Sexy Lingerie

A “Brief” History of Lingerie

Lingerie is a term for women’s fashion undergarments and comes from the French word ‘lin’ for linen. While the term in the French language applies to all undergarments for either gender, in English it is applied only to those women’s undergarments designed to be visually appealing or erotic.

Lingerie being visually appealing is a recent trend. Up through the first part of the 20th century women selected underwear for three major purposes: to alter their shape, for reasons of hygiene, or for modesty. Women’s underwear was often very large and bulky. As the 20th century progressed, underwear became smaller and form-fitting. In the 60’s lingerie manufacturers such as Frederick’s of Hollywood begin to glamorize lingerie and its sexual appeal began to develop.

The lingerie industry has expanded in the 21st century with designs that double as outerwear. The French refer to this as ‘dessous-dessus’ which basically means innerwear as outerwear.