK slip. So sexy and functional. I've been huntinig one for EVER.

Did you know that you can't even buy them in the store at JC Penny?!? I mean, think of a place more easily associated with foundation-y underwear than that!

Grrr.

And furthermore, what's with the complete lack of truly beautiful, quality and at least mildly-affordable lingerie in most of this country? VS has jumped head-first into the "club rat-tanning-bed" vibe of lingerie. No thank you, I do NOT feel truly sexy in a teal colored zebra patterned slingshot teddy with a shimmery finish.

For fucks sake, if you're going to try to market that vomit to me, at least make it crotchless or give it peek-a-boo cups. I mean really, Frederick's has the alluring-yet-trashy set wrapped up. Most VS these days conjures the term "gutter slut" for me. Or else tries to make you look like a 15 year old in a bustier with oodles of rhinestones and ribbons.

Sorry. This topic just gets under my skin.

thegreatladies

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @lisas: ...except that many 13 year old girls are giving blow jobs...I can't help but think that a 13 year old who gives blow jobs is also a 13 year old who wants to wear thongs (and perhaps show them off when Mom isn't looking).

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @flackette: 17? More like 13 or 14 these days.

serreca

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @petuniacat:
I just found some of those little shirts with the rose buds in a drawer at my parents' house. My mom saved them, along with a little cardigan and some bloomer-type diaper covers. It made me want to have a little girl someday to put cute things on.

Of course, eventually she'd be 17 and tell me to go to hell, I'm afraid.

Flackette is a Red State Elitist

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @washionfore: I used to looooooove opening my package of new little girl undershirts - the ones with the little rose bud or bow on the neckline. My Grandma always sent them, along with a new nighty, for Christmas.

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> It's...underwear. And what a 13 year old wears for underwear is no one's business but her own. I don't buy that she's got "dangerous ideas" about her own body, I think she just has preferences. She is entitled to preferences. It's underwear, not a blow job.

lisas

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @thegreatladies: I like bottom-of-the-ass cleavage, too. And my husband prefers it as well.

Also, I think a lot of moms are trying their damnedest (did I spell that right?) to teach girls that, but when the girl is bombarded with contradictory messages from TV, radio, magazines, the internet, and her friends at school, it's hard to convince her that her mom is right and everyone else is wrong.

I have a 15-year-old sister and my mom is really struggling with her. She's also started to realize that I'm not as cool as she used to think I was, and sort of rolls her eyes at a lot of the things I say when I try to give her advice.

It's so easy to say "Moms, teach your daughters _____________!" But in reality it's pretty hard these days.

serreca

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @serreca:
As a bosomy gal, I need a little structure to my bras. Underwires and some molding are my friends.

However I remain anti-thong just on the grounds that if you have ANY squish around your muffin top area at all, the thong string will simply cut into it and make you look like a trussed turkey. The Hanes perfect panty boyshort is a much nicer solution. It doesn't cut in at the top, and is low enough on the leg not to leave lines across the cheeks under thin fabric.

And while I'm at it - note to all those who think white undies are invisible under white clothes: they aren't. Switch to nude. If you're extremely pale, a shell pink. And white pants just call for the biker-short type of Spanx, even if you don't need them to contain jiggle.

Flackette is a Red State Elitist

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @thegreatladies: EXACTLY!

washionfore

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> 1) This conversation makes me want to be morman and have my daughter (who's only 5 mo) wear that crazy magic underwear.

2) Children should be children and it's a parents responsibility to enforce this. What the hell happened to white cotton underpants and a tank top/ undershirt until a bra was warrented! Maybe not so fun when you can't be just like the slutty popular girl in school but they'll thank you when they are 20 and have actually had a childhood!!

washionfore

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @serreca: No doubt she's hot. I just think bottom-of-the-ass cleavage is way more seductive.

My major rant is this: Mothers, teach your daughters that true sex appeal lies in brains, personality and seduction--not being a pussy on legs shopped around to any man that will look.

thegreatladies

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @HeatherNumber1: Um, unless I'm much older than I thought, "buds" is the mother's term for her daughter's not-yet-developed boobs (headlights or misquito bites, if you prefer). Contextual clues.

And to defend myself, I've also never had indency problems, VPL or comfort issues in VS thongs, but I wouldn't wear them in a clingy dress.

ArmCandy

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> I wear molded bras strictly so my headlights won't be visible to everyone if there's a slight breeze or I get a chill.

serreca

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @petuniacat: I wish! I have a few of my grandmother's, and I've bought a few vintage, but they just don't seem to make nice ones anymore.

optical_allusion

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Hanky panky: Yes. Comfy. Cute. Not on kids.

Molded bras: I hate to say, but after a certain stage in life, these are necessary. I nursed two babies, and it's distressing to think of what I would look like without some external structure.

mmh

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> I NEEDED a bra in fourth grade and had a teacher tell my mom to get me a bra! I grew up with "trunk shorts" which were cotton panties with legs. Have never worn a thong-can't figure out why I would want a string up my butt. Am I missing something?

SloanePeterson

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @serreca:
I love slips. They make things glide along without nasty static cling. Also, they provide a fun in-between step when getting undressed for lovin'. Take off the top layer and bam, you're already wearing pretty retro-esque lingerie.

Flackette is a Red State Elitist

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @fulanita: My guess is that a 13 y/o wanting a thong is a sign that she's been hooked by the Be Sexy For Boys brainwashing, and may have dangerous ideas about her body and its purpose. Wanting to wear $2 sparkly gloss is one thing, but wanting a thong is on another level. It reflects a desire to grow up too fast, which of course we ALL had at 13, but parents have a duty to prevent their kids from actually growing up too fast.
And who cares if tweens have VPL? They shouldn't be wearing pants that tight anyway. Why do we want people to think our little girls aren't wearing underwear?

SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @optical_allusion: Aaah, the slip! I have been searching for one this summer. The problem is, they're either polyesther and completely sticky & uncomfortable, or made out of Spanx-type material, which makes me feel like I'm wrapped in sausage casing.

Oh to find a beautiful, silk slip that fits...any suggestions as to where I can find one?

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @optical_allusion: I still wear slips under dresses and skirts. There's something about them that makes me feel a little classier. I think my grandma would be proud. But then she'd see that I'm wearing a thong and no stockings.

serreca

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> the appropriate age for thongs = the age when you no longer want VPL. If it's 13, then so be it. I will not force my daughter to have a wedgie all day.

But since when is a thong considered "sexual" on it's own? As long as you're not spoting a Whale Tail or visible straps at the hipbones, what's the big deal? It's just a piece of underwear!

As for anyone who says they're so uncomfortable I have two words: Hanky Panky.
Worth every penny.

fulanita

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> I cringed when I read the part from mom about her 10 YO's "buds"

TriedandTrue

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @HeatherNumber1: Totally creepy. I hadn't heard the term until now.

NOLA girl

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @titania1285: I think the same thing, and would apply it to any kind of sexy underwear - buy it yourself! (Though buying your flat-chested daughter a pushup bra once she hits high school is a different matter...)

Of course, I don't like thongs either, and wear them only when necessary. And even that's rare, because I'll wear a slip with a white skirt before I'll wear a thong. (Oh, whatever happened to the slip? So logical, so maligned! I realize this makes me sound geriatric, but I'm in my mid twenties.)

optical_allusion

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> that's it. time for the class-action lawsuit against sisqo for his hit "the thong song." i think i was in the 9th grade when that came out, and thats when i started seeing thongs sold at little-girl-accessable stores like claire's boutique and the limited, too.
but then again, at least his career died along with the nation's sense of decency.

titania1285

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Yeah, I find thongs don't show through your clothes,'cause they're hiding in your crack. HATE.THEM. For me, they're right up there with the Epilady hair removal system and douching with Lysol Household cleaner in terms of "weird ways we women torture ourselves." Boy shorts, rock, BTW.

On the push up bra mom, true confession time: I had teenaged sisters growing up (Brady Bunch family) and wore my teenaged stepsister's pretty teen bra to...kindergarten. I still remember to this day ushering my favorite gal pals into the girls room and flashing them my severe lack of T. Even with the straps on the smallest setting, I wasn't fooling any of the adults. No one said anything and let me figure it out on my own. Karmic bit me on the ass later when I was the first girl in the 4th grade getting my "strap popped" by the boys.

PaisleyPajamas

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @thegreatladies: word! I avoid thongs as much as I can.

WonderWoman

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> I love boy shorts and tap panties, too, but they tend to ride up on me and create a line. I have never had a VPL problem with the Body by Victoria thongs.

And also, have you seen pics of Vida Guerra in a thong? There's nothing "stick wrapped in twine" about her at all!

serreca

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @thegreatladies: Yeah, so it's probably more like: men were designed to like curves because women were designed to have curves.

Much better.

thegreatladies

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @HeatherNumber1: Makes me queasy, too.

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Little girls who aren't old enough to hold jobs need their little girl butts in little girl undies. And modest bras when they need them.

P.S. Thongs create more pantylines than they erase. Especially under a clingy dress. No one wants to see your ass cheeks jiggling back and forth and the dress fabric creeping into your crack. Invest in a nude colored pair of invisible-line boy shorts. Makes a way better silhouette.

And P.P.S. to all the oversexed tweens/tween moms out there who think butt floss is sexy:
Women were designed with curves because men were designed to like curves. Curvy tap pants and cheeky panties are way sexier and more flattering to a woman's natural figure than string panties that make you look like a stick wrapped in twine.

Plus they don't obnoxiously hang out of your clothes or give you a nosebleed from riding up so far.

thegreatladies

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @hypnotic: Ugh. That's one of my pet peeves, too. I don't do false advertising.

The only thongs I wear are the one-size-fits all Hanky Panky's. Yeah, they're expensive, but not too bad at Nordstrom Rack. And my first thong was probably in college - I was completely disgusted by them until then.

Yeah, I can see the arguments about 13 year olds wearing them so they don't have VPL...but there's just something very sexualized about thongs that makes it creepy. The same way a 13 year old wearing a padded push-up bra is creepy.

petuniacat

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> I think the appropriate age to start wearing a thong is when you can buy them yourself - with earned wages, not an allowance.

jurijuri

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @serreca: Well my ass is large...so they always get lost back there. I prefer boy shorts. Flattering and sexy, yet comfy too.

SinisterRouge

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> No one else creeped out by the term 'buds'? It used to be 'panties' for me (as in, 'We found thse panties at the crime scene. Test them for DNA'), but I got over it. But 'buds'? So child molester-y.

HeatherNumber1

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> The thing that confuses me most about the "buy it now, tell Dad later" panties? During my tween years I never had the money to buy shit like that. Are people giving these little kids credit cards? MBNA really is getting them young!

mymanicpixiedreamcatsnores

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Isn't Emily Yoffe the one who replaced Dear Prudence, then got all on her high horse about how everyone should have kids?

Bleah. She's the reason I stopped reading Slate.

thwarted

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> oh wait i have another rant

padded bras wtf why is every bra sold with some type of padding or molded cup

i mean sometimes i just want to be me a bit saggy and ordinary

hypnotic

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> I don't get the "thongs are soooo uncomfortable" thing. The ones I buy from V.S. (Body by Victoria line) are wonderful. I forget I'm even wearing underwear. Of course they aren't frilly or super cute or anything - just basic colors like white, beige, and black - but they're so damn comfortable I don't even care what they look like.

serreca

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> seriously why is the back piece so freakin wide? they never look good they are either have some weird high cut leg this isn't 1988 or if they are low rise they dig into your hips

gstrings are better but i just find the lack of crotch area to be a problem

i do like commando but again you need something to contain the jiggle which is why i wear panties

hypnotic

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @titania1285: That's a good rule of thumb. Get a job, get a thong. And for the mom whose daughter is pushing her 'buds' together...uh ew.

SinisterRouge

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> I don't find thongs comfortable, but some folks do.

My teen stepdaughter said she found them comfortable and you could never see them (she always dresses conservatively) so I don't see the big deal.

It's NBD as the kids today would say... ;-)

dayglo

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> At age 13 I did not know what a thong was. And I'm in my early 20's so it's not like I'm talking about 30 years ago or something. I wish more stores sold pretty, good quality bras and panties ala Mark and Spencers rather than coming with padding.

Panda-Attack

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @titania1285: I agree with your conclusion. I own exactly one thong. It's cream colored; I only wear it when I wear a white skirt or when I'm too lazy to do laundry. Because I don't find thongs comfortable at all, and I seeing myself in the mirror while wearing one is traumatizing.

SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> i totally agree with AVIDREADER. I didn't even want my dad doing my laundry past the age of 13. it's weird.
And as someone who got their first thong to go underneath her backless and slinky senior prom dress (i went with my best gay friend, and he matched my dress' shade of smokey-bottle-green perfectly), i'd say when a girl has a job and starts buying her own underpants is when she can start wearing thongs.

titania1285

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> My sister gave me my first thong for Christmas, senior year of high school. She and my mom giggled when I opened it. I wore it on New Year's Eve, and I remember whispering to a friend "every time I go to the bathroom and notice it, I feel so dirty!" We all shared a laugh and then put the thong to rest for a long time. I still don't really get the appeal of them and only wear them when they're all that's clean. "Laundry-day underwear."

FallopianTude

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Let's ask Dina the appropriate age for thongs.

BAngieB

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @hypnotic: try handing your old bras off to mom when you're in sixth grade! but, as you can see from my avatar, i proudly display them all the time now (12 years later!) Also, to that last comment, there is no way that is someone's mother writing that. I don't know why a 12 year old would be on Slate, but if that's someone's mother... I want national sterilization.

lynneboston

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Thongs are the gateway drug to going panty-free. I didn't start butt flossing until I was 19 or 20, and it was short lived. Those things are so uncomfortable, I'd rather just go without.
So yeah, wee ones + thongs? Nooo.

BiscuitDoughJones

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> @collegecallgirl: Agree -- I think I started when I was in junior high! Not that I wanted them to hang out of my jeans or show them to boys, but panty lines are embarassing as soon as you're old enough to know what they are. I cringe when I see grown women with them... and I think that look is much trashier than the thought that they might be wearing a thong.

ArmCandy

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> oh and today for sure i should be wearing a thong but when you have a big ass and a thin tee shirt dress um that's not the type of attention i need (that was in response to nina garcia i'm not a gawker commenter!)

hypnotic

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Want to grow up faster? Learn to spell.

BottledCynicism

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Hey, 13-year-olds shouldn't have VPL, but it makes me queasy to think of them wearing thongs.

serreca

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Nothing creeps me out more than the phrase "breast buds." It embarrasses me even to this day, when my buds have fully blossomed into some banging A-cups.

Noodles325

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> i was actually mortified by my breasts until i was 20

there's something about wearing the same size bra as your 17 year old sister when you are in the 5th grade that really f's with your head

i also didn't wear a thong until 1997 and i sadly felt like i crossed a threshold nowadays i probably wear one twice i year i rather go commando

hypnotic

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Your nubile teenage years are probably the only time a thong is going to look halfway flattering on you, so I say go for it. My changing body type now prefers boy shorts.

collegecallgirl

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> "maybe some girls like push up bras and want to grow up faster"
Yeah, that's the problem. Some of us want to examine the "why" because it's disturbing and inappropriate and parents shouldn't encourage it or buy into the marketing. Y dont u getalife?

SarahMC

]]> <![CDATA['Tramps-In-Training' Author Speaks, Dodges Tween Bullets]]> Nobody wants the word "Dad" printed on their panties. Or having anything to do with their panties.

avidreader

]]>