What Causes Visible Panty Lines? 14 Ways To Avoid Them

Renata Black, EBY Co-Founder & CEO


Visible panty lines are the outline of your underwear underneath your clothes, mainly tight-fitting clothes. Visible panty lines can be your biggest worry when you choose to wear those tight leather pants or butt-hugging gym leggings.

Only 17% of young women wear thongs frequently, which can be due to their comfort level with the level of coverage this underwear provides.

When you wear form-fitting clothes, you want your underwear to be seamless and not interfere with how great your butt looks in that outfit! So, how do you hide panty lines for that flawless tight clothing outfit?

Read on for the best tips and tricks to help you avoid panty lines and show off your figure! For more information on constructing your outfits for fashion perfection, check out the Eby Blog.

What Causes Panty Lines?

Visible panty lines (or VPLs for short) are the visible indentation or line of fabric around the outline of your underwear that people can see through your clothes. Panty lines can be quite uncomfortable and cause embarrassment when you choose to wear a figure-hugging outfit. These panty lines are caused by ill-fitting underwear in overly thick fabrics or the wrong cut. Read on to learn which underwear to select to avoid panty lines.

14 Easy Ways To Avoid Panty Lines

You can easily avoid panty lines if you follow the proper steps when preparing your outfit. You can squat in your workout pants at the gym without fear or show off that tush on your night out without embarrassment. Contrary to popular belief, you can prevent a visible panty line without discomfort. This article will show you some of the best ways to avoid panty lines with various easy options.

Layer With Thick Or Textured Fabric

Thin, silky fabrics can be feminine and create a luxurious tone with their shiny texture. But, this glossy texture and the thinness of the material can also highlight any imperfections underneath. If you want a seamless and perfect waistline, it’s best to choose thicker or textured fabrics. Thicker fabrics come with the advantage of being more supportive, and they can provide a certain level of corsetry to accentuate your waistline.

Pick Perfect Fitting Underwear

If your panties are in a smaller size, it will disrupt your waistline and the line of your butt cheek. If the underwear is small around the seams, this can cause indentation, accentuating your panty line. Similarly, if your panties are too loose, the fabric will bunch up in your tight outfit and cause added panty lines.

Try To Avoid Cotton Underwear

Cotton panties are the prime fabric for your vaginal health and are recommended to prevent yeast infections but are a thick fabric that can cause extra visible panty lines. There are other ways you can care for your vaginal health while also avoiding panty lines caused by cotton underwear, such as going commando.

Printed Bold Patterns Hide VPL

If you want to hide your visible panty lines and don’t want to switch from your favorite underwear, you can wear tight outfits by choosing printed bold patterns. Printed bold patterns hide imperfect panty lines underneath the fabric by distracting the eye, so try to go for bold prints in your pants, yoga pants, and dresses that hug your figure.

Test Shapewear

Shapewear goes great with women’s clothing. You will have a seamless silhouette, and the shapewear will perfectly cinch your waist. There is no panty line when you use shapewear, as the shapewear doesn’t finish until the mid-thigh.

Opt For Seamless Underwear

Seamless panties are a great way to eliminate your VPL with comfortable underwear. Seamless panties are made seamless using laser-cut edges that won’t dig in and leave your skin marked and indented when you undress at the end of the day. Women are opting more and more for seamless panties.

Seamless underwear by EBY

Go Commando!

There is no shame in going commando! Letting your lady parts breathe is good for your vaginal health and could make for an excellent line to whisper in your partner’s ear when you’re ready to leave the party. You can avoid panty lines by ditching panties altogether! We wouldn’t recommend opting for the commando look with your tight leggings or high-waisted bicycle shorts, though, as you could end up with a camel toe situation on your hands!

Try Thongs

Thongs are a sexy lingerie staple and can make you feel great while removing your panty line. If you find a thong uncomfortable or hate wearing thongs, mix it up and give a G-string a try. G strings can be more comfortable than thongs as there is less fabric, and therefore less bunching.

Layer Underwear With Tights Or Pantyhose

Tights or pantyhose can provide a barrier between your underwear and your tight-fitting dress or skirt to ensure you get full coverage without embarrassing panty lines. Nude pantyhose can also improve the complexion of your legs and provide extra warmth with a bare-leg look.

Give Boyshorts A Shot

Boy shorts are a great alternative to shapewear when you want to wear a shorter dress or skirt, as shapewear comes to the mid-thigh and might show in a shorter outfit. Boy shorts are super comfortable and will help you to avoid a visible panty line that could ruin your outfit. For more information, check out all the styles of underwear available for women.

Try High Waisted Underwear

High-waisted underwear or the so-called granny panties, prevent indentation around the hips that can ruin how your curves look in your tight dress, skirt, or yoga pants. You can achieve a smooth waistline and fit in with the fashion with the 80’s high leg panties coming back into style recently.

Choose Thinner Fabric Underwear

Thinner fabric panties like lycra or silk will stop you from having a panty line in dresses and high-waisted shorts by disrupting your clothing minimally and fitting smoothly underneath it. Try to avoid thicker fabrics for your panties like cotton that can increase the visibility of thick seams.

A Slip May Do The Trick

If you’re wearing a tight dress, you can improve the way the fabric clings to your body by wearing a slip with your undergarments. The slip looks cute as a nightdress and can also improve your silhouette when you opt for skin-tight dresses and skirt styles.

Color Matters

If you plan to wear white pants or a white skirt, don’t forget to opt for white panties! Nothing is worse than having black panties visible underneath your white or nude clothing. Choosing the right panties applies to the color as well as the style.

Summary: Avoiding Visible Panty Lines

If you suffer from the curse of the VPL, don’t worry! You can wear whatever you like with confidence if you follow these tips and choose the right underwear and undergarments. Eby has your seamless panty needs covered with our no “visible panty line” panties and shapewear to improve how your figure looks when you wear panties. Check out their collection today and get panties for a flawless look in your gym leggings.

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