Undershirts for girls: 'splain this to me

[CookieMonster]

Ok, so some of you say that you have undershirts for your girls to wear. I, being very into modesty and helping girls stay young while they are still girls, am intrigued. How does this whole thing work?

 

What are the undershirts like? They're not like the ribbed tanks, tank-tops with thick seams, or spandex bra tops I see in the store, right? Are they thin? Do they have noticeable seams? I wouldn't want the undershirt to look noticeable under my daughter's regular tops. Do your daughters not wear Tshirts and turtlenecks, but rather blouses/button-down tops? Having never worn or seen one, I'm not sure what it is I'm looking for. Or how to make them work.

 

Also, do your girls wear them in the summertime?

 

Also, what is the intrinsic benefit to wearing them. In other words, what is the value (other than modesty) to wearing them that seems so plain to you and you don't understand why others don't see it?

 

Oh, and while we're on the subject, what did you like about wearing them as a girl?

 

TIA :bigear:

[mommaduck]

My girls wear either a cotton knit top with skirts/kulottes or dresses. I buy the cotton Hanes, sleeveless camisoles.

[kalanamak]

 

Oh, and while we're on the subject, what did you like about wearing them as a girl?

 

TIA :bigear:

 

I liked them. My mother would not spring for a bra (too expensive) until I needed one which was about 3 years AFTER everyone else wore one. Everyone seemed to have "the strap of honor" showing in the back of their blouse but me, and this undershirt made me feel a little less exposed. (This was the era of the miniskirt and I wore short shorts under my dress. When the school got riled up about my violation of dress code (they allowed dresses so short panties showed, but not shorts except in May and September), my mother mentioned the name of the dirty minded teacher who'd been harrassing the girls for 20 years and asked if she should make this an "issue". They dropped it and I was the only shorts wearer in a 1200 kid school.)

 

Also, it was often cold and I had a little stick body. They were cotton and sleeveless and I even put one under my PJ tops at night.

[Jenny in Florida]

http://www.target.com/Girls-Uniform-Camisole-2-pk/dp/B000FDDNWE/sr=1-5/qid=1208954894/ref=sr_1_5/601-0255264-9439362?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Agirl%20camisole&page=1

 

They're nothing special or interesting, just an extra layer to wear under a clingy t-shirt for modesty's sake. These are mostly cotton, so they weren't hot or scratchy or uncomfortable to wear.

 

I wore them when I was young, too, during that period when I was starting to develop but not yet ready for a bra. They made me feel more secure, less self-conscious, without having to commit to anything too grown up (or uncomfortable).

 

Since girls who are just starting to develop don't need any "support" and are wearing that extra layer just for the sake of modesty, I'm a believer in making it as comfortable and inconsipcuous and, for lack of a better term, "childhood-friendly" as possible.

 

Personally, I feel so sorry for the little girls who are told they have to start wearing bras at such young ages. My daughter started with these little undershirts, then moved on to the stretchy camisoles with the built-in "shelf bras" before finally (after about two years) buying her first "real bra."

[Harriet Vane]

My dd always wore cotton camisoles for an extra layer of warmth in the winter.

 

In the summer I only require the camisole if there is a modesty issue--if the sleeve holes are unusually large or the fabric is transparent or there is a deep v-neck. I don't worry about that extra layer for anything opaque that is modest on its own.

 

This summer my dd will most likely wear such undergarments more as she is starting to grow. (She is 11yo.) I would like to not have to deal with a bra just yet--wearing an extra, tight layer in the hot summer for the first time just seems like torture to me.

[Marie in Oh]

And I think I got them some Sanoma brand from Kohls. They wear them under their dresses, under the PJ's and some of their t-shirts both long and short sleeves-- especially if they have an applique on them that scratches their chest or the shirt is see through. They are a comfort, modesty, get used to something under there thing for us. My oldest who will be 9 soon got a hand-me-down cami with some lycra in it also Hanes brand. I stuck it in her drawer. I told her she could try it id she wanted, especially under her soccer uniform.

[In The Great White North]

My girls wore them mostly in the winter (under everything) because it's cold here! (I didn't use them as a pre-bra.) I bought a few camisoles but mostly regular white t-shirts or tanks from the boys department which are cut longer (apparently girls' belly buttons are supposed to freeze).

 

We have a few wool and silk undershirts too, and wool tights.

 

The ones in the girls dept are pretty thin (the ones in the boys dept last longer). You will be able to see them through blouses or thin shirts (unless you dye them ecru) but why care? Tank tops under shirts appears to be in style. I see it a lot on jr hi/ hs girls.

 

They sell silk camisoles for mom too:001_smile:.

 

I do remember wearing them as a girl (10 and under.) They're warmer and you don't have to put a sweater on as soon.

[Kelli in TN]

My 17 year old still wears them. Of course she wears a bra too. She likes to find long tanks to put under her shirts since most junior t-shirts have a tendency to ride up and show the belly. She almost always has a tank on, tucked into the waistband of her jeans.

 

My 10 year old wears them sometimes, as she gets older she will probably have to wear them all the time too. She is long waisted like her sister and will probably have the same problem with t-shirts being too short.

[Halftime Hope]

my dd is very long waisted, so she almost always layers a long cami under a shorter tshirt or blouse, covering her jeans by a good two inches or so. The layered look is in, and it's one way to keep her covered up, since it is very difficult to find jeans that are not cut very low. Another way in which they help her remian modest is that they layer nicely under button up shirts, providing more coverage in the V of the shirt.

 

We came to an interesting realization about the layered look, though. For Sunday mornings, when she is around many of the elderly folks in our church, she won't wear a layered look if it has lace on it, because for many of that generation, wearing lace showing on the outside of an undergarment is like wearing your underwear exposed. When it is just with her own peer group, there is not the same connotation, so she wears whatever she wants.

[GailV]

We get the Hanes brand, too.

 

Dd uses them for warmth in winter, and for the anti-itch factor. Dd has sensitive skin (inherited from me, no doubt -- the feel of many fabrics drives me batty) and prefers the light layer of cotton (or silk) to prevent other clothing from rubbing her skin. She wears the undershirts under her pajamas in the winter.

 

 

 

You know, it occurs to me that dh also wears short sleeved undershirts year round when he's in business attire. He thinks it looks better on men to not see through a white shirt and view chest hair, etc. Also, it keeps his shirts cleaner -- he tosses the undershirt in the laundry at night, but hangs up the shirt for another wearing since it hasn't had direct exposure to his skin. His shirts end up lasting longer since they aren't washed so often.

 

We're just a layered family, I guess.

[momofkhm]

They're not like the ribbed tanks, tank-tops with thick seams, or spandex bra tops I see in the store, right? Are they thin? Do they have noticeable seams? I wouldn't want the undershirt to look noticeable under my daughter's regular tops. Do your daughters not wear Tshirts and turtlenecks, but rather blouses/button-down tops? Having never worn or seen one, I'm not sure what it is I'm looking for. Or how to make them work.

 

Some of them are the ribbed tanks, tank tops with thick seams but not spandex bra tops here. They are also camisoles and then those tissue weight t-shirts as well. And yes, the "undershirt" is to be noticed. My girls wear them when the top is cut too low. Or when straps are too thin. Our co-op requires straps to be 2 inches. I figured that was a good thing and so that's what we do at home as well. They can wear tops that have the thinner straps but they have to wear some sort of shirt underneath.

 

Also, do your girls wear them in the summertime?

 

Anytime they wear tops that need them.

 

Also, what is the intrinsic benefit to wearing them. In other words, what is the value (other than modesty) to wearing them that seems so plain to you and you don't understand why others don't see it?

 

Our only reason is modesty. All their friends wear undershirts like this as well.

 

Oh, and while we're on the subject, what did you like about wearing them as a girl?

 

I never wore them as a girl myself. My mother is not nearly as modest as I am now, as I was then. (Let me rephrase... She is modest in what she wears but she is of the belief that if you have a nice figure, you should show it off to the maximum. I had a nice figure so she wanted me to show it off.) I am appalled at something she talked me into wearing then. (I had an aunt that commented "if she's advertising, she's selling" about this one thing. I wasn't selling, but looking at it now, I was certainly advertising.) BUT it also tells me now that when I see girls in high school, college wearing immodest things, that they simply have no idea what they are wearing. These are the "good" girls. I had no idea that what I wore effect males the way it did. I like to give these current girls the benefit of the doubt.

[WTMindy]

For us, it was actually more of a fashion thing than a modesty thing. The layered look is in, and my dd liked the look of layering. I almost always wear a tank of some kind because I am long waisted and I like coverage. But, it has been a good intermediate step for her because she is starting to need a bra, but not really interested yet. I'll buy her one when she needs or wants one, but the camis have been a good intermediate step for us.

[Colleen]

I was kinda mystified by your post in that other thread, wondering what it was you didn't understand about a plain ol' undershirt.:tongue_smilie: Since the thread was locked by then, I couldn't reply. Sounds like others have explained it well enough here. I just wanted to add that undershirts/camisoles really are practical. I often wear one rather than a bra. Depending on what top layer I'm wearing that day, and the temperature, it might be something a little heavier weight, might have a shelf bra, or might just be a thin slip of a thing. Some of mine are Swiss (Hanro or Calida) and some are Vince (that's the brand name) ribbed tanks, which I buy at a local shop. I'm wearing a Vince tank right now.:)

[Sharon in SC]

This is very much akin to what my girls wear in that "budding" stage - they like not having to feel self conscious about their buds that do not yet require a bonified bra.

 

http://www.target.com/Girls-Uniform-Camisole-2-pk/dp/B000FDDNWE/sr=1-5/qid=1208954894/ref=sr_1_5/601-0255264-9439362?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Agirl%20camisole&page=1

 

They're nothing special or interesting, just an extra layer to wear under a clingy t-shirt for modesty's sake. These are mostly cotton, so they weren't hot or scratchy or uncomfortable to wear.

 

I wore them when I was young, too, during that period when I was starting to develop but not yet ready for a bra. They made me feel more secure, less self-conscious, without having to commit to anything too grown up (or uncomfortable).

 

Since girls who are just starting to develop don't need any "support" and are wearing that extra layer just for the sake of modesty, I'm a believer in making it as comfortable and inconsipcuous and, for lack of a better term, "childhood-friendly" as possible.

 

Personally, I feel so sorry for the little girls who are told they have to start wearing bras at such young ages. My daughter started with these little undershirts, then moved on to the stretchy camisoles with the built-in "shelf bras" before finally (after about two years) buying her first "real bra."

[5kidsforME]

 

 

Oh, and while we're on the subject, what did you like about wearing them as a girl?

 

TIA :bigear:

 

 

I wore them as a girl and first I wore them pre-bra age and they were much more comfortable then a bra. But of course when it is time for a bra regardless of comfort you wear it and get used to them.

[5kidsforME]

I was kinda mystified by your post in that other thread, wondering what it was you didn't understand about a plain ol' undershirt.:tongue_smilie: Since the thread was locked by then, I couldn't reply.

 

Why was that thread locked anyway? I can never figure these things out. :001_huh:

[Mamagistra]

I often wear one rather than a bra.

 

:glare: LUCKY!

[LizzyBee]

Also, what is the intrinsic benefit to wearing them. In other words, what is the value (other than modesty) to wearing them that seems so plain to you and you don't understand why others don't see it?

 

Oh, and while we're on the subject, what did you like about wearing them as a girl?

 

My kids wear them for warmth. I've never considered them for modesty, just warmth. My oldest dd hates turtlenecks, so she'd rather wear an undershirt instead. Our house tends to be cold even when the heat is set on 70, because we have a heat pump. So younger dd's might wear an undershirt, a turtleneck, and a sweater all at the same time.

 

ETA: I just went back and read some of the other posts. When I think of an undershirt, I think of a little cotton shirt that may have short sleeves or may be sleeveless that one wears under their shirt. Layers worn for fashion are different, in my mind. I grew up in a cold climate, and my sisters and I wore undershirts until we were at least preteens. I've purchased undershirts for my kids at Target and Walmart, plus they've gotten tons of hand-me-downs from their cousins.

[BeachGirl]

My daughter wears them for modest reasons. She doesn't like to have the front or the back of her bra show through her shirt. She doesn't mind the strap showing though!:D The shirts out in the stores right now are really made of a very thin material and should be layered or have something on for modest underneath. I see kids all the time that do not wear something underneath and cannot understand how their parents let them leave the house that way.

[Reya]

Maybe I'm weird, but having a shirt rub against budding nipples was VERY uncomfortable for me. Once I turned 11, I couldn't imagine going without a "bra" even if it was basically shaped like two-pieces for little girls and offered no support because it protected against chafing. And I had no chest that didn't require a microscope to see until I was 13!

 

I never, for a second, thought that wearing a bra was *inherently* "grown up," much less *s--ual.* Just about all middle schoolers wear bras, and they're far from grown up. And just about all adult women wear bras, no mater what their ages or level of s--ual activity. It'd be almost like finding socks inherently s--ual just because knee socks in some situations are meant to be titillating!

 

I find it very strange to think of not wearing a bra as "helping girls stay young." It's a functional garment. When you have no chest but have buds, it's there to prevent chafing. When you have a little bit of a chest, it's there to prevent embarrassment in chilly situations, too. When you have a lot of a chest, it's there to make sure that chest stays permanently above the bellybutton as well as to prevent the culturally immodest appearance of unleashed, flying breasts. *g* Then, once you're married--well, then it has a very different additional function. But just because it has one function for some and not that for others doesn't mean that keeping girls out of bras keeps them from growing up too fast. If you have a need, then you wear a bra. That's all. *shrugs* You should get bigger shoes when you need them, too.

 

I'm not sure why there's fear and denial involved at all, and the possibility of shame just plain disturbs me. I would be VERY concerned about the possibility of teaching my children that they should be ashamed of the changes their bodies go through and giving them the impression that there's something wrong about it. There's a huge difference between a Biblical modesty and shame at being immodest in front of strangers, for instance, and being unable to even talk about BRAS with one's own children or mother.

[mamao32001]

Hey Reya,

I'm with ya. Bras are functional. My problem (if no one minds about my hijacking this thread) is with finding a modest bra once there's more "blossoming"! Thirteen year old girls do NOT need padded bras! Anyone shop for modest undergarments at a particular place??

[Reya]

Hey Reya,

I'm with ya. Bras are functional. My problem (if no one minds about my hijacking this thread) is with finding a modest bra once there's more "blossoming"! Thirteen year old girls do NOT need padded bras! Anyone shop for modest undergarments at a particular place??

 

Hmmm. I've seen modest bras EVERYWHERE--and really, really immodest ones and scarily tiny little-girl sizes, too. I prefer molded cup bras ***for modesty*** (to me, one's breasts looking a teensy bit bigger is a WHOLE lot more modest to me than the whole world seeing the shape of your nipples through your shirt or dress because one happened to get rubbed by a purse strap or whatever--there is NO ONE whom I want to see that in a public place at any time!). You can get really thin ones that are "full coverage" that hide everything. Clothing slides best across seamless satin and almost as well across stretch knit. (Lace is awful for catching, never mind not really suitable for children, and anything with seams "telegraphs" through many clothes.) I prefer wires for size C or larger because of comfort/back issues.

 

I can't wear Hanes Her Way because they won't make my size and I'm a married woman, anyway, but they have LOTS of age-appropriate bras:

http://www.hanes.com/Hanes/Categories/Women-Hanes/Women_ShopByCategory-Hanes/Women_Bras-Hanes.aspx

 

You can even find sports bras that have lightly molded cups at Wal-mart, for example, so you can have the nipple-free look with tons of coverage, if desired.

[cin]

I didn't read all of the responses, but our girls wear undershirts in the winter for added insulation. Period. I'm concerned about modesty, but my girls are 3 & 6, and while I do teach them modesty, I guess It's not as big a deal to us.

[mamao32001]

Hi Reya,

I hadn't considered the benefits of a molded cup. I just saw them as adding padding, kwim. I'm not ready for my only recently teenaged girl to be "built". We have been to Walmart and have only found a few that work. I believe she's in between an A and a B. I can't stand the fashion colors and designs. Its UNDERWEAR for crying out loud! As for the sports bras, dd would prefer to stay away from those expect for exercise.

 

I personally love Hanes. Thanks for the website. If only it were so easy to buy without trying them on!

Again, thank you for replying to my off topic post.

Cheri

[yslek]

I grew up wearing undershirts (sleeveless, camisole-type.) Although we believed in modesty, the undershirts were more of a cultural thing for us. (I lived in Germany until the age of 10. Girls and women alike commonly wear undershirts there.)

 

After moving back to the States, I eventually outgrew my undershirts and didn't get new ones. It's only been since the layered look has become more popular that I've seen camisoles around more, and have started wearing them again. (Tucked in, though, not hanging out. I'm long-waisted already and the haning-out look makes me look really lopsided! :tongue_smilie:)

 

I just think they're comfortable, and I like not having to worry about someone seeing my post-prego belly when I reach up for something. ;)

 

Kelsy

[OnEaglesWings]

Hey Reya,

I'm with ya. Bras are functional. My problem (if no one minds about my hijacking this thread) is with finding a modest bra once there's more "blossoming"! Thirteen year old girls do NOT need padded bras! Anyone shop for modest undergarments at a particular place??

 

I just read in Consumer Reports that the Gilligan & O'Malley bras at Target were better than the more expensive brands. I've been checking them out. There are lots of varieties, some padded some not. Great price. I'd definitely recommend a trip to Target!:auto:

 

Kim

[mamao32001]

I just read in Consumer Reports that the Gilligan & O'Malley bras at Target were better than the more expensive brands. I've been checking them out. There are lots of varieties, some padded some not. Great price. I'd definitely recommend a trip to Target!:auto:

 

Kim

 

 

If only we had a Target nearby! Hopefully I'll remember next time I go "big" shopping. Thank you!:):seeya:

[Reya]

I just read in Consumer Reports that the Gilligan & O'Malley bras at Target were better than the more expensive brands. I've been checking them out. There are lots of varieties, some padded some not. Great price. I'd definitely recommend a trip to Target!:auto:

 

Kim

 

Yeah--IF you happen to be a size that Target will carry. *makes face* The same design also works differently for different sizes--something that's heavenly in a B can be agony in a D.

 

They make super-duper thin molded cup bras that are no more than basically a slightly stiff layer between you and the world--like 1/8". So don't discount a bra just because it isn't 100% soft!

[mamao32001]

They make super-duper thin molded cup bras that are no more than basically a slightly stiff layer between you and the world--like 1/8". So don't discount a bra just because it isn't 100% soft!

 

 

Reya,

I'm getting the feeling that you like a little padding??? (made me chuckle);) Or is this really a commentary on some other issue? (not really, just kidding).

Cheri