Fashion’s winding journey has produced some truly crazy pieces of historical underwear, and none are more fascinating than the oddball garments that once graced the private wardrobes of ancient Romans, Victorian ladies, and even early‑20th‑century innovators. Buckle up for a whirlwind tour of ten undergarments that would make today’s briefs look downright tame.

Crazy Pieces of Historical Underwear

10 Subligaculum And Strophium

Anyone who survived a Latin class might remember the cheeky mnemonic Semper ubi sub ubi, which literally means “always where under where.” It reminds us that even the ancient Romans were preoccupied with what lay beneath their togas.

Roman women wore the strophium, a tight leather band that squeezed the bust into the coveted petite‑chest‑wide‑hips silhouette of the day—think of it as a distant ancestor of today’s bikini top.

Men and laborers, on the other hand, sported the subligaculum, a simple loincloth fashioned from wool or leather. Shaped like a diaper, it was the go‑to underlayer for athletes and slaves alike. Curiously, many Romans would skip any undergarment beneath a toga as long as the toga itself was on.

9 Pantalets

It wasn’t until roughly 1830 that women began to slip on pantalets and drawers. During the Middle Ages, most women went au naturel below the waist, and when pantalets finally appeared in the 19th century they were a privilege of the upper‑class.

These early underpieces were essentially crotch‑less, made from two separate panels that were tied together over the hips. They weren’t meant to conceal every inch; rather, they showcased the lavish embroidery on a lady’s legs when a skirt lifted. Owning a pair signaled wealth, while those without had to keep their skirts firmly in place.

8 Silk Stockings

Silk stockings weren’t technically underwear, but they were vital when nothing else covered a woman’s legs. In the 16th century, most stockings were made of wool or linen, serving a purely functional role.

Everything changed on New Year’s Day 1560, when Queen Elizabeth I received a pair of silk stockings as a gift. She adored them so much that she ordered seven pairs in a kaleidoscope of colours. Soon, any fashionable lady who could afford them wanted to mimic the queen’s luxurious legwear.

The allure of silk persisted into World War II. With stockings scarce, anyone who managed to find a pair was instantly admired. Creative women even painted a single dark seam onto their calves to imitate the look of real stockings—a trend dubbed “glamor hose.” Thus, silk stockings evolved from a practical underlayer to a status symbol, and their legacy still influences modern hosiery.

7 Chemise

The chemise was a simple, loose‑falling shift worn beneath everyday clothing throughout the Middle Ages. Both men and women used it, and it was the only garment that was regularly laundered.

In the 1780s, Marie Antoinette introduced the “chemise à la reine” as a casual alternative to the restrictive court dress. The style quickly fell out of favour after the queen’s head rolled in the Revolution.

Surprisingly, the idea resurfaced during the Empire period. A nearly transparent, flowing chemise became fashionable, so thin that wearers often slipped on flesh‑coloured underwear to avoid looking completely naked.

6 Teddy Or Camiknickers

The teddy first appeared in the 1910s but truly took off a decade later during the Roaring Twenties. It covered the torso and crotch in a single piece, and could be cut close to the body or left looser depending on the dress worn over it.

In the 1920s, women craved the illusion of wearing nothing beneath their flapper dresses, and the teddy’s snug fit acted like modern shapewear. Designers even began embellishing the garment with lace, ribbons, and other decorative touches.

The teddy survived both World Wars, proving comfortable enough for women who switched to trousers. Today’s one‑piece swimsuits are a direct descendant of that early 20th‑century undergarment.

5 Early Bra

Women worldwide owe a huge thank‑you to Mary Phelps Jacob, the inventor of the modern bra. While preparing for a debutante ball in Manhattan at age 19, Jacob found herself frustrated by the restrictive fashions of the day.

At the time, dresses featured plunging necklines, and a well‑endowed woman like Jacob constantly saw parts of her corset peek out. Determined, she and her maid stitched together two handkerchiefs, creating the first makeshift bra.

Jacob patented her invention in 1914, when it was still just two pieces of fabric sewn together. The timing was perfect—World War I demanded the metal used for corsets, freeing women from the stiff undergarment and ushering in the more comfortable bra.

Thus, a simple sewing project sparked a revolution in women’s lingerie that still endures today.

4 Corset

Corsets dominated both women’s and men’s wardrobes for over three centuries, outlasting any other undergarment. They first entered fashion in the 16th century, originally crafted from iron.

During the Elizabethan era, iron gave way to whalebone—actually the teeth of whales used to filter krill. The demand for whalebone contributed to the over‑hunting of whales, a practice that would later raise conservation concerns.

Throughout the centuries, corset silhouettes shifted: from a low, cone‑shaped waist in Elizabethan times to the dramatic hourglass figure of the Victorian era, when waistlines were laced to extreme tightness.

Empress Elisabeth of Austria famously boasted a 41‑centimetre (16‑inch) waist. It wasn’t until after World War I, when doctors linked corsets to health problems, that the garment finally fell out of favour.

3 Menstrual Belt

The menstrual belt emerged around 1900 as a way to make women’s monthly cycles a bit easier. It consisted of a hip‑encircling belt with a removable pad attached—initially made of wool and requiring frequent washing.

In 1913, “sanitary napkins” appeared, offering a disposable alternative. The belt eventually gave way to menstrual panties in the 1950s, and by the 1980s, modern pads—still based on that early concept—became the norm.

Earlier eras saw women improvise with whatever absorbent material they could find: grass, hay, sponges, rabbit skins, and even softened papyrus in ancient Egypt.

2 Radioactive Underwear

Before the dangers of radiation were fully understood, the new element was hailed as a cure‑all. From the 1920s to the 1950s, radium found its way into cosmetics, food, and even underwear.

Advertisements promised that “Radiendocrinator” or “radium underwear” could solve bedroom woes. The novelty of radioactivity made such claims sound plausible, as the glowing material was considered a natural wonder.

Radium also bubbled up in hot springs, which were marketed as health retreats. Men and women alike purchased “glowing underwear” or slipped radioactive pads into their underpants, hoping for a boost in vitality.

1 Chastity Belt

The chastity belt, popular in the 16th century, was designed to prevent sexual intercourse or masturbation. Originally crafted for women, the iron contraption sometimes featured spikes and was meant to keep the wearer “pure.”

After the Renaissance, the belts fell out of use, only to be revived in the late 18th century when masturbation was deemed unhealthy. Both men and women were prescribed these devices as medical treatment.

In the 1920s, some women adopted chastity belts as “anti‑rape” devices. Contemporary scholars argue that medieval depictions of chastity belts were likely satirical or outright fabrications.

Marielle, a Scottish student fascinated by history, fashion, and the macabre, provides a modern perspective on these odd artifacts.

Where would we be without underwear? Well, probably in the same place we are now, but a lot less comfortable, that’s for sure. Since the dawn of time, humans have understood the value and usefulness of undergarments, and today we are going to take a “brief” look at ten key moments in the lingering history of lingerie as we explore the uncensored story of unmentionables. These are the 10 pivotal moments that have defined how we cover our modesty.

10 Pivotal Moments In Underwear History

We begin at the beginning, as Lewis Carroll advised us, and start with the oldest, most basic form of underwear – the loincloth. It is a simple garment made out of one piece of fabric that covers the naughty bits in the front, sometimes in the back, and it is wrapped around itself or maybe held up with a belt if you’re feeling fancy.

The loincloth has been around for almost 7,000 years and remained humanity’s go-to choice of undergarments for millennia due to its practicality and simplicity. Sometimes it could get more sophisticated. Ancient Egyptian pharaohs, for example, had their own intricate and valuable version of the loincloth called a shendoh but, for the most part, people preferred to just wrap a piece of cloth or leather around their waist and get on with their day.

The oldest person that we know of who wore a loincloth is Otzi the Iceman, who was dressed in full kit when he died and it survived along with him, more or less. He had a loincloth made out of narrow strips of sheep hide stitched together which was fastened with a belt.  

9 The Codpiece

The men of the Middle Ages moved away from loincloths and began wearing loose‑fitting trousers known as braies. These were comfortable, cheap, and practical, but they were a bit of a palaver to put on since they were laced tight around the waist and shins. This made going to the bathroom a time‑consuming affair, so enter the codpiece – a triangular flap that was attached to the pants and covered the fly, held in place by buttons or ties. Then, if anyone needed to heed the call of nature, they just had to undo the codpiece and leave the braies in their place.

Initially, codpieces were simply functional, but they became more intricate as time went on. The most famous codpiece‑wearer in history is King Henry VIII, who proudly showed off his giant, fancy codpiece in his portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger. And, of course, back then whatever the king did, everyone else emulated, so enlarged, flashy codpieces became the new style in Europe.

The question still remains, though, why did Henry wear an expanded codpiece? Was it, as many think, simply an aggressive display of phallic virility, or was it to conceal the bandages and ointments used to treat his syphilis?

8 The Chemise

At the same time as the codpiece, the chemise was also in style. Worn by both men and women, the chemise was a simple garment, usually made out of white linen, worn under other clothing such as gowns, robes, and doublets to protect the fancier, more expensive clothes from sweat. 

For most of its existence, the chemise was used as an undergarment, but then along came Marie Antoinette, who thought that, with a bit of added frills and laces, it could also work as a regular dress. She even posed for a portrait by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun in 1783 wearing only a chemise. 

Marie Antoinette had long been criticized that she spent an exorbitant amount of money on clothes at a time when her people were starving. Perhaps she hoped that this portrait would make her look more like a woman of the people, but her idea backfired spectacularly. She was scorned for showing herself in public “wearing a chambermaid’s dust cloth,” and her critics accused her of mocking the dignity of the French throne. Not to mention that she was unlabeled unpatriotic for wearing English cotton, whereas the queen was expected to dress in French silks.

Despite the scandal, Marie Antoinette was a trendsetter, and in the decades that followed, many other women adopted this simple, yet provocative fashion style. The dress became known as “chemise à la reine,” or the “chemise of the queen.”

7 The Corset

And now we move on to the bane of women everywhere for hundreds of years – the corset. This infamous support garment was tightened in order to achieve the desirable hourglass figure – a teeny‑tiny waist, with ample bosom and derriere. 

The problem was that, oftentimes, the corset was pulled so tight that it was more an instrument of torture than a fashion accessory. Women who had to wear constricting corsets for hours on end felt discomfort, labored breathing, and even fainted on occasion. Meanwhile, doctors accused corsets of causing everything from respiratory diseases and deformity to the ribs to damage to internal organs, birth defects, and even miscarriages.

As to who is responsible for unleashing this painful undergarment on the world, that’s still up for debate, but it seems like the Greeks are to blame. The oldest depictions of corsets come from the Minoan civilization from over 3,000 years ago. Meanwhile, the oldest actual corset was made out of wool and linen and recovered from a tomb on the island of Crete. But the garment fell out of fashion for millennia, and it wasn’t until the 16th century that France re‑popularized it, and from there it spread to the rest of Europe.

6 The Gin & Jenny

No other type of undergarment has become more ubiquitous in modern society than the basic pair of cotton underwear. However, this would not have been possible two hundred years ago. Cotton underwear was too time‑consuming and expensive to produce in order to become the chosen unmentionables of the masses. But that changed with the coming of the Industrial Revolution and the invention of two machines that allowed cotton to be manufactured on a grand scale – the cotton gin and the spinning jenny.

All of a sudden, cotton clothing did not have to be made by hand, anymore. Although cotton was not a fiber native to Europe, it soon overtook in popularity other fabrics such as silk and wool. Meanwhile, in America, cotton became the backbone of the country’s economy, becoming its main export during the first half of the 19th century. Of course, the reason why this fiber was so profitable for America was because it was grown and collected using slave labor.

5 The Bloomers

We’ve already mentioned the corset, but there came a day during the mid‑19th century when women said “Enough is enough” and decided that it was time to wear something practical and comfortable and damn everybody who had a problem with it. And that’s where the bloomers came in.

Inspired by Turkish trousers, bloomers were long, baggy pantaloons that were worn under dresses. They were named after women’s rights activist Amelia Bloomer who heavily campaigned in their favor, although she would have preferred to be remembered for other achievements such as launching The Lily, the first newspaper in America owned and edited by women. 

Many were shocked by this new fashion development which was such a 180 from the previous styles, but it caught on regardless. As the decades passed, bloomers started getting shorter until they evolved into a form of baggy, comfortable underwear for women.

4 The Union Suit

Around the same time as bloomers came to be, women also tried out a new type of underwear which was far more comfortable and relaxing than anything else they had in their day. They even called this new type of underwear Emancipation Suits, although they would later become better known as Union Suits. If you’re still not sure what we’re talking about, they are the one‑piece long underwear with the butt‑flaps.

Initially, they were intended for women, but everyone thought they were such a good idea that they soon became unisex, worn by men, women, and children. Soon enough, though, they became strongly associated only with working‑class men. However, they were a bit tricky to get into, so the long johns came along and supplanted them. Long johns served the same basic purposes, but they were two pieces, making it easier to get dressed in them. However, they did have a downside – no more butt‑flaps.

3 The Jockstrap

Nowadays, the jockstrap can be an athlete’s best friend, but it wasn’t always designed for them. In fact, the jockstrap was invented in 1874, by a sporting goods company in Chicago and was initially known as the “jockey strap.” That’s because it was intended for bicycle jockeys who had to pedal for hours on end on hard cobblestone streets every day and needed something extra to protect their privates.

Other workmen soon saw the usefulness of the jockstrap, especially when a hard cup was added to it, and it became yet another form of underwear popular with the working class. Even doctors found it quite helpful for medical purposes and began recommending the jockstrap to men recovering from surgeries or injuries such as hernias. And yes, in case you were wondering, there is a female version, and it is known as a jillstrap.

2 The Bra

One evening in 1914, New York socialite Caresse Crosby was getting ready to go to a débutante ball. As was standard at the time, she first put on a whalebone corset before donning her gown. It was stiff and constricting, but hey, what can you do? By that point, Crosby had gotten used to the tightness of corsets, but she didn’t like that it was poking out from under her dress. Struck by a bolt of inspiration, she took off her corset and asked her maid to bring her two handkerchiefs, a pink ribbon, and a sewing kit. And with some MacGyver ingenuity, the modern bra was born.

Crosby was the talk of the town at that party. Most of the other women were shocked that she could move so freely while they all lumbered around stiffly. When other people asked to buy a bra for themselves, Crosby realized that she was onto something, so she patented the “backless brassiere” and started a business. Then World War I came along and made the bra even more popular. Women started taking up industrial and construction jobs, which you couldn’t really do in a corset. Plus, in 1917, the US War Industries Board straight up asked women to stop buying corsets so they could ration the metal for the war effort.

Contrary to a popular myth, the bra was not invented by a man and his name was certainly not Otto Titzling. That whole thing was made up by New Zealand humorist Wallace Reyburn in 1971, the same guy who made everyone think that Thomas Crapper invented the flush toilet. For whatever reason, people kept believing his satire and then perpetuated it as fact.

1 Going Commando

We’ve been talking about all the different undergarments that people have worn throughout history, but what if you do not want to wear anything under your outer clothes and you prefer to go commando?

Surely, it would be impossible to know who was the first person in history who decided to go free and easy and ditch the skivvies, but what about the actual saying? Why would not wearing any underwear be called “going commando” and did any commandos actually do this?

Yes to that second part, but the origins of the expression are a bit murkier. The most popular hypothesis claims that it became a slang term during the 1970s thanks to American soldiers returning from Vietnam. During the war, special forces spent a lot of time in hot, wet jungles, and wearing tight underwear left them vulnerable to the dreaded fungal infection known as “crotch rot” (don’t google that, by the way). So off came the underpants to improve ventilation. 

Another origin story is even more unpleasant, believe it or not, and it says that commandos ditched their underwear when they had diarrhea and cut the seam of their fatigues running down their backside so they could “go” on the go.

Nobody can say with certainty if either of these is true, but most seem to agree that the expression permanently entered the public consciousness thanks to an episode of Friends from 1996.