Are they "pants" or "panties?"

[jdinvirginia]

Are your diaper covers plastic "pants" or "panties?"

In discussing diaper covers, your answer predictably may depend on your gender, with males typically answering “pants” and females answering “panties.” However, we are talking about the same pair of diaper covers that normally are advertised as being “unisex.” Don’t they have to be one or the other?

In discussing rubber pants, Wikipedia says “Lacking a fly front, the traditional variant is a true panty.”

Can that be our answer? Regardless of the gender of the wearer, lacking a fly, diaper covers should be classified as “panties.”

What do you say about this? Are you guys wearing “panties?” What would your wives or girlfriends say about that?

 

[Rita]

My Diaper Covers I call them that I wear are not made of plastic .
More cloth like that are reusable there from Gary Active Wear .

 

[Richpip]

Are your diaper covers plastic "pants" or "panties?"

In discussing diaper covers, your answer predictably may depend on your gender, with males typically answering “pants” and females answering “panties.” However, we are talking about the same pair of diaper covers that normally are advertised as being “unisex.” Don’t they have to be one or the other?

In discussing rubber pants, Wikipedia says “Lacking a fly front, the traditional variant is a true panty.”

Can that be our answer? Regardless of the gender of the wearer, lacking a fly, diaper covers should be classified as “panties.”

What do you say about this? Are you guys wearing “panties?” What would your wives or girlfriends say about that?

Must be pants. Panties would never cover a nappy.

 

[greatlake5]

I use them as "pants." Even when I was younger my mom would call them "your plastic pants". I don't remember what she said about my sisters.

 

[Kayleigh]

This was addressed a ways back in a post where some ads from the 1950s appeared to describe the first diaper covers as panties. Going way back, I believe boy and girl babies were dressed similarly and pink and blue were reversed as far as girl and boy colors so perhaps not surprising that the first definitions used panties.
IMO I see DLs who like more feminine styles calling them panties and DLs who avoid any feminine aspects calling them pants. And in general I think calling them pants is a safer description as more men may have an issue in using panties as opposed to women who will most likely not have an issue with wearing pants.

 

[Zeke]

How about every other pair is a pant and every pair other than those is a pantie that way we sidestep the controversy?

 

[blaincorrous]

I think the person who says panties over pants prefers the diminutive form for one reason or another. I don’t think gender intrinsically linked any more than being cutesy or not is intrinsically feminine.

 

[jdinvirginia]

Our different attitudes are interesting and probably are ingrained in us from childhood. I would not expect anyone to change their position.

I recall seeing some advertisements even older than the ones Kayleigh mentions. The diaper covers were rubber "panties" and the term was used in a generic sense for use by both male and female children. If anyone finds a link, please post it here.

I am medically double incontinent and wear diapers 24/7. I also wear plastic pants - or panties if you prefer the term - almost all of the time. Whatever we call them I am darned glad to have them on when I have an accident away from home in a social situation.

 

[Cottontail]

My mom always called them "rubber pants," even though rubber hadn't been used for some time (late 70's to early 80's). I've referred to them both as plastic "pants" and "panties." I do find "panties" cuter (my girl-leaning little side might be part of that), but I mostly say "pants" as that seems to be the norm.

 

[ChooChoo69]

Baby pants.

 

[BobbiSueEllen]

I've heard 'em called PPs, plastic pants, PVC pants, vinyl pants and diaper cover. Never heard 'em called "pants" (but heard others call diapers "pants", as in "she needs her pants changed") or "panties", those were reserved for potty-training...but that's only my experience in my own familial tidal pool. 🤔

 

[VisaT]

When I'm not in diapers, Mommy (my wife) has me wear white ladies panties with a Poise panty liner to absorb my piddle drips. The panties and panty liners fit snugly and contain my diminutive penis which peeks out from my tummy like a little button.
Mommy does not want me to wear boxers or tighty whites briefs which are designed to fit men with mature fully developed genitals. When I try to wear there is big empty pouch in front and even a large panty line with wings is too baggy to effective and leaves wet spots.

 

[CheshireCat]

Regarding Wikipedia... The entries for Rubber Pants and Plastic Pants both state: This article does not cite any sources. So those articles are someone's oral tradition.

Vintage Gerber boxes state Plastic Pants. Current Gerber boxes state Waterproof Pants

Some of the old incontinence "undergarments" called the waterproof shell a pant and the snap in liner a panty!!?! Guess that made it unisex?
Old catalogs referred to an incontinence waterproof cover with a removable liner as a pant, panty, and brief in a single paragraph.

I'm 68, from the west coast and have always heard them called rubber pants and plastic pants. I never heard them called rubber panties and plastic panties until the internet. I wonder if pants or panties is locale dependent and that is why nationwide catalogs used both terms.

 

[jamesattends]

Regarding Wikipedia... The entries for Rubber Pants and Plastic Pants both state: This article does not cite any sources. So those articles are someone's oral tradition.

Vintage Gerber boxes state Plastic Pants. Current Gerber boxes state Waterproof Pants

Some of the old incontinence "undergarments" called the waterproof shell a pant and the snap in liner a panty!!?! Guess that made it unisex?
Old catalogs referred to an incontinence waterproof cover with a removable liner as a pant, panty, and brief in a single paragraph.

I'm 68, from the west coast and have always heard them called rubber pants and plastic pants. I never heard them called rubber panties and plastic panties until the internet. I wonder if pants or panties is locale dependent and that is why nationwide catalogs used both terms.

I have purchased items from France and have noticed they call them ‘panties’ (that translates from the French noun ‘culotte’), but in Germany not far away, the word used is ‘pants’, and not ‘panties’. I think the panties variation is more of a feminine association from the past, possibly from lingerie, that being French in background.

 

[slimjiminy]

Interesting JD, re word usage. I recall that my mom used to call them "rubber pants" and I did wonder at the time if that really was rubber or not.

Fly-less or not, in my book they are "pants". My wife might wonder about me if I were wearing "panties". Certainly in our neck of the woods, "panties" has a feminine association.

 

[MikeDJ]

Ive often heard that underwear with the fly front which boys and men wore were generally briefs, underwear or underpants... Underwear with out and open front was often called panties because women and girls under wear doesnt have an open front area. Although most of the time girls undergarments are just simply called girls underwear and usually older women (teen and older)were called panties.

 

[MikeDJ]

I have some underwear that are called "sport briefs" which look like bikinis. They certainly look like they could be panties. They arent silk or satin or anything. They are like a regular cotton brief material but more pants shaped. I actually wear them because I can feel like Im wearing panties while at the same time mens underwear. In essence many types of underwear are unisex. Its the frilly lacy stuff is where the true gender separation can be.

 

[vp39]

I use the terms "pants" and "panties" interchangeably when writing or talking about plastic undergarments. It's true that "panties" has a definite feminine association, but to me that makes sense in that the typical plastic panties look more like women's panties than they do like men's underpants.

 

[jdinvirginia]

Like slimjiminy I recall my Mom calling them rubber pants. As I am older than many of you she probably used actual rubber pants on me as an infant. I don't recall her calling them rubber panties.