Whenever summer rolls around I look forward to hot days, gorgeous nights, skimpy sundresses, and sangria. But there’s one thing about this amazing season that fills me with dread, that makes me sigh dramatically as I unpack my summer wardrobe, that makes me cringe at the thought of an afternoon stroll through the park. Two words, my friends: thigh chafing.
According to fashion magazines and fitness shows and hipster photos on Pinterest, all women are supposed to have a generous gap between our thighs (judging from Pinterest, ideally the gap should be large enough to frame a picture of the sunset). I’ve been many different weights in my life, but honestly, I can’t remember a time when my thighs didn’t touch. In the fall and winter when I’m always wearing tights or pants, this isn’t a problem at all. In the summer, when I’m wearing mini skirts and breezy dresses, it is a huge problem…
Source: GQ
At first thigh chafing is annoying, then it’s embarrassing, then it’s painful, then it’s ugly (all that friction causes little red bumps to pop up on my inner thighs–so not cute). My solution up to now has been to wear spandex shorts underneath all my dresses. This combats chafing and serves the secondary purpose of preventing me from flashing the whole neighborhood whenever I get out my car. Every time I pull on those shorts, though, I feel a little sad and a little resentful: for once I’d just like to throw on a sundress and some comfy undies and be done. This hot, binding extra layer kind of defeats the purpose of the easy, breezy summer outfit.
Source: Undersummers
I’ve seen ads for anti-chafing gels but they always seemed a little too…slimy? I know some women swear by baby powder but I’ve never been sure how much to use and how to apply it. I’d love to hear about your experiences with chafing and how you deal with it. Feel free to share solutions and favorite products, or just vent about how much it sucks. Because it really, really sucks.
Original by Winona Dimeo-Ediger
