We all know the sexy feeling we get when we buy that new pair of lace lingerie from Victoria’s Secret. Walking into that store is like walking into a panty gold mine; the color and style options are endless, with one pair of undies looking hotter and more desirable than the next.
For us, feeling sexy in our lace thongs is a guilty pleasure that we are undoubtedly free to enjoy, but for the women of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, this “freedom” is being revoked.
Beginning July 1, these women are seemingly doomed to a future of granny panties and trunks, while their basic rights to free underwear choice are denied.
A trade ban outlined in 2010, but implemented this summer, by the Eurasian Economic Commission, a regulatory agency for the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, has outlawed any underwear that contains less than 6 percent cotton from being imported, produced, and sold in the three member-countries, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The women of these post-Soviet nations have semi-recently uncovered the gratification of buying and wearing luxurious underwear in Russia’s free market, but are about to lose it again.
The regulations say this panty-ban is being implemented to protect women and promote women’s health.
Synthetic garments, AKA most luxury lingerie, are made with less than 4 percent cotton, and thus don’t absorb enough moisture, resulting in skin problems and deemed unhygienic by the Customs Union, according to a report by CNN.
People worldwide are questioning if these health risks are legitimate or if there were isolated motives behind the ban.
Dr. Scott Chudnoff, the director of gynecology at Montefiore Medical Center, says that if moisture is generated and the fabric against our skin isn’t absorbent- synthetic blend fabric is not- skin irritation and even infection could possibly result.
He acknowledged that synthetic blend fabrics are only one of the many factors that could predispose women to infections, such as if one has chronic infections of that nature or wears the underwear for a prolonged period of time.
“It’s definitely not a causal relationship,” Chudnoff said. “Wearing these panties won’t guarantee that you will end up with a yeast infection or Vaginosis.”
Chudnoff has yet to see any public reports or studies that definitively define the risks of wearing synthetic underwear, and acknowledges that there are many other health risks the customs union could be addressing.
“Have they banned McDonalds? Cigarettes?” sophomore Christina Dean asked. “This is obviously not about ‘health issues’ or they would have started attacking much more dangerous and prevalent issues like lung cancer, diabetes, and obesity.”
Just as we all undoubtedly would do, women are flocking to stores like Victoria’s Secret and Moscow’s DD-Shop to get their hands on the last legally sold pairs of lace underwear in all of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
The Russian Textile Business Union report states more than $4 billion worth of these luxurious commodities is sold in Russia yearly, 80 percent of which are foreign made, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Analysts are estimating 90 percent of the newly illegal products will disappear from the shelves by July 1, reported by the Associated Press. That is, if the women of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan don’t effectively clear the shelves before then.
Stocking up on undies is only half the kickback from the women of the common union countries; many are taking their problems to the streets in protest.
Sunday, February 16, Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, hosted about 30 demonstrators at the distinguishing “Panties for the President” protest- a suitable title given to an organization of women with lace undies on their heads yelling “Freedom to panties,” while being arrested and thrown into police vans.
The pressure from both shoppers and textile producers may actually cause the typically relentless customs union officials to budge and amend the outlandish ban.
In a publicly released statement, the customs union’s regulation minister Valery Korshkov, said they are open to amendment offers because technical regulations like this one are “not a dogma”.
Junior Alexa Lardieri thinks women have come far in regards to their rights, but after hearing of this ban, acknowledges that there is still progress to be made, especially in countries like these.
“The government has so much say over women’s lives, and now to tell them what underwear, a garment that isn’t even visible, they can and cannot wear is such oppression and quite frankly ridiculous,” she said.
Only time will tell if the women of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will regain their prerogative to underwear preference or are fated to a future of black-market risqué undies, or even worse, these: