From the early 20th century women’s underwear began to be called panties rather than drawers. It’s believed the word panties is a feminine form of pants because women wore long underwear that looked like men’s pants. The word panties was first recorded in 1908. But it took time to become popular.

Underwear actually started as an outer garment back in the 5000’s BC and appeared for cavemen and cavewomen as a small piece of fabric wrapped around the waist and through the leg called a loincloth. It was a basic necessity for protection, especially in colder areas of the world to conserve their intimate areas.