Is there a sizing up culture in women's underwear?

🎥 Size Guide Youtube

There is a sizing-up culture in women’s underwear, even though no one really talks about it. Women aren’t sizing up because they want bigger underwear — they’re sizing up because the design of traditional underwear leaves them no choice.

And honestly? It’s not your body.
It’s the cut.

Let’s talk about why this happens — and what a real solution looks like.

⭐ Why Women Size Up Their Underwear

Women don’t size up for comfort — they size up to avoid discomfort.

Here’s what drives it:

1. The waist digs in — painfully.

Thin elastics cut across the soft part of your lower tummy, creating a harsh line (and a little internal rage).

2. The leg opening hits the hip at the worst angle.

Especially if you’re pear-shaped or curvy through the thigh — the cut literally works against your body.

3. The rise is too shallow.

Meaning you’re constantly pulling, adjusting, and wondering why you even bothered getting dressed.

4. The fabric is too thin and too short.

So you size up thinking it’ll stop ride-up and wedgies. Spoiler: it rarely does.

5. Elastic creates muffin tops.

Sizing up feels like the only way to avoid that sharp dig-in.

But here’s the twist: Sizing up fixes one thing… and breaks three more.

Women size up to stop the dig, but then discover:

The underwear now slides or slips
The leg opening becomes too loose, causing more ride-up
There’s bunching under clothes
VPL becomes more obvious
The gusset sits in the wrong place
Everything feels bulkier, not better

So what’s the real solution? Underwear designed for real bodies.

No, not “size up.”
Not “wear a thong.”
Not “just get shapewear.”
Not “bike shorts under dresses.”
(Not even sure who wrote that rule.)

The solution is design + fabric working together, not women compromising their comfort.

That’s why we created Smooth-Fit bamboo underwear — to solve the fit issues women have been patching with bigger sizes.

How the design actually changes everything:

✔️ Longer lengths that cover the hip curve, so nothing digs
✔️ Smooth-Fit waistband that hugs without squeezing
✔️ Breathable bamboo that doesn’t trap heat or moisture
✔️ Cuts that consider hip-to-waist proportions
✔️ Gusset placement that works for real movement
✔️ No wedgies, no digging, no sizing-up gymnastics

For many women, it’s the first time underwear has ever fit without negotiation.

November 23, 2025 — Jody-anne Sellwood

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Comments

Mel said:

Do you have cuts with a narrow gusset, women or maybe just me, get narrower in the gusset width after weight gain but most underwear gets wider across the gusset for every size increase so going bigger to stop the dig into the waist or hips creates more dig into my groin area. Even when I was skinny I found sizes to be too wide across the pubic area and cause groin pain. Don’t want boy leg but as they ride up or dig into upper thigh. Prefer as high bikini cut with soft seams or seam free. I’m too old for a g-string. If I ever find the perfect cut I will buy cartons of them.