After three decades of wearing conservative black, white and beige underclothes, I decided it was time to invest in some feminine lingerie. I recently shopped online for some lace underclothes. As soon as I started searching online for said clothes, Google took it upon itself to show me targeted advertisements of the most salacious lingerie available on the internet. Why lie? I enjoyed it. I ended up buying some pretty conservative pieces. Just some little lace here and there on the panties. I was more worried about where and how I would be able to wash and dry the more salacious pieces, if I ended up actually buying them. Like most middle-class families in India, not many girls are accorded their own room, let alone privacy for “self-care”. I was worried that if my lingerie ended up in the common washing machine, the men in my home would be made uncomfortable by their sight. It is already frowned upon to dry female underclothes by the sun in the window and they have to be surreptitiously dried on an indoor clothesline. My apprehension was soon replaced by bravery, when I read a post on Agents of Ishq about how other women were battling with the “underclothes drying conundrum”.
I decided that male discomfort did not matter to me as long as I felt good about what I was wearing. Yes, women dress to impress, not necessarily men but the society in general. It feels good to make heads turn when your outfit and make-up is “on fleek”. When I wear new clothes, I instantly have a new jump in my step and a confidence in my stride. Why should it be any different for lingerie? So yes, wearing a racy piece of lingerie is my secret superpower. It’s like a little secret that only I know. It makes me feel feminine and strong, almost clandestinely beckoning- “Hey, I wear delicate lace inside and kick ass at work outside”.