Matching panties with a bra

[curiousk]

Question for everyone,  If you wear women’s panties, do you wear the matching bra?

[MarcoB]

related recent topic:  https://www.gynecomastia.org/forum/gynecomastia-talk/1/bras-and-panties/35635

[Beeches]

An interesting topic. I just read though the earlier posting referred to by MarcoB, and this got me thinking about why some men here seem inclined to pursue the whole lingerie thing. (From my own perspective, I'm quite happy with my excellent Separatec underwear, which provides the same sort of comfort and support to my nether regions as a bra does up top). That said, the underlying cause of our condition is hormonal, so who's to say this doesn't play a part in shaping our outlook on such matters?

My experience is that the shifts in my hormonal balance are very subtle in the main, and I am sometimes unaware of those changes in myself. My long-suffering partner has often pointed out some out-of-character behaviour quirks, especially while I was getting my TRT levels optimised, and without her influence I don't know if I would ever have gone to my doctor to discuss it in the first place. My medication is pretty much settled now, but I did experience hot flashes and all kinds of weird emotional effects until things stabilised. The experience has left me feeling that it is a little disconcerting that our shifting hormones are capable of exerting that sort of influence on us despite us being unaware of them doing so.

It doesn't seem such a big leap to surmise that rising estrogen levels might be quietly influencing our attitudes to clothing beyond the purely practical need for breast support. Last time I had it checked my estradiol was only moderately raised, and that seems commensurate with my moderate breast growth and general lack of interest in lingerie beyond a comfortable and stealthy bra. I can well imagine, however, that if I was experiencing a real surge in my estrogen level, I might feel differently.

[Johndoe1]

It's said that many MtF transitions it's not uncommon for those who as males had no interest in other males, afterwards either become bi or male only in their sexual preference of partners. And that's attributed to the decreased testosterone and more normal female estrogen levels. So yes, I believe hormones have a lot to do with preferences of all kinds including what to wear. And for some of us, women's underwear just fits our body better. How many of your male friends could actually wear a bra comfortably if they don't have breasts to support? The bra uses the breasts themselves to help stay in place. Without the breast tissue to keep the bra in the general location, the tightness of the band would be so tight to be uncomfortable for long term daily wear. In my own case, I prefer women's tops over men's. I hate how uncomfortable a man's top pulls down on the girls. Women's tops give room and there's no pulling sensation. For me it's all about comfort and if women's clothing is more comfortable then why not? I'm already wearing a bra, something that's about as feminine as you can get. What's a top or jeans or panties mean then? Again, it's society with the problem. As long as I am properly covered, who should care if it's called male or female? At that point it's just a style, not a gender. Just my two cents.

[Beeches]

I can't say that I have been aware of any real change in my sexual outlook so far, but I do think that shifts in our hormone balance can be very subtle and yet profound. When I first started TRT I found myself subject to really bad mood swings, getting angry or upset for no obvious reason. What brought this home was one day when I was feeling down generally and just burst into tears for no reason I could fathom. This was so unlike me that I was really worried about it. My doctor suggested that it would settle down in time, and so it has, but it left me surprised and a little suspicious about the extent to which our hormones shape our actions and behaviour.

I'm only a few years into my personal gynecomastia journey, so this is all new territory to me. Physically, I'm still growing (slowly, thankfully) so I can still wear many of my shirts without too much trouble. I stick to the loose-fitting ones with strong patterns to try to disguise the breast growth, though I can certainly see that this will probably become impossible in time. About half of my shirts I never wear now, either because they are too fitted, or because the material or pattern emphasises my 'assets' a little too much. I never wear T-shirts or polos now because they make my chest to obvious. Of course, wearing a bra does increase projection a bit and exacerbates the problem. If I am realistic I will probably have to get rid of most of my current shirts, but I'm still clinging to the hope that with exercise and diet my boobs might go away somehow.

I do have problems with my remaining 'stealh' shirts pulling tight across the top, which in turn means that they gape and tend to show my bra unless I am very careful. I find myself having to surreptitiously rearrange my boobs from time to time to counteract this, which is not always easy to do in public without drawing even more attention. Sports bras can almost be worse than conventional underwires, in that they are invariably visible with a couple of shirt buttons undone.

I don't have a problem per se with the idea of wearing panties - like Johndoe1, I'm wearing a bra after all. I don't get on with boxers and never have, so I tend to stick to briefs. Maybe I should give panties a try sometime, and perhaps women's tops would be the answer to the gaping shirt problem. Given the altered reality we have already embraced in wearing a bra, it would be pretty strange to then make some arbitrary judgement regarding all other women's clothing. 

I would definitely seem that to persist in wearing what has become ill-fitting clothes due to breast development will only serve to draw attention to our condition, just as the movement when going braless does. I did wonder if the current women's fashion for 'boyfriend shirts' might be a possible compromise between a better fit and a less girly appearance. I have not investigated this yet so have no idea whether I would be able to get them in my size. Has anyone tried these? Does anyone have any other suggestions for better fitting non-gendered clothing that might be worth exploring? 

[Traveler]

While I can understand that if you’ve got “junk in the trunk” that Women’s wear might be a better fit, I don’t se how it would be accommodating for the “junk in the front”. While My boys aren’t anything to write home about, I can’t see them fitting in the undies that women wear.

[Beeches]

I have to admit that I can’t quite see how panties are going to be more comfortable for male wear either, but then I find a lot of male underwear unsupportive (which is how I came to favour Separatec underwear, which I find to be really comfortable).

That’s not to say that panties might be much more comfortable than I assume them to be, of course. There are enough guys on this forum that seem to like them to make me think they may have a point. Or is it an aesthetic consideration? I do like to look of some bras over others, so maybe having matching panties would just feel nice for that reason?

[p.r.1974]

Having been on an almost continual growth spurt from birth, I developed early. By late puberty I would have been much more comfortable in a bra; fluctuating between an A and B until about 10 years ago. Sporadic wearing of bras and panties began in my 20's, though I was not comfortable with d bags outside the home. Fast forward 15 years, and panties became preferred wear. And 5 years later the "male" underwear was all but gone, and with a C cup I have been in bras full time as well. There are a lot of different styles and materials to choose from, so your fit is your fit. For me it depends on mood, but the "hipster" style seems to be close to briefs and Is the general go to for comfy wear.

Having not known what it is like to not have more estrogen in my system than a lot of men, I can't say if this has been the deciding factor in my existence. Your growth and path are your own, I do my best to accept what I have been given' but not settling.

[DW20]

I do wear panties around 95% of the time . I don't have any inclination to match them.
Nothing sexual about it for me, just more comfortable - softer fabric, gentler elastic, better fit as they are available in all sizes rather than Small/Medium/Large etc.
In this respect I often crossdress but I am certainly not a crossdresser  in the sense of passing myself as anything other than a fully heterosexual male,

[aboywithgirls]

Im a panty wearer. My bottom is rounded and my thighs and hip are more feminine than masculine. Panties fit better. Its not only the fit. I like being able to if not match, at least coordinate colors. I also wear women's jeans and slacks because they fit better. Boxers just bunch up and look awful. 

[Beeches]

Hmmm. Well, so many guys swear by ‘em that I decided to give pantie-wearing a try. It was interesting, but sadly just doesn’t work well for me. I think ABWG hit the nail on the head - it depends on how your body is shaped, and I guess mine must be more masculine in shape waist-down than feminine. I don’t have the rounded and full bottom and upper thighs to suit panties, and found that they tend to slide down after a short while.

I did like the feel of the material, though. Much lighter and less bulky than male underwear, and they felt quite cool and unrestrictive when moving around. It makes me think that I’ve been missing something all this time! So I’m rather disappointed that they don’t fit well for me. It would have been rather nice to have been able to match my underwear with my bras.

I wonder if it depends on the nature of your Gynecomastia? I’m guessing that if you have had the condition from puberty, you body is likely to develop a more feminine shape generally, due to the constantly higher estrogen levels. For guys that develop breasts later in life, the probability is that they will have had many years of testosterone dominance shaping their bodies. As a ‘late developer’ myself, this would seem to apply to me. In this scenario, it is presumably way too late for the raised estrogen to start having much effect on the body in general - or do further surprises await me as the estrogen does it’s thing?

[paulpark21]

I also wear panties, all the time.  Find them very comfortable and like the material (mostly satin and nylon).  Fit is like a bra, it is different according to manufacturer.  For most men, looking for a a panty with a wide gusset works the best.  For this reason I wear a lot of Vanity Fair as their gussets in a wide variety of styles fit better although there are other manufacturers that are the same.  As far as matching a bra, I have bought some sets  and do try to co-ordinate top and bottom.

[froger]

My go to have been Bali Comfort Revolution for years.  The material fits and feels good.  Finding what worked took a bit of trial and error.  My original interest in panties stemmed from not wanting a billboard around my waist.  I think I have one pair of old boxers left that my wife wears from time to time.

[Beeches]

I’m thinking that the key to comfort may be in the style of panty. The ones I tried were pretty skimpy bikini-style hipster briefs, so maybe that is why they would not stay up on me. I chose that style because they looked a bit like men’s briefs. In hindsight a higher-waisted style might work better for guys, perhaps?

Any other suggestions on suitable styles from regular wearers?

[curiousk]

I tried the hipster style and it didn’t work for me.   No room for the boys.   Love the material and the the low waist was ok.   Moving onto another style.