What you got under there? …Under where?

Ohhh such a naughty topic this week!! We’ll be talking about all the unmentionables superheroes use to keep their bits and pieces looking tight and right under all that spandex! Now, the needs of the boys are different from the needs of the girls. So fellas, I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never had to deal with your…particular needs, so I’m going to talk about the girls first, and then hand it over to Clyde Max to cover your needs!

But first ladies!!! Let us talk about underwear, specifically…those annoying lines. This is the most common issue we must face in our spandex body hugging costumes. Here’s a list of solutions I’ve found.

Option 1- Seamless underwear: A crazy concept but one that really works. Here you can see the lovely Tallest Silver as Lady Deadpool, and her nice smooth spandex clad booty. She is wearing Bare Ultimate hip huggers from Victoria Secret.

Option 2- Spanx: this is the option for the curvier girl who wants not just a lack of underwear lines, but also some control and support to keep more than just the booty smooth, but the tummy and/or thighs as well. There are pros and cons to this option. You can still get lines unfortunately but just in different places, and all depending on the style you choose (and how thin the spandex on top is.) My Siren spandex was a little more see through then I’d like so I slapped on some Spanx to avoid folks being able to see exactly what underwear I had on that day, but you can see the line on my leg.

Option 3- A thong: This doesn’t always work, you can get that line issue on your hips, but you can get a seamless thong much like option 1. And sometimes there’s a belt or another piece to the costume that can hide thong lines. A thong is simple, most girls have at least one, and it can often time get the job done. (Side note, thanks BobaPhat for this random photo of my tuckus, it has come in handy)

Option 4- C string: This is an article of clothing that can help all you Slave Leias out there. (Why did that costume have to have see through sides!?!?!) Ugh just to make life difficult I guess, but here’s the deal, a C string is underwear that lacks anything on the sides. It’s really not a very practical item of clothing, its only purpose is to act as a failsafe in case the wind gets a hold of your skirt and your double sided tape fails. But here’s a picture, you’ll figure it out

Alright, that’s enough about that, let us now talk bras. Now there are a ton of styles for all sorts of purposes. I’ll only cover a few specialty types or else this article is going to be out of control.

Option 1- A corset: They are great for comic book waist to hip/boob ratios, and they’re also great for support/enhancing.

• A. Traditional corset: Often times they are use as the top of a costume itself, as can be seen with Silver’s Scarlet Witch costume, but they are also very effective under the spandex, as you can see with BelleChere’s Power Girl costume. Depending on your comfort level you can get corsets with different kinds of boning, from plastic to metal, and you can do different kinds of lacing (loose or tight). If you’re not used to corsets, start off easy with loose lacings and work your way up to a tighter lace. You don’t want to pass out or get sick. (Wow two posts in a row I’ve needed to add that disclaimer…costuming is dangerous!)

• B. Strapless corset bra: this kind is very good under costumes that are cut lower in back and are obviously…strapless. This style also offers great support, and shape to your waist line.

Option 2- Adhesive Bra: There are a lot of style options here, but the unifying fact is that the bra actually sticks to your body. So they are often backless and strapless. I do not recommend this style for girls who are bigger than a D because there isn’t a lot of support to these bras.

• A. As you can see with my Dr. Mrs. The Monarch costume, it has no back, and not much of a front, so sticky is the type of bra I go with the keep the girls wrangled. (I had to alter the bra I used for this costume a lot; there isn’t a good one you can just buy) If you’re lucky enough to have a back to your costume, search for a U plunge style bra, those cut very low.
• B. Cutlet style: If your costume is totally backless, and strapless, you can go to the extreme and get this style that just adheres to your front.

• C. Pasties or Petals: These can be used for costumes that cut really low, and/or are backless and/or strapless. There are a lot of crazy costumes out there! This is mainly another failsafe type item in case a costume wants to migrate. There is no support to these, so please use with discretion. If you’re a bigger girl who needs the lift, you might want to look into more creative options.
• D. Enhancing silicone falsies: For the less than endowed girls or the girls who wish to be more endowed you can get essentially a cutlet style adhesive that isn’t attached in the middle and sticks on. (looks like b. but isn’t attached in the middle, I couldn’t find a good picture sorry)

Option 3- If there’s a costume that can’t be covered by these styles, or you have more specific needs (and can’t make your own bras) go to a lingerie shop, they can often size you and custom make items. Or they’d at least know what the item you’re looking for is called. I mean I didn’t know the term U  bra until I started trying to find something for Dr. Mrs. The Monarch!

And now for all the other things to consider to keep you looking good in your costumes.

Tights: Ladies, ladies, ladies, these things are amazing; I do not understand why more people don’t wear tights with costumes. They’re warm, they’re comfortable (in my opinion,) they keep you smooth/help with coverage for smaller costumes, and if you’re lacking in a tan (like me) they help you not blind people when the flash on a camera goes off.

Fashion Tape: If you’re rocking a costume that is barely covering your bits and pieces you need to look into this. I have it for Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, and I don’t know a Slave Leia who doesn’t have this stuff.In fact it’s great if your costume breaks and you need to hold some trim on, on the fly. I personally do not like the Victoria Secret brand. I get the kind that come in precut strips that you get at dance supply stores. Keep it classy folks!

And now Clyde Max with the male perspective on super underwear!

Kit Quinn
Kit@ComicImpact.com