Ever wondered why ladies buy fairly used underwear? Well, you probably haven’t heard about that before, but it’s real; Nigerian ladies buy fairly used underwear. Fairly used underwear such as under-pants and brassieres surprisingly sell more in the market than the new ones. It is estimated that 6 out 10 average Nigerian ladies prefer the fairly used underwear. For us ladies who are not in this category of females using fairly used underwear, it may sound a little bizarre because we know what happens to our underwear, especially under-pants when our monthly menstrual flows begin. We took our time to do a survey by asking women what underwear they prefer to buy in the market and why. Our findings showed that most of the ladies would rather spend their monies buying the fairly used underwear even if the price equals that of the new underwear or even slightly higher. You may think this category of women is the uneducated one, but that is not true; majority of them are educated. Our findings showed that ladies, especially girls, buy the fairly used underwear for economic reasons. Below are comments from some ladies we interviewed;
“For me, it’s pointless buying something that doesn’t last. New pants don’t last, so I don’t buy them.” Catherine
“It’s funny though, but it’s the truth. I buy fairly used pants too. Though I buy new ones also, but the fairly used ones lasts longer.” Monisola
“Nah! It’s a no for me. How can I use an under-pant that has been used by another woman? I can’t even imagine it.” Adesuwa
“I used to buy new underwear, but they never last. My friends recommended the fairly used underwear to me, that it’s what they buy and it lasts them longer. I tried it, and that was it. I’m good with the fairly used ones.” Amaka
“Oh yes! I buy the underwear that is fairly used. It saves me money.” Sarah
“I’m aware that ladies buy fairly used underwear; my friends buy them. But it’s just not my thing. I can’t. Though they say the fairly used ones last longer, but the truth is, you’re not supposed to use your underwear for a long time. You are meant to use it for a while and then discard it. If I can spend so much on designer wears, how much is underwear?” Ijeoma
We decided to approach some underwear dealers in the market. We met those who deal on both the new and the fairly used. And these are what they have to say;
“Most of my customers prefer the fairly used underwear; though they are mostly girls. Only few girls buy new underwear.” A trader confirmed.
“I do buy more of the used underwear because it’s what my customers prefer.” Another trader confirmed to us.
When we asked these ladies who buy fairly used under-pants if they are not afraid of possible health dangers that could come with using such underwear, this is what most of them have to say; “Once you buy them, all you need do is to wash them with hot water.”
In our next edition on this topic, we shall be bringing to you possible health dangers that could arise from using fairly used underwear.
