Panty Fit Advice & Sizing Made Simple

The Best Panty Styles for Your Bottom Type

Discover panty styles for every body type with tips on choosing the most flattering and comfortable fit.

Panties today come in many styles with several features. So, what are the best styles for your bottom type?

Here's some help. First, a quick run-through of panty silhouettes. Starting with the most coverage, there are women's briefs. They sit at your natural waist just below your navel. Their leg openings follow the natural bend of your upper thigh, then around and under your back cheeks giving you complete back coverage that can look invisible under clothing.

High-cut briefs, also called French cut, have a larger and higher cut leg for a more flattering look. High-cut briefs with side seams positioned more forward near the center front leg will also provide full back coverage. Without these seams, the back coverage is reduced.

Boyshorts have a lower mid-rise waist and come with a squared-cut leg that falls below your back cheeks. The leg edges usually have no treatment, so can easily stretch while staying almost invisible under form-fitting clothes.

Hipsters are briefs with a lower waistline to hide under today's lower rise pants.

Bikinis have a waistline lower than a hipster and a slightly higher cut leg, creating moderate back coverage and thinner sides.

Tanga styles fall between a bikini and a thong. The legs are cut to create a 45-degree angle across the back cheeks. Thongs have minimal sides and no back coverage. They sit low on the waist and may feature a back “whale tail” design.

Women’s bottoms come in several shapes, and there are specific solutions for each to get a perfect and comfortable fit.

Flat or Minimal Bottoms

Avoid panties with hi-cut legs. Without sufficient back flesh, this style tends to ride up, creating wedgies. Also avoid gathering along the back leg edges, which will create puckering. Instead, opt for cheeky back coverage to give the illusion of more shape. Boyshorts and bikinis are good options, as are tangas and thongs. HerRoom also offers padded panties if you’d like to add more size to your backside.

Sagging or Low-Hanging Bottoms

Avoid silhouettes with less back coverage—low bottoms will hang out, creating horizontal panty lines. Steer clear of hi-cut styles, which rarely give enough back coverage. Instead, choose briefs, boyshorts, hipsters, or bikinis without hi-cut sides. Their leg openings tuck under your cheeks and can even help lift them. Shapewear lifting panties are also available. Thongs can be worn, but they won’t provide support.

“Bubble Bottoms” (Full and Round)

These bottoms need more fabric in back. Otherwise, the panty front will pull down and the fit will feel unfinished. High-cut leg panties won’t work and may creep inward. Consider going up a size for more coverage. Panties with a center back seam contour better, preventing the “uni-bottom” look. Some even feature ruching, which flatters this shape. Tangas give a sexy silhouette, boyshorts provide great coverage, and panties with 4-way stretch allow for a custom fit. Thongs always fit since there’s no back.

Full Thighs and Full Bottoms

Look for panties with hi-cut leg openings, which are larger and less binding. Avoid panties with elastic sewn along leg edges—these can dig in. Instead, try stretchy lace or seamless laser-cut finishes. Full coverage panties may make your bottom appear bigger, so boyshorts, bikinis, and tangas give a cheeky, slimming effect. The best-fitting thongs will have a V-shape center front.

Final Points

Full-cut briefs remain one of the most comfortable silhouettes, perfect under skirts. Modern versions use stretch lace and design details, and many include tummy control.

Workout panties now exist, made from performance fabrics that wick moisture and provide support under leggings and shorts.

New fabrics with moisture-wicking and breathability make all-cotton panties less necessary. Most panties today include cotton crotch linings, and if they don’t, HerRoom notes it clearly.

The biggest mistake women make is how they put panties on. They pull them up like pants, which sets the waistband too high. Instead, place them carefully: the waistband should rest where designed, and the back should sit properly. The same applies to thongs. When worn correctly, discomfort and adjusting disappear.

Watch: How To Put Panties On The Right Way.

Now that you know which panties work best for your figure type, have fun picking panties in all kinds of colors and styles.